Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Myhill, Nova

Keywords

Shakespeare, Globe Theatre, Performance, Social Media, Audience

Area of Concentration

English

Abstract

Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London, England is a recreation of the Globe Theater of Shakespeare's day. Through my thesis I seek to address the Globe's particular relationship with its audience, both in the physical location and online. The first chapter is spent connecting the Globe's presentation of itself and its operational definition of authenticity, as well as how the Globe seeks to relate to its audience through in-person performances. The second chapter focuses on audience interactions online and how ultimately the online presence of the Globe destabilizes its hold on its identity. To accomplish this, I will be examining the Globe's various social media accounts and the platforms those accounts are hosted on, such as Facebook and Tumblr. I will also be talking about the relationship between the Globe and its audience, specifically by discussing audience feedback left on Yelp and the Globe's fanbase on Tumblr. By the end of my thesis I will have brought attention to the specific difficulties of the Globe's identity and addressed the divide between the two main aspects of success that the Globe claims - specifically, its academic viability and its commercial success.

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