Back with a full programme of shows and activities for the first summer since 2019, Shakespeare’s Globe is delighted to welcome families back to Bankside for a summer of theatrical fun.
The iconic Globe Theatre will welcome a host of CBeebies favourites in filmed performances of CBeebies As You Like It from 9 – 10 August.
This special adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy with a CBeebies twist will feature songs, dancing and joining in, recommended for ages 3+.
Returning favourite Steven Kynman (CBeebies Romeo & Juliet) will once again star as William Shakespeare, alongside Rebecca Keatley (CBeebies House) as Rosalind, Sid Sagar (Queen Anne for RSC) as Orlando, Liyah Summers (Private Peaceful, Nottingham Playhouse) as Celia, Tyler Collins (Swashbuckle, CBeebies) as Oliver, Justin Fletcher (Something Special, CBeebies) as Duke Senior, Andy Day (Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures, Andy and the Band, CBeebies) as Archibald Frost, Gemma Hunt (Gem in Swashbuckle, CBeebies) as Guardian of the Forest, Nigel Clarke (The Baby Club, The Toddler Club, CBeebies) as Le Beau, Forbes Masson (Bartholomew Fair, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s Globe) as Duke Frederick, Evie Pickerill (CBeebies’ Christmas in Storyland) as Amiens, Anne Odeke (Bartholomew Fair, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s Globe) as Ada, Jennie Dale (Captain Captain in Swashbuckle, CBeebies) as Audrey, Alex Phelps (CBeebies The Night Before Christmas) as Touchstone, and Joanna Adeyinka-Burford (CBeebies House) as Charles the Wrestler. Ensemble roles will be played by Tina Rizzo and Alexander Tilly.
The performances will be filmed in front of a live audience before airing on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer at a later date.
As You Like It is directed for the stage by Elle While and for television by Geoff Coward. The creative team is completed by Nathan Cockerill (adaptation), Lucy Sierra (set design), Barrie Bignold (music direction), Hayley Del Harrison (choreography), Mary Lamb (costume design) and Anna Perowne (series producer).
Other productions include Midsummer Mechanicals, the first time the Globe is premiering a full-scale production for families and young people. A co-production with Splendid Productions, and co-directed by Lucy Cuthbertson (Director of Education at the Globe) and Kerry Frampton (Splendid Productions), Midsummer Mechanicals is a hilarious new follow-up to the play-within-a-play from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, following Peter Quince’s troupe’s attempt to recapture the success of their first hit show, Pyramus and Thisbe. Midsummer Mechanicals runs from 28 July – 21 August in Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Artistic Director Michelle Terry said: “In welcoming an audience of young children who will be loud, laughing, and crying, and responding with roars of joy to their favourite CBeebies legends – the atmosphere in the Globe Theatre this summer will be as close as we can get to the original audience 400 years ago.”
Families can uncover the magic of storytelling all year round with the Globe’s Telling Tales activities, including As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet storytelling sessions (22-23, and 24-26 August respectively) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream workshops (for 9-12 years, 4 – 20 August), the perfect accompaniment to seeing a performance of Midsummer Mechanicals.
As well as performances, families can explore the secrets and histories of the Globe throughout the summer. The Family Globe Theatre Guided Tour runs from 4 June – 30 October, and introduces young visitors to Shakespeare’s theatrical world and the historical city of London he inhabited. Special family demonstrations at the Globe also including Elizabeth dressing and sword fighting.
Situated on London’s glorious Bankside, Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe provides a scenic spot for lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, where a children’s menu is included.
