Latest News

INTENSE TEENS

(5/7/10) • The Old Globe’s third annual Summer Shakespeare Intensive for teens will conclude on Monday, August 16 at 8:00 p.m. with a bilingual (English/Spanish) performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and As You Like It. The four week program began on July 19 and is a unique opportunity for local High School actors and actresses to refine their skills as performers in a professional setting. To celebrate the Globe’s 75th anniversary, this year the students will perform 50-minute versions of the two Shakespeare plays. The original Old Globe Theatre was built in 1935 for the presentation of abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays as part of the California Pacific International Exposition. Tickets are $9 for children and $13 for adults.

Read the press release.

ROBIN AND ROMANCE EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND!

(7/23/10) • The World Premiere of Robin and the 7 Hoods – A New Musical and the West Coast Premiere of Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro’s The Last Romance will each receive a week of additional performances due to popular demand. Originally set to close on Aug. 22, Robin and the 7 Hoods will now run through Sunday, Aug. 29. The Last Romance was originally set to close on Sept. 5 and will now run through Sunday, Sept. 12. (Photos below by Craig Schwartz.)

JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA - A MUSICAL ROMANTIC COMEDY

(7/23/10) • Jane Austen’s Emma – A Musical Romantic Comedy with music, lyrics and book by Tony Award nominee Paul Gordon will fill the final slot of the Globe's 2010-11 Winter Season.  Directed by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun, Jane Austen’s Emma will run in the Old Globe Theatre Jan. 15 – Feb. 27, 2011. 
 
Emma, a beautiful and clever young woman who prides herself on her matchmaking ability, is preoccupied with romance yet is clueless to her own feelings of love.  When she takes on a young friend as her latest project, her well-intentioned efforts misfire, leading to a whirlwind of complications – and ultimately, true love.  Gordon brings Jane Austen’s masterpiece to musical life with songs that are “cleverly woven throughout” and “enhance the story in wonderful ways.” (Variety)

“I have been talking with Paul Gordon since 2006 about producing Emma,” said the Globe's Executive Producer Lou Spisto.  “It’s a masterful and fresh look at Austen’s well-known story and I believe this is Paul’s finest score to date.  I’m also delighted to bring Jeff Calhoun to the project.  Jeff is the perfect director to take Emma to the next step.”

Read the press release.

KAREN ZIEMBA TO STAR IN THE NEIL SIMON PLAYS

(7/22/10) • Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba will return to The Old Globe as Kate Jerome in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound.  Ziemba has previously appeared at the Globe in Six Degrees of Separation and in last season’s World Premiere of The First Wives Club – A New Musical.  Directed by Scott Schwartz, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound will be performed in repertory in the Old Globe Theatre from Sept. 14 – Nov. 7.  

Karen’s Broadway credits include Contact (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), Curtains (Tony Award nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award,) Never Gonna Dance (Tony Award nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award), Steel Pier (Tony Award nomination), Chicago, Crazy for You and A Chorus Line.  Her Off Broadway credits include And the World Goes ‘Round (Drama Desk Award) and I Do! I Do! (Drama Desk nomination). Karen’s other credits include Bye Bye Birdie, The Pajama Game and Allegro (City Center Encores!), 110 in the Shade and The Most Happy Fella (New York City Opera), Much Ado About Nothing (The Shakespeare Theatre Company and Hartford Stage), House and Garden (Geva Theatre Center), The Threepenny Opera (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Opposite of Sex (Magic Theatre) and Sylvia (Long Wharf Theatre).  Her television and film credits include The Producers, “Scrubs,” all three “Law & Order” series, “As the World Turns,” The Kennedy Center Honors and for PBS, “My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies,” “Gershwin At 100” and “Stephen Sondheim: A Celebration At Carnegie Hall.” (Photos below by Craig Schwartz.)

