London’s SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATE in Cinemas!

In cinemas Saturday November 28^th, theatre fans will be treated to their first opportunity of experiencing passionate West End productions in High Definition from the most spectacular of London’s theatre venues, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the Thames. ROMEO AND JULIET is the first of three exciting Globe Theatre productions that will be presented at select Landmark Cinemas locations and other select theatres in Canada this fall and winter. Distributed worldwide by DigiScreen, the highly acclaimed production appears on select Canadian screens as part of an ongoing cinema series from the world’s great stages presented by The Royal Opera House’s Opus Arte.

From the historic Globe Theatre, comes the acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by artistic director Dominic Dromgoole. A violent street brawl between their rival families is the prelude to Romeo’s (Adetomiwa Edun) first encounter with Juliet (Ellie Kendrick). Despite this, and the fact that Juliet has been promised to another man in marriage, they fall in

love. Renewed violence between their two families threatens to drive them apart and a hidden tragedy begins to unfold. Rising young West End star Adetomiwa Edun shines as a cheeky, athletic Romeo with magnetism to spare. 18-year-old Ellie Kendrick, who received great acclaim for her recent performance as Anne Frank in the BBC dramatisation of The Diary of Anne Frank, is a revelation as the vivacious Juliet. Friar Laurence is played by Maori actor Rawiri Paratene - one of New Zealand’s best known actors, who is recognised internationally for his endearing performance in the Oscar nominated film, The Whale Rider.

With its wonderful combination of lyricism, suspense and dramatic changes of mood, Shakespeare’s heartbreaking tale is one of the greatest of all love stories. On the banks of the Thames, in London’s famous West End theatre district, ROMEO AND JULIET shone as one of the hits of the Globe’s summer season. The Globe theatre, a stunning reproduction of the original Globe theatre built a mere 200 yards from the original site, is a destination for Shakespeare lovers from around the world.

“The audience were rapt!” - Observer

“Powerfully conveys the play’s spirit of reckless vitality! The performances shine!” - The Mail on Sunday

ROMEO AND JULIET was captured before a live audience at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in August 2009

In early 2010, audiences can look forward to two more great productions from the Globe Theatre, Shakespeare favourites AS YOU LIKE IT and LOVE’S LABOURS LOST.

Tickets will be available at $19.95 + tax per adult, $16.95 + tax per senior and $9.95 + tax per child.  For cinema locations and to purchase advance tickets throughout Canada visit www.digiscreen.ca. For Landmark Cinemas in Alberta and BC, go to www.landmarkcinemas.com. For independent theatres in Vancouver, Bracebridge and Waterloo please visit www.festivalcinemas.ca, www.norwoodtheatre.com, www.princesscinemas.com.

About Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

www.shakespeares-globe.org

The project to rebuild Shakespeare’s Globe was initiated by the American actor, director and producer Sam Wanamaker after his first visit to London in 1949. Twenty-one years later he founded what was to become the Shakespeare Globe Trust, dedicated to the reconstruction of the theatre and the creation of an education centre and permanent exhibition. After 23 years spent tirelessly fundraising, advancing research into the appearance of the original Globe and planning the reconstruction with the Trust’s architect Theo Crosby, Sam Wanamaker died, the site having been secured, the exhibition undercroft structurally complete and a few timber bays of the theatre in place. Three and a half years later the theatre was completed. Based on printed panoramas, written accounts, building contracts, a sketch, suggestive descriptions included in the plays themselves and the archaeological excavation of the Rose Theatre and The Globe Theatre in 1989, the new Globe is a product of painstaking reconstruction. The new 20-sided theatre was constructed using authentic 16th-century building practices where feasible and the roof is made of water reed thatch, based on samples found during the excavation.

The first Theatre was built in Shoreditch in 1576 by actor-manager James Burbage, the first purpose-built playhouse in London. Shakespeare joined the resident troupe at the Theatre in the 1580s and the company (later known as the Chamberlain’s and then the King’s Men) flourished there for 20 years. The theatre was demolished in 1598 and its timbers carried over the river to relocate at a site near the Rose. Shakespeare was one of four actors who bought a share in the Globe to help finance its construction. By early 1599 the theatre was up and running and for 14 years it thrived, presenting many of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. In 1613, the Globe burned down during a performance of Henry VIII and was re-built again, It remained the home for Shakespeare’s old company until the closure of all the theatres under England’s Puritan administration in 1642. No longer of use, it was demolished to make room for tenements in 1644. The Shakespeare Globe Trust’s reconstruction is as faithful to the original as modern scholarship and traditional craftsmanship can make it. The Globe Theatre is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s work and the playhouse for which he wrote, through the connected means of performance and education.