New Globe Theater

latest news

18 DECEMBER 2003
design workshop with shakespeare's globe in london

Sketch by David Nelson.

Foster and Partners conduct a workshop at Shakespeare's Globe with Mark Rylance (Artistic Director), Claire van Kampen (Music Director), and Peter Kyle (Executive Director) for Shakespeare's Globe and Barbara Romer for the New Globe.

The powerpoint slides are projected straight onto the white wall of ye olde Globe itself, and animated discussions range from improved sightlines to the ideal location for the canteen.

8 DECEMBER 2003
snowdrifts outline globe theater

David Nelson and Michael Wurzel from Foster and Partners wandered through the white winter wonderland of Governors Island (read: with snow up to their hips) to discover inside Castle Williams that - eerily - the snowdrifts had marked the outline of Shakespeare's Globe.

30 NOVEMBER 2003
patrick stewart: "amazing!"

4 NOVEMBER 2003
turner construction providing pro-bono cost estimate!
Charlie Murphy of Turner Construction kindly offers to conduct the cost estimate for the design by Foster and Partners on a pro-bono basis.

20 OCTOBER 2003
john whitehead expresses support!
John Whitehead, the Chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, believes that the New Globe proposal fits perfectly into the greater picture of Lower Manhattan, and will help in strengthening the cultural identity of Downtown.

28 SEPTEMBER 2003
tours of governors island extended through october!
It's a sunny afternoon, and talented photographer Ohad Maiman captures the lazy autumn atmosphere of the island:

NPS Ranger Steve Salgo and Audrey Ference (RPA).

The friendly version of Charon.

25 SEPTEMBER 2003
new globe receives letter of comfort from GIPEC board!
Today the New Globe proposal was presented to the GIPEC Board. The room was buzzing with excitement. Jim Gill, Chairman of Battery Park City Authority, even stated that he believed the New Globe to become "the catalyst for the development of Governors Island". Secretary of State Randy Daniels, the Chairman of the GIPEC Board, asked for a Letter of Comfort to be written.

18 SEPTEMBER 2003
vip tour to new globe site
Having concentrated all praying efforts on "no rain", we were welcomed at the ferry slip by Hurricane Isabelle. However, whipping winds and whopping waves could not deter the 50 guests!

In the end, "all's well that ends well": The Tempest-like weather set the proper Shakespearean mood. The drama appealed to Eugene Jarecki, the talented documentary filmmaker. And everyone held on to poster boards and hair pieces.

Photo by Eugene Kuo.

13 SEPTEMBER 2003
princeton trip to the island
The wind and rain couldn't keep the orange and black crowd away!

Pictured are (from left to right): John James, Raoul Bhavnani, Barbara Romer, Tristine Skyler, Mary and Jesse Johnson, Erica and Eli Halliwell, and Chris Mecray.

24 JULY 2003
first public tour of governors island!
After waiting impatiently for 203 years, the general public was allowed onto a tour of Governors Island this morning. The sun was shining and birds singing, and a few visitors even spied Afflack - the white pet duck - meandering through the lushious meadows.

17 JULY 2003
mayor bloomberg appoints james lima as GIPEC president.
The crowds cheer as rumors of Jim Lima's appointment spread like wildfire through the City.

It is a little known fact that GIPEC has instituted a dress code, requiring all visitors to the island to wear only black, white, and red AND sling their bags across their chest.

19 JUNE 2003
foster and partners visit castle williams.

Michael Wurzel and Linda Neal inside Castle Williams.

30 APRIL 2003
anonymous donor underwrites design phase!!!
"Most wonderful!" A donor has committed to underwrite the design cost of $350,000 - covering all architectural fees by Foster and Partners, as well as structural engineers, cost consultants, acoustic consultants, for the 6-month period of studying and developing a model for Castle Williams and defining the cost plan. Most, most wonderful.

28 APRIL 2003
first historic GIPEC meeting held on governors island.
On a glorious Spring day, Secretary of State Randy Daniels calls into session the first board meeting of GIPEC inside the Admiral's Office. Efficient and jovial, the meeting represents a most positive beginning - with plenty of time left for socializing over lunch. Rumors abound that Barbara Romer and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff engage in a mini-authorship debate over salad. Hmmm.

23 APRIL 2003
shakespeare celebrates 439th birthday in excellent health.

4 APRIL 2003
partnership between the new globe, shakespeare's globe in london and its US affiliate, SGC USA, signed!
The New Globe is thrilled that both organizations have expressed their enthusiastic support and promised their assistance in the realization of this dream.

17 MARCH 2003
barbara romer and will wanamaker finally meet.
The Shakespeare Globe Centre USA stages its beautiful Gala "Coward x2" at the University Club, with performances by Rosemary Harris, Sally Ann Howes, Barrie Ingham, Simon Jones and Hayley Mills. Chairman of the evening is 86-year old Will Wanamaker, who lights up the room with anecdotes of his younger brother Sam's struggle to build Shakespeare's Globe in London.

"How many goodly creatures are there here!"
(specifically, Dov Rubinstein, Linda Neal, Barbara Romer, Peter Kyle, and Audre Mendel).

HOLIDAY SEASON 2003
happy holidays from the new globe!
CALIBAN: Let us be jocund.
HAMLET: What should a man do but be merry?
FOOL: Then, I prithee, be merry.
ROMEO: Rest you merry!
SILENCE: Be merry, be merry.
KATARINA: Be mad and merry, or go hang yourselves.

13 NOVEMBER 2002
barbara romer clandestinely takes first vacation in years.
With guidebook in hand, Barbara Romer takes time out of her schedule for a quick trip to the Berkshires. Treading the cobblestones as she wishes to tread the stage of the mighty New Globe project she currently shepherds, she hides from prying eyes wondering if she will actually allow herself a moment's respite from the project she has thus far dedicated more hours than there are in a day every day. Impossible? Not for the incredibly driven Ms. Romer, who also knits while she kickboxes in order to save time. When last we caught up with her, she was on her way to the dentist, where she planned to sit in a comfy chair, her mouth open in the shape of a perfect "O".

22 OCTOBER 2002
castle williams field trip photos developed.
And what new developments there are!

On October 22nd, 2002, a small group visited Castle Williams on a stunning day. Though the building is in bad need of restoration, the structure is breathtakingly beautiful. And the open courtyard's fit in size to the Globe Theatre is truly uncanny.

Attending the tour were (from left to right): Sophie Ross, James Waterston, Linda Neal (National Park Service), Dov Rubinstein, Jim Capalino, Barbara Romer, James Murray, Justin Hollander, Peter Kyle, Charles Goldman, Randy Bourscheidt and Frank Sanchis (not pictured). Photographs by Ralph Ashton.