Download The Great Globe Itself

TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE
The Great Globe Itself
A FREE OUTREACH TOURING PRODUCTION
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY DAVID HANSEN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dear Educator ………………………………………………………………………...... 3
A Note to Students: What to Expect Experiencing a Play……………………………... 4
GLT: Our History, Our Future…………………………………………………………... 5
Playwright’s Note…...……..…………………………………………………………… 6
What’s Past Is Prologue ……………………………………………………………….
8
Summary of the Play……………………………………………………………………. 10
First Globe—1613 England……………………………………………………………
12
Second Globe—1936 Cleveland ……………………………………………………… 14
Third Globe—2005 London…………………………………………………………… 16
Sam Wanamaker & Shakespeare’s Globe ……………………………………………… 17
Historical and Cultural References…………………………………………………….
19
Key Characters ………………………………………………………………………… 22
About William Shakespeare ……………………………………………………………. 23
Questions for Discussion ………….…………………………………………………... 24
Activities……………………………………………………………………………….. 25
How to write a review …………………………………………………………………. 26
Sample review …………………………………………………………………………. 27
Common Core ………………………………………………………………………….. 28
Works cited …………………………………………………………………………….. 29
This teacher resource guide was created by Elizabeth Finley, with editorial assistance from David Hansen.
Elizabeth is a recent graduate of Malone University where she received a degree in Communication Arts
with an emphasis on Theatre. She plans to pursue a career in theatre education and wants to help foster a
love of the arts in young people.
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
Welcome to Great Lakes Theater’s Free “Surround” Outreach Tour!
Since 1990, GLT has been “bringing the classics to the community”, each Spring
presenting a free, professional touring production that visits venues throughout
northeast Ohio, to kick off our annual series of Surround outreach programming and
support one of our main stage productions at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare.
Past tours have featured one-act plays from Arthur Miller, George Bernard Shaw,
and Anton Chekhov, adaptations of work from Lorraine Hansberry, Sholem
Aleichem, and Agatha Christie, as well as original plays from such notable Northeast
Ohio playwrights as Eric Coble, Sarah Morton, and Michael Oatman. Each play is
chosen or commissioned to illuminate themes and issues present in one main stage
title in that season.
This touring production, offered free and open to the public, is created by the same
professional designers who create our main stage productions, directed by members
of GLT’s education staff, and performed by local, professional actors.
Over the years, the “Surround” program has continued to evolve by incorporating
input from audiences who have experienced the tour first-hand. This NEW Teacher
Resource Guide was created to provide our partnering teachers greater insight into
the production.
Features of this resource guide include:

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Original historical reference material, relevant to this production
Essays by historians and the playwright
Production design renderings
Discussion prompts created by educators, theater artists and members of the GLT
education staff.
 Clearly stated examples of how the outreach tour correlates to new Common
Core Standards.
We hope you find this guide to be a valuable resource, and that you and your students
enjoy the show!
Sincerely,
Lisa Ortenzi
Director of Educational Programming
[email protected]
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A NOTE TO STUDENTS:
WHAT TO EXPECT EXPERIENCING A PLAY
tablets, etc., be completely powered
off once you have entered the theatre.
Our goal is to provide every person in
the audience with the best possible
theatrical experience, so we appreciate
your respectful cooperation during the
performance.
You may or may not have attended a live theater
performance before. To increase your enjoyment, it
might be helpful to look at the unique qualities of
this art form — because it is so different from
movies or video.
The live theatrical performance not only
involves the actors on the stage; it is meant to
involve you, the audience, in ways that film and
television cannot. In truth, although you are sitting
in an auditorium and the actors are on stage, there is
very little separating the audience from the
performers. How you react to the play deeply affects
the actors. Something as seemingly trivial as
whispering or playing with your program can
distract them and disrupt the mood and tone of their
performance. Due to the important relationship
between actors and audience members, there are
certain, perhaps obvious, provisions of live theater
we wish to call to your attention.
During the performance, it is important to
know that the taking of pictures, either with or
without a flash, is strictly prohibited. Also, it is
essential that all electronic equipment, including cell
phones, music players (even with headphones),
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Other differences live theater
provides: in film or video, the camera
and editing define what we will see. In
the theater, however, each of us works
as a camera and editor, choosing his or
her personal points of focus. And for
this touring production, you should
know that often we do not use
microphones. As audience members
you'll need to actively listen and "tune
in" to the sound of the unamplified human voice.
As for our scenery and costumes, it might
surprise you to know that these are not necessarily
meant to be realistic. In this production, for
example, there are design elements that are
abstract or metaphorical.
The theater's ability to focus on human
experience — distilled through the dialogue and
behavior of people on stage and enhanced by the
scenery, costumes, music and dance — is a
centuries-old tradition. Being part of the
communal magic when performer and audience
connect —whether at a baseball game, music
concert or theater performance — cannot be
duplicated.
The performance you will see produced by
Great Lakes Theater will happen only once. It is
unique and personal. Though this play will be
performed more than two dozen times, the
performance you see belongs only to you.
We hope you enjoy it, and we'd like you to
share your response with us.
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
GLT: OUR HISTORY, OUR FUTURE
Tom Hanks and fellow company member
Bert Goldstein.
Since 1962, Great Lakes Theater (GLT) has brought the world’s greatest
plays to life for all of Cleveland. In 1961, the Lakewood Board of Education
president persuaded a Shakespeare troupe, led by Arthur Lithgow, to make
Lakewood Civic Auditorium its home. The theater that opened its doors on
July 11, 1962 as Great Lakes Shakespeare presented six Shakespeare plays
in rotating repertory. In exchange for free rent, the company provided
student matinee productions. The repertory was expanded in 1965 to include
non-Shakespearean classics as a result of an exchange of productions with
Princeton’s McCarter Theater. The Company outgrew its original home at
Lakewood Civic Auditorium and, in 1982, made the move to the Ohio
Theatre in PlayhouseSquare, launching the revitalization of downtown
Cleveland’s Theatre District.
In 2001 the Company was searching for a new Producing Artistic Director,
and the Board sought a candidate with well-established business skills as
well as artistic leadership. Charles Fee was selected for his commitment to
Shakespeare and his reputation for building Idaho Shakespeare Festival into
a highly successful regional theater. GLT recommitted itself to its founding
core values: Shakespeare, rotating repertory and an acting company of the
highest caliber. During Fee’s tenure, the company has been recognized for
its artistic excellence, winning the Northern Ohio Live Magazine Award for
excellence in Theater in 2005 after three years of being a finalist, as well as
The Free Times Reader’s Choice Award for Best Performing Arts Group in
2006, and for eliminating the inherited accumulated net deficit of over one
million dollars.
The beautifully renovated Hanna Theatre
The Company has also been a revolutionary producing model unlike any
other in America to create cost efficiency and enhance our artistic product.
