The Container Globe
Angus Vail, creator of the Container Globe, envisions a theatre that could be erected and replicated in any port city in the world. His design is based on Shakespeare’s 1599 Globe playhouse and constructed from shipping containers.
Given to Playbill by Angus Vail, these artistic renderings show how the theatre is constructed out of pre-existing materials. An outer layer of scaffolding takes audiences to any level of the three-tiered house.
The audience sits in three rings of galleries, looking down on the stage. Fitted with seating, these open containers act as the skeleton of the Container Globe.
The Shakespearean stage thrusts into the middle of the arena, with an audience watching on three sides. Both the stage platform and the backstage area are assembled from a second, larger set of containers.
The soul of the Globe, no matter what era, is the crowd standing in its yard. As much as the open sky above, the ‘groundlings’ (as Shakespeare once called them) give the theatre its unruly, populist atmosphere.
By combining modern materials and Elizabethan design, Angus Vail believes that the Container Globe isn’t just a good venue for Shakespearean drama. He envisions everything from rock concerts to modern dance fitting in its aesthetic.
This diagram, from Nick Leahy at Perkins Eastman, shows how the three layers of the Container Globe fit together. The completed Globe (bottom) consists of a core set of containers (third ring), with staircases around it (second ring), and a masking façade (top ring).
Early in the concept phase, Angus Vail used toys to mock up a rough version of the Container Globe. At the center, he placed a model of Shakespeare’s Globe for inspiration. The cat stands where the stage would go.
This diagram illustrates how the containers fit together to make the theatre’s core. In spirit and design, the Container Globe adheres to the structure of playhouses used during Shakespeare’s era.
Consulting with Perkins Eastman and Arup, Angus Vail has added a translucent façade to the Container Globe. This masking muffles noise from outside the theatre, enhances the Tudor-derived aesthetic, and makes a beguiling sight in an urban environment.
