Dominic Dromgoole will stage four Shakespeare plays in the candlelit surroundings of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse as part of his final season as Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe.
Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest, which all share a series of themes and were written by the Bard with the indoor Blackfriars Theatre in mind, will play from November to April, marking the first time Shakespeare’s work has been staged as part of the indoor venue’s main programme.
Pericles will kick off proceedings, bringing its tale of mistaken identity and fragmented families to the stunning venue from 19 November.
It will be followed by Cymbeline, the story of the virtuous Imogen who travels from England to Wales disguised as a boy in search of her lowborn exiled husband, from 2 December.
From 28 January, the Bard’s imaginative and troubling The Winter’s Tale will chart the tale of a king, who loses his wife and new-born daughter through furious jealousy, as he journeys through time and across borders in search of a redemptive solution.
The final play in the quartet, The Tempest, will be directed by Dromgoole in his final production at the helm of the Bankside venue. The island-set tale about a banished duke and his effervescent daughter, largely considered as Shakespeare’s personal farewell to the stage, will run from 17 February.
Rounding off the season, Eileen Atkins will bring her critically acclaimed piece Ellen Terry With Eileen Atkins back to the venue following its success in 2014. Playing from 11 January, the adaptation of Terry’s Four Lectures On Shakespeare sees Atkins perform a dozen of the playwright’s characters, from Viola to Volumnia.
The indoor Shakespeare season follows this summer’s current Globe Outside In productions, which sees the venue’s outdoor hits, including As You Like It, King John and Measure For Measure, brought inside the intimate candlelit auditorium for a series of unique performances.