We now exchange our repertory productions with Idaho Shakespeare
Festival (ISF) in Boise, Idaho and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (LTSF)
in Nevada.
This deep collaboration between independent producing organizations is a first in American theater. With this visionary model now fully in place, GLT, ISF, and LTSF are able to deepen the artistic quality of the work on our
stages, share our production costs, maximize our resources, and provide nearly year-round employment to our resident company of artists.
Now, GLT has entered into a new phase, making the historic Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square the home of the
Company. The renovation of the Hanna Theatre, as well as the creation of GLT’s first endowment fund, is part of
our Re-Imagine A Classic Campaign to ensure GLT’s future. Our new home in the Hanna features a hydraulically
operated thrust stage, a first for this region, and innovative and intimate seating where no seat is farther than eleven
rows from the stage. We believe that this extraordinary theater experience will revolutionize the way Northern Ohio
experiences classic theater.
Great Lakes Theater is one of only a handful of American theaters that have stayed the course as a classic theater.
With a plucky history of bucking economic trends to strive for and nurture the highest artistic quality, it remains a
distinctive and significant cultural resource in an extraordinary American city.
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE
that the Globe Theatre, the very stage for which William
Shakespeare had written his plays, was at one point in
history around here … somewhere.
I. Dreams
“
“
I spied a most unimpressive sight. A sooty plaque, indicating
Now my charms are all o’erthrown
And what strength I have’s my own.
- Prospero, The Tempest (Epilogue)
Writing is like magic.
Picture the aging William Shakespeare, summoning to himself the spirit of
creativity, a tricksy spirit which reveals to him the true story of a shipwreck
in the recently “discovered” Bermudas.
Shakespeare sees himself as master of this island, drawing to it this doomed
vessel. Aboard, lords and gentlemen who have shown disrespect for his
writing, but also a fine husband for his younger daughter (already 26 and
without prospects).
At that same time, he struggles with his Bête Noire, that which inhibits his
creation; lust, anger, drink, vulgarity, struggles to keep this Devil down in
the hole. He plays with the nobility, terrifying them with monsters, treating
them as toys.
David Hansen
Education Outreach Associate
Great Lakes Theater
Finally he composes a great play for his child and her man, forgives his ignorant enemies and critics, sets down his
pen and paper (“staff” and “book”) and chooses to retire from writing.
Wouldn’t that make a good play?
The truth is, we do not know what Shakespeare was thinking when he created the character of Prospero for The
Tempest, or any other of his plays, because any personal reflections he may have created, in the form of notes,
letters, essays or even original manuscripts have been lost. All that remains are the plays themselves.
Scholars have pieced together, through legal documents, contemporary advertisements, and the correspondence of
others what they believe to be the biography of the greatest playwright in the English language.
Writers of fiction have even used Shakespeare as a character in amusing accounts of what his life may have been
like. He is the central character in the film Shakespeare In Love, and George Bernard Shaw’s short play The Dark
Lady of the Sonnets. He has also been portrayed as a supporting character in television programs like the BBC’s
Doctor Who.
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE (CON’T.)
In these cases, the authors are not attempting to say these things are factual. They are playing with the idea of William
Shakespeare in what has come to be called historical fiction, or a fictional story told at an historical period in the past.
The play you are about the experience, The Great Globe Itself, is also an historical fiction. It is not meant to be taken as
fact.
However, today’s performance is based in fact. And though I have taken liberties with the facts, one fact cannot be
denied … and that is the fact that Shakespeare’s work is intrinsically connected to the play house for which these works
were first written to be performed – The Globe. And that’s the truth.
II. Reality
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind.
-Prospero, The Tempest (Act IV, Scene i)
Almost twenty-five years ago, as a young student taking a holiday university tour to England, on a rainy December
morning in 1990, I spied a most unimpressive sight. A sooty plaque on the wall of a post-war factory building,
indicating that the Globe Theatre, the very stage for which William Shakespeare had written his plays, was at one point
in history around here … somewhere.
At that moment in time, there was also located nearby two large holes in the ground. Pits, really. One was the excavation
site of the Globe's smaller competitor, the foundation of the recentlyunearthed Rose Theatre.
And perhaps more significantly, another short walk down the south
bank of the Thames, was a great muddy, vacant mouth, the
groundwork for the as-yet un-built Shakespeare's Globe. Whether it
ever would be built was even then uncertain. There were many at that
time who found such a building project elitist and in fact entirely
unnecessary.
Regardless, what they found at the Rose excavation site was
auspiciously timed to excite the imagination about this new Globe
Theatre – and also to provide valuable data on original construction.
If there is one thing I hope to show in this new play, The Great Globe This plaque, affixed to the wall of Barclay, Perkins & Co.
reads: Here stood the Globe Playhouse of Shakespeare,
Itself, it is the “rough magic” which drew another young man from the 1598 - 1613
shores of Lake Erie, to discover that plaque on that wall, and finally to
dig that hole in the ground near the banks of the Thames.
- David Hansen
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│ 7
WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE (THE TEMPEST II.I)
BY JOHN
VACHA
EVENTS IN NORTHEAST OHIO LED TO THE RE-CONSTRUCTION OF THE ONCE-LOST GLOBE THEATRE—THIS IS THE TRUE STORY
OF THEATERS WE ALMOST LOST RIGHT IN DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND.
Shakespeare’s Globe! The most famous playhouse in the entire history of theater.
It burned to the ground in 1613, but a replica was raised nearly four hundred years later as near as possible to the
site of the original, south of the River Thames in London. One could say, however, that the idea of rebuilding
Shakespeare’s Globe first took root on the North Coast of Cleveland almost eighty years ago, in the summer of
1936.
That was the year of the Great Lakes Exposition. It covered 135 acres from the downtown Mall to the present
Burke Lakefront Airport. It had a Midway extending eastward from East 9th Street and “as honky-tonk as Coney
Island,” in the words of Cleveland Press columnist Winsor French. Among its attractions, within earshot of such
competition as a penny arcade, Cliff Wilson’s Snake Show, and Graham’s Midget Circus, was the Old Globe
Theater.
The Old Globe was the brain child of Shakespearean scholar Thomas Wood Stevens, former dean of dramatics at
Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh. One of his former students, Frederic McConnell, had become director of the
Cleveland Play House. Stevens moved on to Chicago, where he developed his Globe Theater concept for that city’s
Century of Progress in 1934. The theater was built “according to historic specifications,” but amid all the
distractions of a world’s fair, Stevens advertised “tabloid” versions of “the Bard’s famous plays,” pared down to
around forty minutes apiece. It worked in Chicago, and two years later there were Globe theaters at expositions in
San Diego, Dallas, and Cleveland.
*
*
*
Outside the Expo gates, a once vibrant Cleveland theater scene was feeling the effects of the Depression.
