The Globe is making recordings of its plays free to watch online
Six of the theatre's plays will be available for two weeks each, including Hamlet (2018) and Romeo & Juliet (2009)
The Globe has announced that six of its previous productions will be available to watch for free on its on-demand service Globe Player over the next few weeks.
The six productions, Hamlet (2018), Romeo & Juliet (2009), The Winter’s Tale (2018), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2013), The Two Noble Kinsmen (2018) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (2019) will be streaming on a rotating basis, with each of them available for two weeks.
In addition, the platform will also be making its selection of 'Complete Walk' films available at no cost — a series of 37 10-minute films that were released in 2016 to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Each of the short films were shot on location in the real setting of each plot, and featured all-star casts including James Norton, Gemma Arterton, Dominic West, Simon Russell Beale and Peter Capaldi.
As with theatres across London, the Globe has been shut down for an indefinite period as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The theatre is also releasing a range of other video content online during its closure, including a series of Shakespeare performances, recorded in isolation by artists including Sandi and Jenifer Toksvig. The theatre is also hoping to find a way to host a virtual version of its previously scheduled ‘Shakespeare Walks’ with Mark Rylance, which was due to take place on The Bard's birthday on 23rd April.
Michelle Terry, the Globe's Artistic Director, said, "Whilst everything seems so uncertain, one thing we know for sure is that the world will never be the same again.
"In 1599, when Hamlet stood on a “distracted Globe” and uttered the words: Now I am alone – he would have been surrounded by up to 3,000 people.
"Now we are alone, but we are also in the company of billions, from all around the globe, finding the most inspiring ways to be alone, together.
"In these times of isolation, we will continue to reach people on our ‘distracted Globe’, providing community, joy, and wonder, remaining, albeit digitally for now, a place of connection for us all."
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
