After performing to an astonishing 450,000 people in just two years, New Zealand’s greatest theatrical export Pop-up Globe today unveils the location of its next big O.E. in Sydney, and it’s a showstopper!
The much anticipated, location for Pop-up Globe’s first Sydney season is Showring in Moore Park – smack-bang at the heart of Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter. Signalling to Australian audiences that this theatrical extravaganza is one they won’t want to miss.
The theatre will be constructed over six weeks, and will feature all the spectacular theatrical trickery that New Zealand audiences have fallen in love with over the past three seasons.
From riotous comedy to gruesome battles, litres of fake blood, hand-forged armoury and more than 450 beautiful bespoke period costumes pieces specially constructed by the Pop-up Globe in-house wardrobe department, Sydney fans will soon discover what their Kiwi cousins have been raving about.
Capped with an onion dome, Pop-up Globe will be a remarkable feature of the Sydney cityscape, just as the second Globe was in London.
Pop-up Globe founder and artistic director, Dr Miles Gregory, says “We can’t wait to share with Sydney-siders the magic of Shakespeare performed in the space for which it was written. I’m so proud to be showing off this spectacular theatre and the many talents associated with it, including taking te reo to the world. It’s a great day to be a Kiwi here in Sydney.”
In just two years Pop-up Globe has become one of the most popular new theatres ever, drawing audiences of more than 450,000 people in its first 24 months, including more than 150,000 attendances at its critically acclaimed season in Melbourne earlier this year.Dr Gregory says he believes Shakespeare’s work performed in the space it is written for is a completely unique and transformative experience.
“Our audiences are blown away by the immersive experience of seeing Shakespeare performed in the space for which it was written. The relationship between actor and audience, the spectacular space itself, together with the power of Shakespeare’s incredible work, means attending plays at Pop-up Globe is totally different from anything you’ve seen before,” says Gregory.
The audacious project was originally planned as a one-off in Auckland to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016. Created entirely from scratch by an international company and cast in less than 18 months, Pop-up Globe took the city by storm welcoming more than 100,000 attendees in a season extended twice by popular demand.
Following hot on the heels of this initial sell-out success, a critically-acclaimed season in Melbourne and two further seasons in Auckland have attracted another 350,000 attendances. The phenomenon resulted in international interest from leading promoters and representatives from cities around the world who travelled to New Zealand to witness it for themselves.