Downtown in Playhouse Square, the Ohio Theatre had gone dark in 1934, reopening a year later as a nightclub
dubbed the Mayfair Casino. That left only the Hanna for the reception of touring Broadway hits. There were few
enough of those, and the Hanna had been dark through most of the previous year. Its final offering in the 1935-36
season had been the Group Theatre production of Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing. Playhouse Square’s other
theaters—the Allen, State, and Palace—had cut down their live acts in favor of first-run movies.
Following the Second World War, the Hanna would recover and thrive on touring Broadway hits from Oklahoma!
to Hair. Those four grand old Euclid Avenue movie palaces of Playhouse Square, however, after a brief period of
postwar prosperity, had all gone dark by 1969. Two of them, in fact, were scheduled to follow the example of the
Old Globe into oblivion. While the site of Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre in London was for the most of the
20th century occupied by a brewery, Cleveland’s State and Ohio theatres were to be succeeded by nothing more
than empty space in the form of a surface parking lot.
That was the cue for the entrance of a young visionary named Ray Shepardson. Though Shepardson was an
educator, not an actor, he quickly proved to be a master of improvisation. He described his vision of a restored
downtown theater district to clubs, civic groups, anyone who would listen. He gathered a like-minded group of
acolytes who set about cleaning up the theaters, repairing whatever was broken, and spreading the word to bring in
more converts.
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE (CON’T.)
In order to show that people would still come downtown for theater, as
well as to raise more money, the group (eventually known as the
Playhouse Square Foundation and later Playhouse Square) decided to
put on a show in the lobby of the State Theatre. Originally planned for a
three-week run, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Living in Paris played for a
local record of two-and-a-half years. That set the pattern. “Every time
we wanted to save another space, we created a show to put in that
space,” explained Joe Garry, Jacques Brel’s director.
The first theater to receive a major renovation was the Ohio, which
became home to Great Lakes Theater, the first resident theater company
in Playhouse Square, in 1982. PlayhouseSquare has since restored all
five theaters. The Hanna Theatre, re-imagined with a Shakespearean
thrust stage, became the new home for the Great Lakes Theater in 2008.
*
Today’s re-imagined Hanna Theatre
Home of Great Lakes Theater
*
*
That brings us back in a way to Shakespeare’s Globe at the Great Lakes
Expo. President Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the Expo’s gates on June
27, 1936 by pushing a button in the White House and apologized for
being unable to be there in person. He was scheduled to speak that night
at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. There,
accepting the nomination to run for his second term, he declared that
“This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.”
Three members of that Shakespearean troupe in Cleveland had their
own rendezvous with theatrical destiny. Arthur (formerly John)
Kennedy would go on to memorable appearances in the plays of
Arthur Miller (originating the roles of Biff Loman in Death of a
Salesman and John Proctor in The Crucible) and in such movies as
Lawrence of Arabia. Wayne McKeekan, under the marquee-friendly
name of David Wayne, would create the roles of Og the leprechaun in
Finian’s Rainbow and Saki in Teahouse of the August Moon.
As for the third member of that fated trio, his thin credits were
described in the Cleveland Plain Dealer as follows: “Samuel
Wanamaker. Resides in Chicago. Played the People’s Little Theater
there and joined the Goodman Theater, which brought him to [the
Globe] Players.” Like Ray Shepardson and all those who saved
PlayhouseSquare from the wrecking ball, however, Sam Wanamaker
was a visionary. His rendezvous with destiny is the inspiration for
today’s performance.
John Vacha is the author of Showtime in Cleveland and other
books on regional theater history.
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Sam Wanamaker
Olde Globe Theatre
1936 Great Lakes Exposition
Cleveland, OH
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
SUMMARY OF THE PLAY
The Great Globe Itself is a work of fiction. The events described in this play are fictional, inspired by true
events. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is
purely coincidental.
Prelude: Burbage (1613), Sam (1936) and Clement (2005) welcome the audience to the Globe Theatre.
First Globe: Burning Down The House—London, June 29, 1613
Burbage addresses the audience, describing his playhouse, the Globe. Poet and writer of plays John Fletcher
and the actor John Lowin enter, preparing for the pubic premiere of the new work, Henry VIII—or– All Is
True. Burbage reenters and, expressing concern about the potential popularity of this new play, proposes the
company prepare to revive Julius Caesar. Feeling overshadowed by the company’s most successful writer of
plays, Fletcher becomes peeved. However, upon receiving a letter from fellow-sharer in the Globe Theatre,
Mr. William Shakespeare of Stratford, demanding to divest from the company in cash, Burbage and Fletcher
conspire to burn the playhouse down, thus depriving Shakespeare of his share.
FACT: The original Globe Theatre burned to the ground on this date during a performance of Henry VIII.
Second Globe: Once In a Lifetime—Cleveland, August 25, 1936
Cleveland Press Society Columnist Winsor Mackey welcomes the audience to the Great Lakes Exposition,
describing its many attractions. A barker works the crowd, inviting them to see a show at the Olde Globe
Theatre, a small-scale replica of the original where abridged performances of Shakespeare’s plays are
presented on the hour. Between shows, a young actor named Sam laments his “spearcarrier” status, and
appeals to John, a more experienced actor, to let him go on as Romeo during at least one show, but John
refuses. Burbage appears to comment on this artificial “Globe” and in the meantime, Sam has subconsciously
encouraged John to eat one of the rancid food items available backstage. When John takes ill, the stage
manager tells Sam he must go on—but as Antony from Julius Caesar, which Sam forgot was next in the lineup of performances. The audience is treated to audio from a newsreel covering the Exposition, then Sam enters
to perform Antony’s famous oration at the funeral of Caesar. After a few missteps, Sam becomes emboldened
and concludes his performance full-throated and confident.
FACT: An eighteen year-old actor named Sam Wanamaker had his first professional acting job at the Olde
Globe Theatre at the Great Lakes Exposition. He later founded a new Globe Theatre near the site of
Burbage’s original on the South bank of the Thames River in London.
Third Globe: This Must Be The Place—London, October 2, 2005
A tour guide explains how the young Sam of 1936 became an expatriate, leaving America for England due to
the Red Scare. He fulfilled his lifelong dream of establishing a fully-functional Globe Theatre on the banks of
the Thames, but never lived to see it. Prior to the closing performance of the “three-man” version of The
Tempest actors Andrew, Benjamin and artistic director Clement perform fight and dance calls.
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│ 10
Left on their own prior to the house opening, Andrew and Clement discuss personal business, like potential
acting work in television, before having a difficult conversation about Clement. This is Clement’s final
performance on stage as acting artistic director, and there is a rumor he will use the final curtain call as an
opportunity to criticize Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War. Hearing this discussion, Clement enters and
confronts Benjamin, who has threatened to report him to British Equity—the actors and stage managers union
of England.
