Globe of the Great Southwest facts for kids
The Globe of the Great Southwest is a special theater in Odessa, Texas. It looks like the famous Globe Theatre from England! This amazing place also has a copy of Anne Hathaway's cottage. She was the wife of the famous writer William Shakespeare. Both buildings are on the campus of Odessa College.
The Globe Theatre is a non-profit group. It puts on classic and modern plays. These shows happen on a stage that looks like those from the Elizabethan era. The theater also hosts local community plays. They have monthly country-western shows called The Brand New Opree. Many other fun community events happen here too. The nearby Anne Hathaway Library is a copy of the small house where Shakespeare's wife lived. It has displays about Shakespeare's life and his amazing plays. Full-time theater activities started here in the fall of 1968.
How the Globe Theatre Started
The idea for The Globe of the Great Southwest began in the late 1950s. It started in an English class at Odessa High School. A student brought a small model of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to class. The student told his teacher, Mrs. Marjorie Morris, that it would be cool to have a real, full-size Globe Theatre in Odessa. This simple idea really captured Mrs. Morris's imagination. It gave her a strong desire to make this dream come true.
The Globe Theatre organization started in 1958. They began raising money to build the theater. Construction happened as they collected enough funds. In 1966, the building was not yet finished. Even so, director Paul Baker brought his play Julius Caesar from the Dallas Theater Center. Six shows were completely sold out at the Odessa Globe! The theater officially opened for its first season in 1968.
What Makes the Globe Special?
The theater was built mostly with wood and plaster. It is a simpler and more modern version of the original London Globe Theatre. Both theaters have a special stage called an apron stage. Behind this stage is a two-story set. This set forms one side of an eight-sided area. Wooden balconies surround this area. The space directly behind the stage, used by actors, is called the "inner above." This term is still used in theater design today.
The Odessa Globe Theatre has eight sides. It has a covered courtyard with 441 fixed seats. There is also one balcony for more seating. The original London Globe Theatre had 20 sides. It had an open-air courtyard where most people stood. It also had three balconies with more expensive seats. The original Globe could hold up to 3,000 people!
Today, the Globe of the Great Southwest is very active. It hosts the yearly Odessa Shakespeare Festival. It also presents the Odessa Brand New Opree and the Permian Basin Opera. The theater often stages classic plays from the Western world. It also serves many students from the local Latinx community.
