A hard act to follow

As a world-renowned performing arts venue, cultural attraction and education center located on the bank of the River Thames in London, Shakespeare's Globe Theater was first built in 1599 and staged original productions of the Bard's works nearly 400 years ago. It was destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt in 1614 and demolished in 1644.

In 1970, American actor Sam Wanamaker set up the Shakespeare's Globe Trust to actively pursue his long-held dream of building a reconstruction of the original Globe theater. It took 23 years to find land, gain permission and raise the money for the project. He died in 1993, while the building was still under construction.

Shakespeare's Globe opened officially in 1997, very close to the site of the original theater.

"Just like the original Globe, the new Globe has a yard open to the sky. A stage covered by a roof juts out into the yard. The audience members stand in the yard, or sit in the three covered galleries that surround it," says O'Hea.