Andrew and Benjamin head backstage to prepare for the show, and Clement is visited by spirits from the past,
including Sam, Burbage and Fletcher. He performs Prospero’s farewell soliloquy from The Tempest, assisted
by Burbage and Sam. He will not make a speech, choosing instead to simply leave the stage.
Costume design renderings by Esther Montgomery Haberlen.
From left: Sam (1936), John Fletcher (1613), and Fuller (Olde Globe, 1936)
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
THE FIRST GLOBE — 1613 ENGLAND
William Shakespeare began establishing himself as a playwright in
London in 1592. In 1594 he became a member of the acting company
Lord Chamberlain’s Men which came together in 1599 to build the Globe
Theater. The Globe was the most famous theater of its time and the
company achieved much financial success. Members of the company
each had shares in the theater and Shakespeare himself owned one-tenth.
The money from his share allowed him to buy the second best house in
Stratford at the time. Shakespeare was not only an artist, but also a
businessman.
King James I
Encyclopedia Britannica
In 1613, England was under the rule of King James I. Like Queen Elizabeth
I, James loved the theater and the arts. Elizabeth served as Shakespeare’s
patron for many years and he and his company often performed in the royal
court. Legend has it Shakespeare even wrote plays specifically for her royal
highness such as The Merry Wives of Windsor as Elizabeth loved the
character of Falstaff. When James came to power, one of his first acts was to
grant Shakespeare’s acting troupe a license so they could perform at the
Globe Theater. Shakespeare then changed the company’s name to The
King’s Men in honor of King James who then became their patron.
The original Globe Theater was built by members of the acting troupe Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which included
Shakespeare, and brothers Cuthbert and Richard Burbage. The company originally performed at the Theatre at Shoreditch
built by Cuthbert and Richard’s father, James. In 1596 the theater’s lease expired and arguments arose in the company on
how to move forward. This fighting continued for two years by which point James Burbage had died. At Christmas 1598
the company decided to lease a plot of land across the Thames in Southwark. Tradition states that they dismantled the
Theatre and floated each piece across the river and used the timber to build the Globe Theater. The Globe started
performing plays in 1599 and thrived for 14
Exterior of Globe Theater by
years, showing many of Shakespeare’s
Walter C. Hodges
greatest works. During a performance of
Folger Shakespeare Library
Henry VIII, in 1613, a stage cannon located
in the heavens of the theater started a fire
that spread to the thatched roof and burned
the Globe to the ground. No one was hurt in
the incident and a second Globe was quickly
built. The second Globe remained open until
1642 when a new law under England’s
Puritan administration forced all theaters to
close. The building was eventually
demolished in 1644.
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
The Globe Theater was a 20-sided building. It
was three stories high and could hold up to
1,500 people. The stage was made up of two
parts: the outer stage and the tiring house. The
outer stage was a rectangular platform that
extended from the courtyard to the back wall of
the theater. The tiring house was behind the
outer stage and was used by actors who were to
stand in the background of scenes. Two doors
were on either side of the stage for entrances
and exits of actors. Underneath the stage was a
cellar referred to as “Hell” which was, for
example, used by actors playing ghosts to make
a dramatic entrance. The cellar could be
accessed by a trap door on the outer stage. There
was also a second area above the stage referred
to as “the Heavens.” This small house-like
structure was used to hide musicians and
devices for making sound effects. It also housed
a pulley system that would lower a chair onto
the stage when “deus ex machina” was needed
to resolve action in a play. The area around the
stage was called “the pit” and spectators called
“groundlings” could pay a penny to stand and
watch the performances. For a higher fee,
spectators could sit on benches in two levels
above the pit and watch the performance. The
Globe used minimal scenery and did not have a
curtain like the modern theaters of today.
Because the Globe had seating on all sides of
the theater, audience members had a unique
viewing experience that is not common in most
American theatres.
Side cut of Globe interior by Walter C. Hodges
Folger Shakespeare Library
Set design model for The Great Globe Itself
by Scenic Designer Terry Martin, Great Lakes Theater
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
THE SECOND GLOBE — 1936 CLEVELAND
In 1936, Cleveland was still feeling the effects of the Great
Depression but life was starting to get back to normal. Thanks
to FDR’s Civil Works Administration and the Federal
Emergency Relief Administration, thousands of Clevelanders
were able to gain employment working on city improvement
projects such as building streets, sewers, schools, and
waterworks. The Cleveland Metroparks System was also
developed during this time and many area parks were cleaned
up and reopened. The Public Works of Art Project was also
implemented as a way for unemployed artists to produce
paintings, sculptures, and other works of art. In 1935 Harold
H. Burton was elected mayor of Cleveland and began to bring
order back to the city. His main goals were to balance the
budget and clean up the police department. He appointed
Eliot Ness to serve as the city’s safety director, who was
credited with bringing down Al Capone’s mob in Chicago,
and things started to improve almost immediately. 1936 was
clearly a time for rejoicing in Cleveland.
Midway at Great Lakes Exposition
Cleveland Memory Project
1936 also marked Cleveland’s Centennial celebration
of its incorporation as a city. Wanting to acknowledge
this milestone and give people some distraction from the
Great Depression, Cleveland business leaders came up
with the Great Lakes Exposition. Similar to the World’s
Fair, the Exposition covered 135 acres along the
lakefront from W. 3rd St to about E. 20th St. It had a
variety of attractions, with exhibits on art, science,
industry, horticulture and science. Popular exhibits
included “The Streets of the World” which offered over
200 cafes serving food from various countries. The
Court of Presidents and the Hall of Progress were also
frequented, along with the Old Globe Theatre, a scaled
down replica of the original Globe Theater. The
Exposition ran until 1937 and brought in over four
million visitors.
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Court of Presidents at Great Lakes Exposition
Cleveland Memory Project
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
Aerial view of Great Lakes Exposition
Cleveland Memory Project
The Old Globe Theatre was one of the first
exhibits to greet visitors when they entered the
exposition grounds and was designed by Dr.
Thomas Wood Stevens, a theater scholar and
poetry editor. The 600-seat theater offered
condensed versions of Shakespeare’s plays, most
running about 40 minutes. The acting company
was made up of about 30 actors working for about
15 dollars a week, including a young Sam
Wanamaker who went on to spearhead the
rebuilding of the original Globe Theater in
London. They did seven performances a day and
eight on weekends from a repertoire of six plays: A
Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Julius
Caesar, and Henry VIII. An 80 minute version of
Romeo and Juliet was added later on to the
repertoire and was performed once a night for an admission price of
seventy-five cents. Actors wore traditional Elizabethan dress and draped
other costume pieces over themselves as the original actors in
Shakespeare’s day would have done. Audiences appreciated the fast
paced action of the plays and the performances received enthusiastic
reviews. At its height, the Old Globe Theatre attracted a thousand people
a day.
Acclaim from local newspapers for the Old
Globe Theatre:
Nothing important is left out, just a lot of the
stuff you couldn’t see any sense in when you
were in high school anyhow.
