Shakespeare’s Globe has announced a programme of climate-focused activities for 2026, bringing performances, participatory events and family theatre to its Bankside site as part of London Climate Action Week and the wider season.
On Sunday 21 June, the Globe will open its doors for a free Climate Open House, offering access across the Globe Theatre, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and the Underglobe.
The day will be hosted and curated by Letters to the Earth, giving visitors a rare opportunity to stand on the Globe stage and share creative responses to the climate inspired by “sending a message from or to the earth”.
Events will also include Shakespeare’s words on nature, guest appearances from actors and climate activists, and a Greener and Cleaner Community Hub focusing on sustainability, wellbeing and positive action.
In the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Acapellies will present WildSong, a choral a cappella concert exploring how different cultures relate to the natural environment.
Also featured is Little Animals with Paul Ready, a storytelling performance about loss, memory and the ever-present possibility of renewal.
Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe Michelle Terry said: “It is no accident that our wooden O is made from the wood of a thousand oak trees, open to the elements, on the bank of the river Thames. Shakespeare and his contemporaries understood better than most their place and reliance on the natural world.”
She added: “Our Open House is an opportunity to come together and imagine. Imagine new ways of being, create alternative ways of living, to listen hard, learn quick, take positive action, and celebrate this ‘harmless earth’ that we call home.”
On Sunday 28 June, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed ‘off grid’, with a daylight matinee that keeps lights off and reduces energy use across the site in an experiment to explore more sustainable theatre-making.
Later in the year, families can enjoy MakeBeth, a new interactive ‘craft-a-long’ adventure created entirely with recycled cardboard. Written by Hannah Khalil, the show plays at the Globe from 24 October to 1 November during October half term as part of a UK tour.
The Globe has also launched the 2026 Climate Playwriting Prize in partnership with Climate Spring and Fern Culture, offering £15,000 and dramaturgical support to a playwright engaging creatively with the climate crisis.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
