Globe Education Online

In her fifth rehearsal blog, Joanna discusses performing Hamlet, how the weather has affected performance and the reaction of the Globe audience.

Performances

We are now halfway through performances of Hamlet. I am finding that no two performances are ever the same. The weather is often a deciding factor in the atmosphere of a show. We have had extremely variable weather. Because the Globe is outdoors, an actor is required to adjust their vocal quality depending on whether it is raining or not. You need to speak louder and more clearly during wet weather in order to be heard above the sound of the rain falling on the waterproof jackets that the groundlings are wearing. The hardest moment on stage as an actor at The Globe is the moment when the rain begins to fall and the groundlings begin to put on their waterproofs. The rustling makes it impossible for an actor to be heard.

Audience

I find that I am enjoying playing Gertrude at the Globe more and more with each performance. I am fascinated by the involvement of the audience. They are so focussed. I never feel alone when I am on stage because I feel that the audience is with me every step of the way. It is almost reminiscent of telling a story around a campfire. You can feel the concentration of your audience as they look at you. I have never known audiences to concentrate with such intensity in conventional theatres. At a performance last week I could hear people crying when Gertrude died.

These comments are the actor’s thoughts and ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

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