–Charles W. Lawrence, Cleveland Plain Dealer
The plays are presented in a swift, nointermission, vigorous style. Streamlined and
shortened without undue damage to
Shakespeare’s deathless lines.
–Charles Schneider, The Cleveland Press
There’s a pleasant absence of the artful,
mincing mannerisms. It’s truly a case of the
play’s the thing — and the play’s entertaining.
–Arthur Spaeth, The Cleveland News
The Old Globe Theatre at Great Lakes Exposition
Cleveland Memory Project
15
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
THE THIRD GLOBE — 2005 LONDON
Tony Blair
Prime Minister (1997-2007)
2005 was a time of change for Britain. Tony Blair won his third election as Prime Minister and British troops
had been in Iraq alongside American troops since March 2003. On July 7, 2005 suicide bombers set off three
bombs on the London transit system and another on the upper deck of a bus in Tavistock Sqaure. 52 people
were killed and over 700 hundred were injured in the attacks. In 2004 same-sex partnerships were recognized
by law and in 2005 parliament had 11 openly gay members. 2005 also saw the return of the popular science
fiction TV series Doctor Who to BBC starring Christopher Eccleston and pop-star Billie Piper.
Photos from Encyclopedia Britannica
16
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
SAM WANAMAKER & SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE
Sam Wanamaker was born on June 14, 1919 in Chicago. He grew
up to be a Hollywood actor and director. He got his start in acting
when he was 17 at the Goodman Theatre School. He joined the
Globe Shakespearean Theatre Group and a year later was
performing at the Old Globe Theatre in Cleveland as a part of the
1936 Great Lakes Exposition. He played minor roles in most of the
productions as a guard or servant but it fostered his love of
Shakespeare and he travelled to England in 1949 to find the
original Globe Theater for himself. Upon finding only a plaque
proclaiming where the Globe had stood on the side of a pub, Sam
set out to rebuild the original theater. In 1970 he established the
Globe Playhouse Trust committed to the reconstruction of the
theater and the plan started to unfold. When Sam died in 1993, the
Globe was more than halfway built. It officially opened in June
1997 along with an education center and a permanent exhibition on
the original Globe.
Views from backstage at Shakespeare’s Globe: From the Musician’s Box (above and behind the stage, left)
and the Tiring Room (directly behind the stage, right)
The New Globe was built with incredible attention to detail. Traditional 16th century methods and materials were
used during construction. Green oak was cut and fashioned into boards and laths and staves, while lime plaster was
mixed according to old world recipes and put on the walls. The roof was made of water reed thatch based on samples
that were found during an excavation of the original Globe. Aside from some improvements regarding fire and safety
regulations, the architects tried to remain as faithful to the original design as possible with the available historical
evidence. Through this reconstruction, Shakespeare’s words were once again performed in the house for which they
were originally written.
17
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
Heaven and Hell: Views up into the area above the stage (Heaven, left) and operating the trapdoors positioned directly beneath the stage (Hell, right)
Costume design renderings by Esther Montgomery Haberlen.
From left: Lee the Stage Manager (1936), Caesar actor (Olde Globe 1936), and Andrew (2005)
18
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL REFERENCES
Part 1- 1613 England
The first seven lines of the play come from several of Shakespeare’s most famous works and from the works of his
contemporaries.
1. “O for a muse of fire”- This line comes from the prologue of Shakspeare’s play Henry V.
2. “This goodly frame the earth”- Clement’s first line is found in act two of Hamlet.
3. “How many goodly creatures are there here”- This line comes from Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest.
4. “The time I have is frail”- This line by Thomas Middleton, an English poet and playwright, comes from his
poem Solomon Paraphrased.
5. “We’ll never leave whilst there is heat or moisture”- This line comes from the comedic play The Coxcomb by
Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, companions of Shakespeare’s.
6. “Now that I have vaulted up so high”- This line comes from Thomas Middleton’s piece, The Black Book.
7. “Call me Reason”- This final line comes from The Masque of Hymen by Ben Jonson, another English poet of
the day.
Later in the same scene, John Fletcher quotes Ben Jonson, imagining, “Heedless flames ... hurled about the globe.”
This phrase is from Jonson’s The Masque of Blackness.
Cardinal Wolsey- This character from Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII is based on Thomas Wolsey who was an adviser
to the real life King Henry the Eighth. He was well liked by the King and quickly rose in standing to become
chancellor and cardinal in 1515.
Blackfriars- Shakespeare and his companions purchased Blackfriars, an indoor theater in 1608 so they could perform
plays all year round. The theater seated 700 and it is argued by historians that Shakespeare wrote The Winter’s Tale
and The Tempest specifically for the stage at Blackfriars.
King James I- King James I financed many of Shakespeare’s works and was a patron of the arts. He came to power in
1603 and Shakespeare’s company changed their name to The King’s Men in honor of him.
Jamestown- Jamestown was the first English colony in the New World. Established on May 14, 1607, the new colony
nearly starved to death until reinforcements were sent in 1610. The Sea Venture was a ship that was a part of the
charter to inhabit the New World. Carrying hundreds of new colonists to Virginia, a hurricane caused the ship to sink
off the coast of Bermuda. Many scholars believe that this event helped inspire Shakespeare to write The Tempest,
which opens with a shipwreck scene.
“Dickie”- Nickname for someone named Richard. This name is used by Burbage’s companions in the play when
speaking to him.
“Glass-gazer”- This Shakespearian term refers to a fortune teller or one who predicts the future.
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
Part 2– 1936 Cleveland
Charles Lindberg - An American aviator in the 1930’s, Lindberg is best known for his solo flight across the
Atlantic Ocean which he did from May 20-21, 1927. In March 1932, his infant son Charles Augustus Jr. was
kidnapped and later found murdered. The case gained worldwide attention and was the most famous crime of
the 1930’s.
The Butcher of Kingsbury Run - From 1934-1938 thirteen people were murdered by decapitation near the
Kingsbury Run area of Cleveland. Unable to find a suspect, the Kingsbury Run Murders (also referred to as the
“Torso Murders”) became the biggest police investigation in Cleveland history. During the Great Lakes
Exposition of 1936, plaster reproductions of several of the victims’ heads were put on display in the hope that
fair goers could identify them, but none were recognized. The case was never solved and it remains to this day
one of the most baffling crimes in our nation’s history.
Jesse Owens - Jesse Owens was a world record setting track and field athlete in the 1930’s. He grew up in
Cleveland and broke 6 world records in one hour during a meet while attending Ohio State University. Best
known for winning four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, a parade was held for him down Euclid
Avenue that same year.
Bob Feller - In 1936 the Cleveland Indians gave 17 year old pitcher, Bob Feller, his major-league debut. His
first game was on August 23, 1936 against the St. Louis Browns where he struck out 15 batters, one short of the
American League record. Three weeks later he struck out 17 players on the Philadelphia Athletics and quickly
rose to fame. He opened the 1940 season by pitching the first opening day no-hitter in major-league history.
