LONDON -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are
slated to open the Globe Theatre here on June 12, more than four
years after ground was broken on a $47 million reconstruction of
the venue made famous by Shakespeare.
Located in Southwark, a district on the south bank of the
Thames, the Globe complex includes the theater, an exhibition
center and other facilities.
The theater welcomed 300,000 visitors during its "prologue"
season in 1996 (more than one-third hailed from the U.S.), and some
600,000 are expected in 1997, according to Jason Rosenbaum,
administrative director for the Shakespeare Globe Center in New
York.
The Opening Theatre Season will begin on May 27 with previews of
"Henry V," "The Winter's Tale" and two other productions yet to be
announced.
The first full season will run from June 24 through Sept.
21.
Tickets will go on sale on March 3 and can be obtained through
Ticketmaster in New York at (212) 307-7171 or the theater's box
office at (011) 44-171 344-4444.
Travel agents or tour operators interested in organizing
educational programs or who have inquiries regarding the Globe
should contact Rosenbaum at (212) 947-4510; fax (212) 947-8641.
Tickets are priced at about $8.50 for "groundlings" -- those who
stand in the yard around the stage -- and seats in the theatre's
three galleries range from $8.50 to $34 per person.
The original Globe was built in about 1599 and was the most
illustrious of several theaters in an area known as Bankside.
The new Globe, a project headed by actor and director Sam
Wanamaker, who died before construction commenced, is a shrine to
Shakespeare and will hold performances of his plays during
daylight, in the open air.
Additional information about the theater is available from the
British Tourist Authority at (800) GO2-BRITAIN.