Shakespeare’s Globe, the Globe Theatre

Shakespeare’s Globe, the Globe Theatre, is a ‘roofless’, open-air theatre. The shape is an icosagon, a 20-sided polygon. It can hold 1,570 people, 700 standing and the rest seated. The twelve signs of the zodiac are painted on the roof over the stage which is called ‘The Heavens’. Shakespear's Theatre is built from oak beams, lime-plaster walls, and a water-reed thatched roof. In 1609 Shakespeare’s company started performing in the indoor Blackfriars playhouse as well as the Globe. It was here that Shakespeare conceived his final great plays, including The Tempest."