GLOBE HONORS WINNER IS FINALIST AT MUSICAL THEATER AWARDS

(7/14/10) • Globe Honors winner Katie Sapper was one of three leading actress finalists at the 2010 National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) held on June 28 in New York City.  Katie, of the Academy of Our Lady of Peace, and Jordon Bunshaft of Coronado High School won top honors at the 2010 Globe Honors competition held on May 17, winning Leading Actress and Actor in a High School Musical and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to participate in the national competition.  

Katie and Jordon, both of El Cajon, joined 42 other regional winners from high schools across the country for a rigorous week of workshops, coaching sessions, rehearsals and performances.  Katie performed her Globe Honors-winning song, “Somewhere That’s Green” from the musical Little Shop of Horrors in the competition before an audience of over 1,200 theater enthusiasts.  The award ceremony was hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Tommy Tune at the Marquis Theatre.
 
“We were thoroughly impressed by the talent we saw on our stage at this year’s Globe Honors,” said the Globe's Executive Producer Lou Spisto.  “Our community has a lot to be proud of and we’re thrilled that San Diego was so ably represented in New York for the national competition.  This program is just one of the many ways we can reach into the community and engage young talent and the love of theatre.”
 
In addition to Sapper and Bunshaft, this year’s Globe Honors winners also include Daniel Myers, High Tech High International (Musical Theatre); Satya Chávez, Academy of Our Lady of Peace (Musical Theatre); Michael Silberblatt, Coronado High School (Spoken Theatre); Olivia O’Connor, Coronado High School (Spoken Theatre); and Michael Barahura, Hilltop High School (Technical Theatre).

Read the press release.

JONNO ROBERT'S NOT-SO-SECRET DIARY

(5/6/10) • Actor Jonno Roberts, who's playing Petruchio in this year's Shakespeare Festival production of The Taming of the Shrew and Edmund in King Lear, is writing weekly about his experiences rehearsing and performing in the show for the San Diego Union-Tribune's Sunday Arts section.

Chapter 1 - Breaking bad? He’s ready for the dark side
Chapter 2 - The vectors of insanity are converging
Chapter 3 - Pucker up: It’s time to kiss and tell (us)
Chapter 4 - Directors can curb an actor’s enthusiasm
Chapter 5 - A horse is a horse, of course, of course...
Chapter 6 - Words and superstitions, passed down years
Chapter 7 - Hello, Tech rehearsal; farewell, Outside Life
Chapter 8 - Somewhere in the middle of the park, a creature stirs
Chapter 9 - He's lookin good (he hopes) - but how would he know?
Chapter 10 - For an actor, sculpting a role is an ever-changing work of creation
Chapter 11 - To the play! But first, a nap and playtime ...
 

CRAIG NOEL MEMORIAL SLIDESHOW

ADRIAN NOBLE LIVE!

(6/9/10) • Theater fans were in Shakespeare Heaven at Adrian Noble's lecture in the Old Globe Theatre on June 2. Adrian shared stories culled from his illustrious career as a director both in the U.S. and on the other side of the pond. After his talk, he generously met with attendees in the lobby and signed copies of his book, How to do Shakespeare. Adrian, the former head of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is directing both King Lear and The Madness of George III in this summer's Shakespeare Festival (of which he is the Artistic Director).

ROCKIN' ROBIN

(6/2/10) • The cast and design team for the new Broadway-bound musical comedy Robin and the 7 Hoods arrived in San Diego this past weekend and hit the ground running! After meeting each other and the staff of the Globe at a Meet and Greet hosted by the Globe Guilders, the company joined together in the rehearsal hall for a design presentation. Director and choreographer (and San Diego native) Casey Nicholaw introduced set designer Robert Brill and costume designer Gregg Barnes who discussed their visions for the show using set models and costume renderings. Soon afterwards, rehearsals began in earnest as the cast settled down for a read-through of Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes' script and a sing-through of the classic songs by the Academy Award-winning team of Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen.

Read the press release.

