“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” Is it… Hope? It’s true that season announcements from Shakespeare’s Globe in recent times have had me reaching for the bottle rather than tickets, but with the autumn/winter/spring 2026-27 season it does feel like things have started to reset ever so slightly. I’m still less than convinced in Michelle Terry’s vision in the long-term, but I am prepared to let her convince me otherwise in the coming months. “This new season of plays in our candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is a season of debuts. The premiere of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s new play, the first time Chekhov’s The Seagull has been performed at the Globe, and the first time the epic history plays Julius Caesar and King John have been performed in the intimate indoor playhouse. And we are thrilled to once again bring families together outside in our Globe Theatre for the return of our enchanting musical Pinocchio. This collection of brave and brilliant plays promise us nothing less than a winter of politics, provocation, passion, and pleasure.” • MakeBeth (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/makebeth/), Bankside (24 October – 1 November 2026) • Julius Caesar (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/julius-caesar/), Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (6 November 2026 – 14 February 2027) • Pinocchio (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/pinocchio/), Globe Theatre (28 November 2026 – 30 January 2027) • The Animals Come To The Table (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/the-animals-come-to-the-table/), Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (11 December 2026 – 24 January 2027) • The Seagull (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/the-seagull/), Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (15 January – 10 April 2027) • King John (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/king-john/), Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (20 February – 11 April 2027) https://pleasemindtheblog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/julius-caesar.jpg I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been crying out for a candlelit production of Julius Caesar, but I’m going to take this as a win – of sorts. Partly because of how long I’ve been waiting, and partly because of their choice of director. It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Joe Hill-Gibbins’s work, ever since that truly dire production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Review-A-MIDSUMMER-NIGHTS-DREAM-Young-Vic-20170223) at the Young Vic; I won’t let that stop me from going, however, as you can only hope that age may have mellowed and/or matured him. Ultimately, as long as the candlelit setting is utilised properly I’ll be happy. The Animals Come To The Table is a brand new play from Timberlake Wertenbaker, whose best known work Our Country’s Good was staged at the Lyric Hammersmith in 2024. The premise sounds interesting, with a negotiator & interpreter meeting a variety of animals as the climate & energy crisis comes to a head; how it will be staged I’ve no idea – there’s always a risk of the important message of the play being undermined if the staging doesn’t quite fit the bill. What I am pleased about is this being a new work by a woman, rather than another male voice being platformed, even if my general preference is for the SWP to prioritise Shakespeare and early modern or Jacobean works. Talking of priorities, I’m still slightly baffled by the perceived need to stage Chekhov here (the RSC also seems to have got the bug, with a production of The Cherry Orchard about to begin performances) – at least The Seagull is a different play to the usual choices, but with no anniversary or wider point to be made I really am struggling. It points to the venue’s lack of general direction. Remember when the RSC committed to staging the entire First Folio before repeating plays? Aren’t there any projects like this which Terry could come up with? https://pleasemindtheblog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/pinocchio.jpg After its great popular & critical success last Christmas, Charlie Josephine’s Pinocchio returns for another run in the Globe Theatre. I didn’t see it so can’t really comment one way or the other; one reason for not going was the temperature – even breaking up the 2h10 running time with an interval wouldn’t do much to warm me up! I’m also a bit 50:50 on Josephine’s writing, so committing to the freezing cold just didn’t seem worth it. Who knows, I may change my mind this year. Get the mulled wine on tap and I’ll be there! The whole MakeBeth thing sounds like a great idea to get younger audiences & families introduced to Shakespeare. It promises “live music, puppetry, and hands-on creativity”, which could get a bit rowdy but if it helps to lure a new generation towards the Bard then I’m all for it. At the moment it’s not clear exactly where the performances will take place, but I’d hazard a guess at the Lower Foyer as it’s more of a free space with plenty of room for families to spread out. What I think I’m most excited about is another play I’ve been hollering at Shakespeare’s Globe to stage: King John. I’ve only ever seen one production onstage (at Kingston Rose Theatre in 2016) as I unfortunately couldn’t make it to the RSC for their most recent version, which starred the brilliant Rosie Sheehy – although I do have the DVD of it to watch and rewatch at my leisure. Jaz Woodcock-Stewart directs, which is enticing; the female perspective on the often odious King John is definitely something that intrigues me. I do have my suspicions that if Michelle Terry returns to the SWP stage, it’ll be in the title role of this play (something that I’m very much in two minds about). It’s another one where I really hope the candlelit setting is used to its full potential, whether it’s traditional or modern dress. https://pleasemindtheblog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/king-john.jpg And that’s that! I’m feeling slightly less rebellious after perusing this schedule than I did when the summer season was announced (ironic considering the content of the two Shakespeare plays on offer), but this is only one baby step. For me, it’s most important that the next outdoor season doesn’t just rely on repeating the same handful of plays over & over again, and starts catering to the Shakespeare uber-nerds as well as the general audience. To misquote Field of Dreams, “if you build it they will come”. • The Whole World Is A Playhouse season runs in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and Globe Theatre from 24 October 2026 to 11 April 2027. Tickets and full details are available on the Shakespeare’s Globe website (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2026/06/30/winter-2026-27/).