Sewage blockage at the Great Lakes Exposition - The sewage blockage mentioned by Lee in part two of the
play actually happened. Next to the Old Globe Theatre at the Great Lakes Exposition was a submarine exhibit
that would routinely block the sewage outlet on the lake. The Globe being downwind of the exhibit would fill
with the stench of the blockage almost nightly.
Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman - Kaufman and Hart were some of the most successful American
playwrights of the 20th century. They collaborated together to produce such comedies as You Can’t Take It
With You and The Man Who Came to Dinner. You Can’t Take It With You won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in
1937.
“Sheik” - John calls Sam a sheik when he wants to play Romeo. This was slang at the time for a man who was
overly romantic.
20
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
Part 3– 2005 London
Doctor Who - Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series that tells of a time-traveling alien called
“The Doctor.” He and his companions travel throughout time and space, helping mankind. The series ran from
1963-1989 until it was rebooted for a modern audience in 2005. The updated series which originally starred
Christopher Eccelston as “The Doctor” gained popularity quickly and the series is still running today.
Billie Piper - British actress and former pop star Billie Piper is best known for her role as Rose Tyler on the TV
series Doctor Who.
Seven-Seven Attacks - On July 7, 2005 three suicide bombers attacked the London transit system by setting off
explosions on three trains on the Underground. Another bomb was detonated on the upper deck of a bus in
Tavistock Square. 52 people were killed in the four attacks and over 700 were injured.
Guy Fawkes - On November 5, 1605 a group of men attempted to blow up Parliament as a way to protest the
increasing oppression of Roman Catholics in England at the time. Guy Fawkes, a conspirator, planted barrels of
gunpowder in the basement of the building, only to be discovered and arrested. He was executed in 1606 outside of
the Parliament building.
Macbeth in Tuxedos - In 2001 a production of Macbeth was staged at the reconstructed Globe Theater in London.
Directed by Tim Carroll, the costuming was updated to modern times with all the men in tuxedos and the women
in equally fancy dress.
The Tempest - The last play agreed to have been written solely by Shakespeare, The Tempest tells the tale of
Prospero the sorcerer and his daughter Miranda. Once a powerful duke, Prospero was exiled by his own brother to
an enchanted island. When he discovers his brother is on a ship sailing near the island, he uses his magic powers to
shipwreck the vessel and plan his revenge. It is a tale of forgiveness, generosity, and enlightenment.
“Superstar” - Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock opera written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is
loosely based on the biblical accounts of the last week of Jesus’s life and focuses on the interpersonal struggles
between Jesus and his betrayer Judas Iscariot.
21
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
KEY CHARACTERS IN THE SHOW
Richard Burbage - One of Shakespeare’s companions, Richard Burbage served as manager for Lord
Chamberlain’s Men and was one of the most celebrated actors of his time. He played the lead in the first
performances of some of Shakespeare’s biggest works including, Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello.
John Fletcher - Also a companion of Shakespeare’s, Fletcher helped Shakespeare write several plays including
The Two Noble Kinsmen, the lost Cardenio, and Henry VIII.
Sam Wanamaker - Actor and director Sam Wanamaker got his start in Shakespearian theater at the Old Globe
Theatre in Cleveland at the 1936 Great Lakes Exposition. In 1952, while filming Mr. Denning Drives North in
the UK, Sam discovered he had been blacklisted by House Committee on Un-American Activities and was
subpoenaed to speak about his involvement in the Communist Party. He decided not to return to the United
States and made England his permanent residence. He then went on to spearhead the reconstruction of the
original Globe Theater in London until his death in 1993.
Mark Rylance - The character of Clement is inspired by Mark Rylance who served as the Artistic Director of
the new Globe Theater from 1995 to 2005.
John Fletcher
Folger Shakespeare Library
Richard Burbage
Folger Shakespeare Library
22
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
ABOUT WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English playwright and poet, is recognized in
much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists. Shakespeare’s plays
communicate a profound knowledge of the wellsprings of human behavior,
revealed through portrayals of a wide variety of characters. His use of poetic and
dramatic means to create a unified aesthetic effect out of a multiplicity of vocal
expressions and actions is recognized as a singular achievement, and his use of
poetry within his plays to express the deepest levels of human motivation in
individual, social, and universal situations is considered one of the greatest
accomplishments in literary history.
A complete, authoritative account of Shakespeare’s life is lacking, and thus much
supposition surrounds relatively few facts. It is commonly accepted that he was
born in 1564, and it is known that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire. The third of eight children, he was probably educated at the local
grammar school. In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a
farmer. Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway had a daughter, Susanna, in 1583 and
twins—Hamnet and Judith—in 1585. Hamnet did not survive childhood.
Shakespeare apparently arrived in London about 1588 and by 1592 had attained Bust designed after Joseph Motto and
success as an actor and a playwright. Shortly thereafter he secured the patronage of Stephen Rebeck’s original. British Garden
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The publication of Shakespeare’s two (Cleveland Cultural Gardens)
fashionably erotic narrative poems Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of
Lucrece (1594) and of his Sonnets (published 1609, but circulated previously in manuscript form) established his
reputation as a gifted and popular poet of the Renaissance (14th century to 17th century). Shakespeare's modern
reputation is based primarily on the 38 plays that he apparently wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Although generally
popular in his time, these plays were frequently little esteemed by his educated contemporaries, who considered English
plays of their own day to be only vulgar entertainment.
Shakespeare’s professional life in London was marked by a number of financially advantageous arrangements that
permitted him to share in the profits of his acting company, the Chamberlain’s Men, later called the King’s Men, and its
two theaters, the Globe Theatre and the Blackfriars. His plays were given special presentation at the courts of Queen
Elizabeth I and King James more frequently than those of any other contemporary dramatist. After about 1608,
Shakespeare’s dramatic production lessened and it seems that he spent more time in Stratford, where he had established
his family in an imposing house called New Place and had become a leading local citizen. He died in 1616, and was
buried in the Stratford church.
Until the 18th century, Shakespeare was generally thought to have been no more than a rough and untutored genius.
Theories were advanced that his plays had actually been written by someone more educated, perhaps statesman and
philosopher Sir Francis Bacon or the Earl of Southampton, who was Shakespeare’s patron. However, he was celebrated
in his own time by English writer Ben Johnson and others who saw in him a brilliance that would endure. Since the 19th
century, Shakespeare’s achievements have been more consistently recognized, and throughout the Western world he has
come to be regarded as the greatest dramatist ever.
Shakespeare, William, Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
Contributed By: A. Kent Hieatt, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of English, University of Western Ontario. Author of Chaucer, Spenser, Milton:
Mythopoetic Continuities and Transformations.
