[Phoenix PEN] Wen Ruo: Let working people also go to the theater

[Phoenix PEN] Wen Ruo: Let working people also go to the theater - Visit London&…

–Visit “Shakespeare’s Globe Theater” in London

Phoenix City Wenruo

London’s Shakespeare’s Globe Theater (Shakespeare’s Globe) is a place dedicated to performing Shakespeare’s plays. Dating back to its earliest days, the Globe Theater was built over four hundred years ago and is where many of Shakespeare's greatest plays have been performed. It has a long history and specializes in performing Shakespeare's plays. These two are the distinctive features of the Globe Theatre. In my opinion, its biggest feature and the most classic tradition is that there is a large open-air courtyard in the center of the theater, which can accommodate nearly a thousand spectators who can buy cheap tickets and watch the show standing up. This tradition continues from the beginning to the present.

My husband and I came to the theater one day in June 2012. After registration, we had to visit in batches according to the specified time; so we first walked outside the theater to take a look at its surrounding environment.

The Globe Theater is close to the Thames River and is located on its south bank. The river in this area is very wide, the Thames flows gently here, and the view is very broad. Many historical buildings and ultra-modern skyscrapers are cleverly placed on both sides of the Thames, complementing the natural scenery of the river and embankments. Standing on the embankment in front of the Globe Theater and looking north, the dome of St. Paul's Church, the second largest dome in the world, is very eye-catching in the sun. Walking west along the river, there are Tate Modern Gallery and Thamesside Gallery, which were converted from old power plants with towering chimneys. Standing on the Millennium Pedestrian Bridge between Waterloo Bridge and London Bridge, looking downstream, the crystal spiers of the Shard Tower, known as London's new landmark, shine brightly against the blue sky and white clouds. Going east, there is the "London Bridge" exhibition in the distance, which is the London Bridge in the lyrics of the popular English children's song "London bridge is falling down!" Now here is the newly built London Bridge; the old London Bridge was demolished by the British in the 1970s. An American oil tycoon bought the demolished London Bridge, moved it all to the United States, and then assembled it and placed it in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Americans themselves don’t have a long history, so they envy the British for their antiques. It’s worth spending money to buy a sense of history.

We followed a thin and capable old lady guide into the Globe Theater. She took us up and down the theater and explained to us the history and current situation of the Globe Theatre.

The original Globe Theater was built in 1599, about 200 meters away from its current location. During a performance in 1613, the thatched roof caught fire and the theater burned to ruins; although it was later rebuilt, the English Puritans who took power were disgusted with entertainment activities and closed it down in 1642; the theater was completely destroyed two years later.

Three hundred years later, in 1949, American actor Sam Wanamaker, who was keen on performing Shakespeare plays, came to London. Warner Mac was disappointed and heartbroken when he discovered that there was only one bronze plaque on the wall at the Globe Theater that had markings reminiscent of the great Shakespeare.

After returning to the United States, he founded an organization later known as the "Shakespeare Globe Trust" in 1970 and has been raising funds to rebuild theaters and education and exhibition centers. Warner Mac worked tirelessly for twenty-three years. Even when he was old and ill, he was still working hard to raise money. The theater and supporting buildings were finally completed in 1997, three and a half years after Warner Mac's death.

The reconstructed theater was built entirely according to the samples of unearthed cultural relics from the theater site. The oak wood was carved in the style of the 16th century; lath, gypsum, and lime were mixed according to the craftsmanship of that year; the materials were mainly bricks and wood; modern sprinkler equipment was added to the reed thatched roof to prevent fires.

The current theater basically retains the style of the original theater. The entire theater is a ring-shaped structure, with three levels of auditoriums, and wooden seats and railings surrounding the stage in a ring; the small box upstairs closest to the stage is considered a "gentleman's private room", where wealthy theater fans can "listen to the play" comfortably, because from the side of the stage, the full view of the stage cannot be seen; these gentlemen and ladies may care most about the attention of the nearly 2,000 audience members on their gorgeous clothes, rather than the performance on the stage.

The stage surface is an ordinary floor with a movable wooden door in the middle of the floor. Under the wooden door is the equivalent of hell, where devils and witches come onto the stage. The pillars on both sides are also made of wood and look very primitive and crude. The entire stage setting is quite simple, with no barrier between the audience and the audience, fully allowing the audience to become one with the drama.