DIRECTOR GIOVANNA SARDELLI ON THE WHIPPING MAN

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PLAYWRIGHT MATTHEW LOPEZ ON THE WHIPPING MAN

2010-11 WINTER SEASON ANNOUNCED!

(5/21/10) • Greetings from Executive Producer Lou Spisto: “ I'm pleased to announce this exciting new Winter Season of premieres, revivals and modern-day classics. While putting together our new season, the subject of family, in all of its diverse forms, emerged. Whether it’s New York’s Brooklyn or Lower East Side, England (by way of India), South Africa or Oklahoma — the families that we are born into, marry into, or happen into, each have a unique story.  It is with that in mind that we dedicate this season to exploring the dynamics of family life – in all of its loving, infuriating, supportive and complicated manifestations. We’ve assembled a terrific roster of alumni directors: Kyle Donnelly, Pam MacKinnon, Scott Schwartz, Richard Seer and Henry Wishcamper, and are thrilled to welcome the newest members of the Globe family, Jaime Castañeda and Sam Gold.”
 
"The Winter Season reflects a broad range of storytelling from a very diverse group of artists. Over the next 12 months, with our Winter and Summer Seasons combined, we will produce 15 plays that represent virtually every style of theater.  Our three stages will offer probing themes and stirring narratives realized by today’s finest theater artists."

THE WHIPPING MAN OPENS

(5/18/10) • The Whipping Man opened to rave reviews on Thursday, May 13. The San Diego Union-Tribune called the show "affecting and suspensful" and the Los Angeles Times praised Matthew Lopez's "powerful new play." The opening night party was held above the White Theatre in Hattox Hall.

OUT AT THE WHIPPING MAN

(5/17/10) • Gay and lesbian theater lovers and friends celebrated the opening of The Whipping Man last Thursday evening. Held in the Globe's Hattox Hall, the event featured extraordinary eats courtesy of St. Tropez Bakery and Bistro. Join us for the next Out at the Globe party before the performances of The Taming of the Shrew, Robin and The 7 Hoods, or The Last Romance on August 12.

The Old Globe, then and now.

Marion Ross as "Queen Elizabeth" at the Globe's 70th Anniversary Open House.

HARK YE ALL!
GLOBE OPEN HOUSE ON JUNE 13!

(5/12/10) • Come to the Globe's Open House on Sunday, June 13 between 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and help celebrate our 75th Anniversary! The event will feature performances, backstage tours, costume displays, sword fighting demonstrations, bagpipes and Elizabethan dances. Presiding over the Open House will be Queen Elizabeth – played by Old Globe Associate Artist Marion Ross.
 
Shakespeare was first produced at the Globe in 1935 as part of the California Pacific International Exposition and has been central to the Globe’s mission since that time.  During the two years of the Exposition, the Globe presented abbreviated versions of Shakespeare’s plays performed in repertory.  One of the fair’s most popular events was “Dancing on the Green” where the Shakespeare troupe would perform Elizabethan-era dances on the lawn in front of the theater.  With a nod to its past, the Globe will once again present short scenes from Shakespeare’s plays and Elizabethan dancing at the Open House event.
 
Ongoing events throughout the day will include Kids Crafts with the Rad Hatter, face painting, circus performances by Lindley Lopez Productions, giveaways – and free popcorn!

9:30 a.m.   Backstage Tours begin. (Tours leave every 10 minutes and last 20 minutes.)
 
