It's not uncommon during a college tour to hear the extra amenities that the school has to offer. Perhaps they have the best food in the nation, perhaps they have an Olympic sized swimming pool, and perhaps they have free movie weekends. But not every school can boast that they have North America's most accurate recreation of the Globe Theatre. Hofstra can, and I had the immense pleasure of seeing it built and performing on it.
First, a bit of information for you less theatrical people that slept through history. Around 1600 there was a writer by the name of William Shakespeare. His plays became immensely popular, including the stories of Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet. When his plays were first put on, they were performed at the Globe Theater, located just outside of London (The Puritans despised theater and wouldn't allow a theater inside the city limits). The original Globe Theater burnt to the ground when a cannon went off (It was part of the show) and ignited the theater. It was rebuilt and then somewhere along the lines disappeared. Historians and Archeologists eventually found the remains of the Globe's foundation and mounted a full recreation of the Globe where it once stood.
All the way across the Atlantic stands Hofstra University's Playhouse. It once held a 5/6 replica of the Globe, but that was recently retired due to wear and tear. That is where the excitement begins. Two years ago a proposal was made to the university - build the most accurate representation of the Globe in North America
After 18 months of planning, designing and building, the Globe Stage at Hofstra was officially opened with a production of Hamlet, of which I had a role in. Now, before I continue I should say that I don't actually go on stage except for bows. Instead, I get to look at the stage every night. And I can tell you that it never gets old. The paint is incredible, and to have the experience of seeing what people in the 1600s would have seen is an experience that has no words to describe it.
Sitting through rehearsals, one of the things that is the best about the stage is how much freedom it allows the actors. With any theatrical production today there are light cues, sound cues, and maybe some trapdoors. Not to mention an abundance of props, set changes, and the curtain. With the Globe Stage, there are no light cues. In fact, the house lights stay o for the entire performance (as the play would have been shown in the daylight and the Globe had no roof. There are no set changes, yet every scene is a different locale. All that separates these two locations is a door to get on/off stage. There's no run crew pushing sets around and no extravagant light cues. When the show ends, the curtain doesn't come down. The actors just stand up and bow. Theater like this is so pure and beautiful. The actors can move freely without worrying about light cues.
Now, as much as I want to be on stage, I still love seeing this beautiful reconstruction every night and knowing that this production goes down in history. Even if you're not a fan of Shakespeare, it's still a beautiful piece of architecture that is worth the trip.