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│ 23
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Why is it important to preserve history? If something is not being preserved is it our job to step in and
save it like Sam Wanamaker did with The Globe?
2. At the Old Globe Theatre in Cleveland, Shakespeare’s plays were shortened so they could be
performed in under an hour. Do you think it is acceptable to change or edit another person’s work?
3. In the play Sam has trouble earning the respect of the other actors in his company until he’s given a
chance to play the role of Mark Antony. Have you ever been given a chance to prove yourself? What
happened? Did you succeed?
4. In Shakespeare’s day, theater was one of the main forms of entertainment. Today we have many
different kinds of entertainment. Is theater still something we should support? Why or why not?
5. Many of the characters in this play have a hard time dealing with change. Is change always good?
What happens when traditions are lost? Are there some things that should not change at all?
6. In each scene, someone does, or considers doing something unethical. How are ethics important? Are
ethics important to you? How far would you betray your core beliefs to achieve an important goal?
7. Clement struggles to come to terms with leaving his job as the Artistic Director of the new Globe
Theater. How do we know when something is finished, or when to stop working? Should an artist
abandon their work?
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
ACTIVITIES
1. The Globe Theater really did burn down in 1613 from a cannon blast. Write a short newspaper
article about the event. How do you think people reacted? How do you think Shakespeare reacted?
2. King James I was a wealthy patron of the arts and financed many of Shakespeare’s plays. Pretend
to be Shakespeare and write King James a letter requesting money for your new play. How will you
convince him to help you?
3. In Shakespeare’s day plays were performed in the round, meaning the audience sat on all sides of
the stage. Break up into groups and create a short skit about Shakespeare. Then take turns performing
the skits with students watching from all sides. How is it different from modern seating in theaters
today?
4. Several references to The Tempest are made throughout the play. Research the play and discuss its
themes. The Tempest was also Shakespeare’s final play. Clement talks about making a curtain speech
to end his time with the Globe. Write Shakespeare’s final curtain speech for a performance of The
Tempest. How do you think he felt?
Costume design renderings
by Esther Montgomery
Haberlen.
From left: Clement (2005),
John Lowin (1613), and
Winsor Mackey (1936)
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW
MORE HOW AND LESS WHAT
A theater review is not a book review, you do not need to summarize what happens. Provide the necessary
background so the reader knows the name of the play and the basics of what kind of play it is, and then move
into your commentary. You do not need to explain WHAT the play is, instead write about HOW successfully
it was presented.
THE ACTOR NOT THE CHARACTER
You can disapprove of the decisions a character makes, but how well did the ACTOR perform the role? Was
their behavior appropriate to the part as written? Feel free to share your opinions, comparing or contrasting
their work with other actors with whom you are familiar.
WHAT IS DIRECTION?
Maybe you have heard of a “director” in theater or film, but do you know what they do? It is not a director’s
job to tell the actors how to say every line, but they are the person responsible for creating the general mood
and concept for the production. What was your impression of the production as a whole? Was it too funny for
a serious play? Or not amusing enough for a comic play? Use words to reflect back to the director how
successful the production is as a whole.
DON’T FORGET THE DESIGN
The set you see and the sounds you hear are also unique to this one production of this play. Describe what you
see and hear, but also be sure to make clear how successful these designs are in telling the story of the play.
IN CONCLUSION …
While it is not necessary to give a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” your concluding sentence should summarize
you impression of the production as a whole.
THEATER REVIEWS IN THE NEW MEDIA
Reviews in news websites may be 1000 words, they may be as brief as 300 words. Can you write a one-page
review? Can you write a 100 word review, to post on Facebook? Do you think you could create a 140character review that sums up the production for posting on Twitter?
A sample review written by a student follows this page.
— David Hansen, Education Outreach Associate
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
A SAMPLE REVIEW WRITTEN BY A STUDENT
"Gambit": More Poetry Than History — Mark Wood
If Aristotle was correct when he said that poetry “is a higher thing than history,” then “Royal Gambit,” which opened
Friday night at Pentacle Theater, is, I suppose, on the right track.
For those who were expecting a representational treatment of the life of England’s Henry VIII, “Royal Gambit” was a
shock, if not a disappointment. Those who sought poetry got it, although of a very dogmatic and simplistic sort.
This unusual, highly presentational play by Hermann Gressieker, directed by Ed Classen, is an indictment of modern
man as a ruthless opportunist. The Tudor king is a representative of a rationalizing, shifty society which has become
“superior to the highest” while “wallowing in the depths.”
As Henry uses the banners of “reason” and “humanism” to obtain then dispose of his six wives, so modern man uses
them for his own pleasure and glorification, uses them to wage war in the name of peace, to hate in the name of love.
Such is the grim theme pleasingly presented by a company of seven actors, who performed their roles energetically, if
unevenly. The presentational acting style employed here is difficult to perfect. It should be theatrical, yet believable;
aimed at the head, yet acceptable to the heart.
Louise Larsen was a standout as Catherine of Aragon, Largely because she utilized this presentational approach and was
not afraid of open theatricality. Her flamboyant stage presence, which needed to be toned down in her recent role in
“Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” found full vent here.
Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, was portrayed by Gale Rieder, who quickly became an audience favorite. Her thick
accent was letter-perfect and her direct humor was a welcome contrast to the bitter satire of the rest of the play.
The other four actresses—Kathy Stratton, Marcia Engblom, Polly Bond and Patricia Sloan—each had their exceptional
moments. However, they generally seemed tied to more conventional, representational acting styles.
Ron Fox was superb in the role of Henry. Tuxedoed, leering with the look of a demonic marionette, the vacant stare of a
deranged orator, Fox dominated the stage fully, commanding both in voice and stage presence.
The technical elements of the play were more than adequate. Musical accompaniment was appropriately sparse and
simple.
At one point the play, King Henry roared, “In my realm I decide what constitutes tragedy!” Ironically, Gressieker strips
modern man not only of his possibilities as a tragic figure worthy of any sympathies at all. In the final moments of the
play, Catherine of Aragon announces the death of modern man and the birth of a new era. It is a scene of great hope, but
it is not as profound as her earlier pronouncement to her husband that “the ways of the world are not so cut and dried!”