10:00 a.m.   Opening Ceremony begins with the Procession of Queen Elizabeth (Marion Ross) and welcome remarks by Executive Producer Lou Spisto and host Susan DeVincent (KYXY 96.5)
 
10:30 a.m.   Elizabethan Dancing

10:45 a.m.   Bagpipe Performance
 
11:00 a.m.   Sword Fighting Demonstration

11:45 a.m.   Scenes from the Globe’s Shakespeare Festival plays performed by the repertory company in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre

12:15 p.m.   Contortionists and Jugglers

12:40 p.m.   Sword Fighting Demonstration

1:00 a.m.   Elizabethan Dancing

1:15 p.m.   Final Backstage Tour departs
 
1:45 p.m.   Closing Remarks by Executive Producer Lou Spisto, Marion Ross and host Susan DeVincent (KYXY 96.5)
 

NOEL MEMORIAL MOVES TO SPRECKELS ORGAN PAVILION

(5/11/10) • The memorial service honoring Craig Noel on Monday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. will now be held at the historic Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.  The memorial, “Celebrating the Theatrical Legacy of Craig Noel,” was originally scheduled to be held in the Old Globe Theatre. Due to the size of the response, the event has been moved to the larger outdoor venue.  Following the service, a reception will be held on the theater’s Copley Plaza, a short walk from the Pavilion.  The memorial service is FREE and open to all.

Sign the online Book of Remembrance of Craig Noel

Read more about Craig Noel

Read Craig Noel - A Theatrical Life

GLOBE HONORS

(5/7/10) • The Globe Honors is an awards program recognizing excellence in High School theatre. This year's final competition will be held on Monday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m in the Old Globe Theatre. The finalists will perform show tunes and monologues before a panel of judges and the winners in each category will be announced at the end of the show.

Winners of the annual competition will receive scholarships and the Leading Actor and Actress winners will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York City to compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) to be held June 28 at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.

The evening will also feature performances by show choirs and musical theatre groups from Clairemont High School, Coronado School of the Arts, Madison High School, The Preuss School and San Diego School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

Click here to purchase tickets, or call the Box Office at (619) 231-GLOBE.

Read the press release.

AN EVENING WITH ADRIAN NOBLE ON JUNE 2

(5/6/10) • An Evening with Adrian Noble, a free lecture and open forum will be held in the Old Globe Theatre on Wednesday, June 2 at 7:00 p.m.  Mr. Noble is the Artistic Director of the Globe’s 2010 Shakespeare Festival and the author of How to Do Shakespeare, a guide to performing, listening to and appreciating the works of Shakespeare.  The event will be followed by a book signing in the theater’s lobby.
 

The hour and a half event will feature opening remarks by Lou Spisto.  Mr. Noble will discuss his approach to the perennial issues of performing Shakespeare sprinkled with anecdotes drawn from his several decades of directing experience and answer questions from the audience.  Academy Award-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes called Noble’s How to Do Shakespeare an invaluable book for actors and “for any student of Shakespeare it should be essential.”

Reservations are required for this FREE event.  Click here to RSVP, or call the Box Office at (619) 23-GLOBE.

Read the press release.

WHIPPING MAN PERFORMANCES BEGIN MAY 8

(5/6/10) •After an exhausting week of technical rehearsals, The Whipping Man is ready for its West Coast Premiere in San Diego. Performances of the Civil War drama begin on Saturday, May 8. Below, Charlie Robinson (left), and Mark J. Sullivan and Avery Glymph (right) rehearse the play while stage manager Diana Moser monitors the action.

LOPEZ NAMED PLAYWRIGHT-IN-RESIDENCE

(5/5/10) • Matthew Lopez has been named Playwright-in-Residence.  The two-year residency includes a commission for a new play.  Matthew will also take part in the Globe’s education outreach and audience development activities.  His plays include Zoey's Perfect Wedding, Reverberation and Tio Pepe, which was presented at The Public Theater as part of the 2008 Summer Play Festival.  His work has also been seen and developed at Manhattan Theatre Club, The New Group, McCarter Theatre Center, Ars Nova and the Lark Play Development Center.  Matthew’s Civil War drama, The Whipping Man, is currently receiving its West Coast Premiere in the Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre through June 13.
 
“Matthew Lopez is an emerging voice in the American theater,” said Lou Spisto. “A fresh perspective and a narrative drive are the hallmarks of his developing talent.  This residency will give him some time and opportunity to grow as a writer and learn more about his work as audiences respond to it.”

