Drawing data for a 3D historical reconstruction of Shakespeare's first Globe Theatre

Abstract

The first Globe Theatre was one of the main outdoor playhouses in London in the early 17th century. Although it was built in 1599 and was destroyed in a fire in 1613, its history has survived to the present day as the theatre that was able to accommodate most of William Shakespeare's plays. Extensively studied during the last century, it has been attempted to be reconstructed several times in different parts of the world, although the information present does not allow for an exact reconstruction. The data presented here have been collected from the various interpretations offered in literature by the main scholars of the first Globe Theatre and re-elaborated according to criteria of coherence with vernacular building techniques and ease and feasibility of construction. What is presented is the methodology probably used by the Globe's carpenter Peter Street to draw the plan and then build the theatre. The data presented were used to provide a virtual reconstruction of the first Globe Theatre, featured in the article '' Towards reconstructing the Shakespeare's first Globe Theatre: A virtual model for research and development'', published in the Frontiers of Architectural Research by the same authors [1]. The data can be used to confirm, improve, or reconstruct the first Globe, as well as most Elizabethan theatres, similar in type and form.

Keywords

• Outdoor playhouses
• Globe Theatre
• Historical reconstruction
• 3D reconstruction
• Ad quadratum scheme
• Vernacular architecture