For my own part, I wish that “Royal Gambit’s” statement were not so cut and dried. By making man out to be such a
simple monster the play defeats its own purposes and turns poetry into scathing dogma, which is probably even less
interesting than, say, history.
http://faculty.chemeketa.edu/jrupert3/eng105/Annrev.html
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │ 27
COMMON CORE
CORRELATION BETWEEN OUTREACH TOUR AND COMMON CORE STANDARDS
KIND OF ACTIVITY
KIND OF LEARNING
STANDARDS
Discussion

Collaborative learning

Critical thinking

Reasoning
-English Language Arts Standards- Speaking and
Listening CCSS ELA-Literacy.SL 9-10.1-2
(Comprehension and Collaboration and
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas)

Intellectual openness

Communicating orally
-English Language Arts Standards-Language
CCSS ELA-Literacy. L 9-10.3 (Knowledge of
Language) and CCSS ELA-Literacy. L 9-10.4
(Vocabulary Acquisition and Use)
-English-Language Arts Standards-College and
Career Readiness-Anchor Standards for Reading
CCSS ELA-Literacy. CCRA.R.7-8 (Integration
of Knowledge and Ideas)
-Ohio Drama/Theatre Standards:
Responding/Reflecting (RE)
Writing exercises

Communicating in writing

Synthesizing and applying
knowledge

Critical thinking

Reasoning
-English-Language Arts Standards-College and
Career Readiness-Anchor Standards for Reading
CCSS ELA-Literacy. CCRA.R.7-8 (Integration
of Knowledge and Ideas)
-English-Language Arts Standards-College and
Career Readiness-Anchor Standards for Writing
CCSS ELA-Literacy CCRA W.1-6 (Text Types
and Purposes and Production and Distribution of
Writing)
-Ohio Drama/Theatre Standards:
Responding/Reflecting (RE)
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
WORKS CITED
“William Shakespeare.” Academy of American Poets. Ed. Christian Schwartz and Kris Sowersby.
Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014 http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/williamshakespeare
Rosenblum, Joseph, and Christina J. Moose, eds. Magill’s Choice: Shakespeare. Pasadena: Salem
Press, 1998. Print.
Mabillard, Amanda. The Globe Theatre. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2008. http://
www.shakespeare-online.com/theatre/globe.html.
“History of the Globe.” Shakespeare’s Globe. Ed. Webstars. The Shakespeare Globe Trust, n.d.
Web. 15 Oct. 2014. http://www.shakespearesglobe.com.
Van Tassel, David D. and John J. Grabowski, eds. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. 2nd ed.
Cleveland: Case Western Reserve University, 1987. Print.
Vacha, John. Showtime in Cleveland: The Rise of a Regional Theater Center. Kent: Kent State University Press, 2001. Print.
Vacha, John. Meet Me On Lake Erie Dearie: Cleveland’s Great Lakes Exposition, 1936-1937.
Kent: Kent State University Press, 2011. Print.
Miller, Carol Poh, and Robert Anthony Wheeler. Cleveland: A Concise History, 1796-1996. 2nd ed.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997. Print.
Day, Barry. This Wooden O: Shakespeare’s Globe Reborn. London: Oberon Books Limited, 1997.
Print.
Anderson, Michael, ed. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 oct. 2014.
http://www.britannica.com.
Jenkins, Simon. A Short History of England. New York: PublicAffairs, 2011. Print.
“The Kingsbury Run Murders.” Cleveland Police Museum. Ed. Feather and Stone Designs. Cleveland Historical Society, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. http://www.clevelandpolicemuseum.org
Ainsworth, Julie, ed. "Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection." Folger Shakespeare
Library. Ed. Garland Scott. Folger Shakespeare Library, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"The Great Lakes Exposition." The Cleveland Memory Project. Ed. Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Brown, Henry. "Shakespeare's Patrons." Shakespeare Online. Shakespeare Online, n.d. Web. 16
Nov. 2014. <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/>.
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF│
NOTES
30
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
GENEROUS SUPPORT FOR OUR SURROUND PROGRAMMING IS
PROVIDED BY THE FOLLOWING FUNDERS
Lead Surround 2015 Supporters
THE
GEORGE GUND
FOUNDATION
2014-15 Season Sponsors
The 2015 Surround is a community collaboration between Great Lakes Theater and…
Akron Public Schools • Akron-Summit County Public Library System • Clague Playhouse
Cleveland Heights/University Heights Library • Cleveland Sight Center • Cuyahoga County Public Library System
Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District • Cuyahoga Valley Arts Center
East Park Retirement Community • Elyria Catholic High School • Elyria Public Library System
Hudson City Schools • Kendal in Oberlin • Lake Ridge Academy • Lakewood Public Library, Main Branch
Lorain County Community College • Lorain Public Schools • Magnificat High School
Nordonia Hills Public Library • Olde Towne Hall, North Ridgeville • Our Lady of the Elms School
PlayhouseSquare • Summit Metro Parks • Talespinner Children’s Theatre • TrueNorth Cultural Arts
University of Akron • Wellington Exempted Village School District • Workshop Players
GLT’s 2014-15 Education Programs, which include this touring production of The Great Globe Itself, are
presented through the generous support of:
The Abington Foundation • The Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation
The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation • The Community Foundation of Lorain County
Eaton Corporation • E & Y • Forest City Enterprises • Harry K. and Emma R. Fox Charitable Foundation
The Giant Eagle Foundation • The George Gund Foundation • The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
Leonard Krieger Fund of The Cleveland Foundation • The Laub Foundation
The Victor C. Laughlin M.D. Memorial Foundation Trust • The Lincoln Electric Foundation
Rosa and Samuel Lobe Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland • The Lubrizol Foundation
David and Inez Myers Foundation of Cleveland, OH • Nordson Corporation Foundation
The Reinberger Foundation • The Shubert Foundation • Alvin & Laura Siegal
The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation • George E. and Marjorie E. Springer Memorial Fund
Target Corporation • The Thomas H. White Foundation •
… and more than 500 generous individual contributors including Matinee Idols and Raise Your Paddle donors.
31
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │
ABOUT GREAT LAKES THEATER
Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director
The mission of Great Lakes Theater, through its main stage
productions and its education programs, is to bring the
pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest
possible audience.
Since the company's inception in 1962, programming has
been rooted in Shakespeare, but the company's commitment
to great plays spans the breadth of all cultures, forms of
theater and time periods including the 20th century, and
provides for the occasional mounting of new works that
complement the classical repertoire.
Classic theater holds the capacity to illuminate truth and enduring values, celebrate and
challenge human nature and actions, revel in eloquent language, preserve the traditions of
diverse cultures and generate communal spirit. On its mainstage and through its education
program, the company seeks to create visceral, immediate experiences for participants,
asserting theater's historic role as a vehicle for advancing the common good, and helping
people make the most joyful and meaningful connections between classic plays and their own
lives. This Cleveland theater company wishes to share such vibrant experiences with people
across all age groups, creeds, racial and ethnic groups and socio-economic backgrounds.
The company's commitment to classic theater is magnified in the educational programs (for
both adults and students) that surround its productions. Great Lakes Theater has a strong
presence in area schools, offering an annual series of student matinees and, for over 30 years,
an acclaimed school residency program led by teams of specially trained actor-teachers.
1501 Euclid Avenue, Suite 300 • Cleveland, Ohio 44115 • Tel. (216) 241-5490
greatlakestheater.org
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TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE: THE GREAT GLOBE ITSELF │