Read the press release.

CAST AND CREW TAME THE SHREW

(4/30/10) • Rehearsal for the 2010 Shakespeare Festival are fast under way. The Globe's rehearsal halls are a hub of activity with three productions rehearsing simultaneously! With King Lear and The Madness of George III moving fast ahead, the cast, design team and crew began rehearsals for The Taming of the Shrew with a welcome from the Festival's Artistic Director, Adrian Noble and Shrew director, Ron Daniels.

THE WHIPPING MAN REHEARSALS BEGIN

(4/14/10) • The cast and design team for The Whipping Man mingled with Old Globe staff at the traditional meet and greet held on the first day of rehearsal. Playwright Matthew Lopez and director Giovanna Sardelli talked about what the play personally means to them, and designers Robert Mark Morgan and Denitsa D. Bliznakova spoke about their visions for the production using a model of the set and costume renderings. The Whipping Man runs May 8 - June 13 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre.

THE WORLD REMEMBERS CRAIG NOEL

(3/13/10) • The passing of the Globe's Founding Director was covered in newspapers across the country, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, North County Times and The Washington Post (Associated Press).

MEET THE WHIPPING MAN CAST

(4/13/10) • The cast and creative team for the West Coast Premiere of Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man has been announced. The Civil War drama will be directed by Giovanna Sardelli and stars Avery Glymph, Charlie Robinson and Mark J. Sullivan. Set in Virginia following the final days of the War, the play tells the story of a Jewish Confederate soldier who returns to his childhood home, only to find it in ruins and occupied by his former slaves who are preparing for a Passover Seder. The Whipping Man is a moving and provocative look at a pivotal time in American history. The show runs May 8 - June 13 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre.

Read the press release.

CRAIG NOEL MEMORIAL

(4/8/10) • “Celebrating the Theatrical Legacy of Craig Noel” will be held on Monday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Old Globe Theatre.  Following the service, a reception will be held on the theater’s Copley Plaza.
 
“The memorial is an opportunity to celebrate a San Diego icon and pioneer of the American theater,” said Executive Producer Lou Spisto.  “We encourage everyone who knew Craig professionally and personally to join us in honoring this great man.”
 
On the day of the memorial, the Globe’s lower courtyard will be named the Craig Noel Garden.  Both entrances to the garden will bear his name and a dedication plaque will be located at the main entrance.  The prominent courtyard located directly below the iconic California Tower hosts dozens of Globe events each year, is a gathering place for staff and artists, and is used by countless park visitors from around the world.
 
“Craig was a witty and boisterous soul who thrived on his interaction with artists and patrons alike,” said Spisto.  “It is fitting that a place for so many wonderful activities and that is enjoyed by so many is named for him.”

Click here to RSVP for the CRAIG NOEL MEMORIAL

Read more about Craig Noel. Read the Press Release.

Sign the online Book of Remembrance of Craig Noel. Read Craig Noel - A Theatrical Life


Craig Noel as the Stage Manager in the Globe's 1975 production of Thorton Wilder's Our Town, with Holly Schoonover as Emily and Nathan Haas as George, directed by Jack O'Brien.

WATCH THE ALIVE AND WELL VIDEO

REMEMBERING CRAIG NOEL

(4/3/10) • Craig Noel, Founding Director of The Old Globe, died at his home in San Diego of natural causes on April 3. He was 94 years old.  Noel was a significant figure in the development of American theater, having led the Globe from its earliest days as a community organization to an internationally renowned institution.  Over his more than 70-year career at the Globe, Noel directed more than 200 works, produced an additional 270 productions and created innovative and influential theater programs.  In 2007, Noel received the National Medal of Arts – the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence – by President George W. Bush in a ceremony at the White House.

Read more about Craig Noel. Read the Press Release.

Read Craig Noel - A Theatrical Life

Sign the online Book of Remembrance of Craig Noel.

RSVP for the Craig Noel Memorial