In the middle of the circular seats is a large courtyard, which is open-air because natural light can be used instead of stage lights. The current courtyard can accommodate 700 spectators who paid £5 for cheap tickets to watch the play standing up. In Shakespeare's day, a thousand people could be packed in.

According to the commentator, you only had to pay one penny to watch the theater while standing, and one penny could buy two pints of beer and a loaf of bread at that time. Audiences who bought such cheap tickets were called "Penny Stinkards", which means "penny stinkards". We can imagine that after the work was done, the peddlers and butchers and coolies did not have showers like they do now; they rushed to watch the show with beer and bread; there were many sheep in the UK, and the British loved to eat haggis, plus garlic and onions; 1,000 people were crowded together, making it very inconvenient to get in and out; when there was an emergency, the commentator said that there was something more convenient on the spot, could it not stink? But at least four hundred years ago, the working people in Britain loved to go to the theater. They were fans of Shakespeare; and Shakespeare loved them too. When the theater was built, an open-air yard was left so that they could buy cheap tickets and enjoy the theater.

>Shakespeare’s Globe Theater’s tradition of selling cheap standing tickets has been preserved to this day since it was first built in 1599. Now major theaters in the UK, including the Royal Theater, have continued this tradition; even theaters in many European countries have such standing seats to satisfy ordinary audiences to buy cheap tickets or tourists to temporarily buy standing tickets to watch the show. Many years ago when we lived in Europe, I went to Vienna with a university student tour group. A group of us poor students queued for three hours to buy standing tickets and entered the famous Vienna Opera House to "listen" to operas. It could only be regarded as listening to operas because it was too far away and we could hardly see the faces on the stage. However, we enjoyed wonderful music in such a good atmosphere, and I am still deeply impressed. Therefore, I especially appreciate the tradition of selling standing tickets in the UK and even Europe. I have tasted the benefits.

When we visited the Globe Theater that day, there was a trial rehearsal of a performance on the stage. The tour guide let us enter during the break, and then quietly sat down to watch them rehearse. We also sat and watched the excerpts at the Globe Theater.

I remember reading a short article in a newspaper when I returned to China. A certain domestic star said that he performed at the Globe Theater in London and was on a luxurious stage. The article described the simple stage of the Globe Theater as luxurious and high-end, which seemed to set off the quality of the performance. In fact, the original intention of Warner Mac, which initiated the reconstruction of the theater, was to restore the theater to its original simplicity, believing that its sense of history is more valuable than luxury.

My old classmate lives in London and learned that I went to the Globe Theatre. He told me that the Globe Theater also performed Chinese Shakespeare plays. This shows how popular Chinese is now! At the same time, I am also curious whether reading the lines in Chinese can retain the flavor of Shakespeare's drama.

We stayed in London for a long time this time and visited many places. The one that impressed me deeply was the Globe Theatre. But this time I still have one regret, not watching the Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre. Because the stage play "Henry VIII" was performed in those days, the plot focused on political wrestling and religious reform. Because this play was Shakespeare's old-style English, it is said that ordinary British people may not be able to fully understand it. British people have been required to study Shakespeare in school since childhood, so I didn't want to join in the fun.

I look forward to returning to London one day. I went to buy standing tickets for the Globe Theater. In the drizzle, I squeezed in the open-air courtyard with 700 spectators, letting the sweat mix with the rain. I listened to Hamlet’s rich voice without a microphone on the stage read the most famous soliloquy in Chinese: “To be, or not to be; that’s the question.” (To be, or not to be; that’s the question.) question)", that would be so enjoyable!

A corner outside the theater (photographed by Wen Ruo in June 2012)

Shakespeare Globe The simple stage of the theater, with boxes upstairs next to the stage (photographed by Wen Ruo in June 2012)

Ring-shaped seats in the theater, with standing seats in the open-air yard in the middle (photographed by Wen Ruo in June 2012)

Simple stage and grass roof (Photographed by Wen Ruo in June 2012)

The theater faces the Millennium Bridge on the Thames River (Photographed by Wen Ruo in June 2012)