After the end of term I had a few weeks off from drawing and have only just started to get back into it. Like exercise, it’s always harder to start again, so I loosened up by doing some sketching at the Globe Theatre. Like going to the Proms, its one of London’s summer treats, I go religiously every year, and for a mere fiver stand among the crowd in the yard. The atmosphere is always amazing, and the round balconies that wrap around the stage and audience make it feel like a safe and magical world away from the real city outside.
Here’s some of the performers of All’s Well That Ends Well
And I returned a few days later to see Dr Faustus, written by Christopher Marlowe. I’d not seen the play before, but the story of the learned man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for the help of spirit Mephistopheles in granting his wishes for twenty-four years, was absolutely thrilling. So much so that I gave up drawing and just enjoyed the dark twists and turns of the plot, and beautiful array of costumes of angels and demons, even dragons. This is Dr Faustus (an incredible Paul Hilton) confronting Mephistopheles (brilliant Arthur Darvill -known for being in Dr Who, after seeing his performance here I think he’s completely wasted fighting aliens)
And here, Beelzebub with horns, whip and twisted burnt wings, and the seething evil Mephistopheles again.
These are absolutely fantastic! Thank you for sharing. (Although I think the first set are of All’s Well That Ends Well rather than As You Like It; you’ve got the costumes and postures down so perfectly that I can even tell which character you’re drawing!) Gorgeous stuff.
Thanks! Indeed I did confuse my plays, how uncultured I am! Duly corrected.
Your sketches are fantastic, thanks so much for sharing them! If you’re interested, you’re very welcome to come and view our June Everett collection here at the Globe archives. June Everett worked on site here during the reconstruction of the Globe in the seventies, capturing each stage of the work through her watercolours and drawings. At the moment we can’t put the images online, as we don’t own the copyright, but we’d love people to come in to see them. Our resources are very limited, so we do ask people to book their visits at least a week in advance – our opening hours and contact details are on our website: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/education/library-archives.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work!
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