Thou judge Mickeyfan says in his review,
Summer Festival lacks atmosphere.
I have set out to assist with this skew,
And give Summer-land more to see and hear.
Welcome all to the brilliant Globe Theatre,
Where Shakespeare held his most famous plays.
Located among the Summer cedar,
Sure to brighten up the passing guests' day.
The Globe Theatre sits on the edge,
Of Poppin's Spring and Robin-Hood's Summer.
Both English, they will surely allege,
That the Globe fits so well is a wonder.
But what exactly shall the Globe contain?
Why so special for Disney to obtain?
Welcome to the
Globe Theatre, the newest addition to the Summer Festival at Disney's Seasons of Fantasy. In a park tied to literature, it is only fitting that perhaps the all-time greatest writer is represented within our park.
The slightly scaled-back Globe replica will arrive just at the point where Spring fades to Summer. William Shakespeare, as an author, created dozens of plays and stories, and each had their own distinct tone. For the purposes of Fantasyland's Summer Festival, the overall tone of the area surrounding the Globe will closely resemble the
comedies of Shakespeare, rather than the
tragedies.
Before I go into further detail on
Shakespeare: Behind the Curtain, I will briefly describe what else the
Globe Theatre's inclusion will accomplish. When I started on this project, I thought it unrealistic for Disney to build such a structure merely to contain what is frankly a niche meet and greet facility. Instead, the Theatre's outside will contain a live show,
Shakespeare Live!, which is really just a Kid-Friendly Drunk Shakespeare with strong audience interaction. Who needs grand sets and costumes when you can use your imagination?
I won't go too much into detail with the show because that's not the focus of the prompt. What I will say is the decision to put it outside the Globe is intended to increase the liveliness of the land, providing some additional street atmosphere to the Summer Festival. It will draw guests towards Summer while also firmly planting Shakespeare as a third property there (
alongside Tangled and Robin Hood, both of which I think work well if we are discussing Shakespeare's comedies instead of tragedies).
Also present in the Globe?
Bathrooms. Because I am just realizing now we have totally forgotten to explain how people go to the bathroom in our Blue Sky Park, lol. The bathrooms have an Elizabethan interior, although all portraits are actually cleverly disguised drawings of various Shakespeare characters, rather than historical figures.
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Behind the Curtain is a special behind the scenes encounter with some of the most iconic characters in English literature. Here, you'll meet everyone from the scheming
Iago, to the flamboyant
Mercutio, to the illusive
Viola... or even the glorious
Bear.
Meet and greets are located at the amphitheater inside the
Globe Theatre. This has been scaled down from the original but remains largely the same in structure (note: there are only two floors instead of three). Two Shakespearan characters will be present on stage at any given time, on opposite sides. Upon entering the queue line, guests are taken up a ramp to the second floor, where the path winds around the center stage, then down to orbit on the first story, before finally reaching the stage with the cast. The entire time guests can look down at the stage, at the same angles of the attendants during the days of Shakespeare.
From here, guests may walk up a few short steps to the stage to meet the characters and take pictures. Keep in mind, all areas with guests for an extended period are protected from rain in the image above, perfect for any sudden shifts in weather. In the event of extended rain, covers are drawn to protect the center pavilion (typically where pictures are taken).
Note: Shakespeare is within the public domain, so Disney will be able to use his likeness, works, and characters however they see fit for free.
CHARACTERS
Seasons of Fantasy already has
four Meet and Greets facilities, so for the fifth something distinctly non-Disney was in order. This is why Shakespeare will work so well: the characters are iconic, but cannot be found elsewhere. Guests of all ages will appreciate this "Behind the Curtain": kids will like the cool costumes and funny language, the average adult will appreciate the strong themeing and great attention to Elizabethan language and decorum, and literature buffs will love to discuss these iconic plays and stories with such famous characters.
One important note. It is not expected for guests to know all of the characters, if not any. Each character will introduce themselves and briefly explain who they are, but not much else for how expressive they will act. This is the
theatre, and therefore all actions are greatly dramatized.
This experience must be accessible to all, not just Shakespeare fans.
The following characters may be found within Behind the Curtain:
Hamlet (Hamlet)
Iago (Othello)
Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)
Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet)
Viola (Twelfth Night)
Lear (King Lear)
Ceasar (Julias Caesar)
Falstaff (Henry)
Three Witches (Macbeth)
Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
The Nurse (Romeo and Juliet)
And of course, the fan-favorite...
The Bear (The Winters Tale) is a puppet that can be attached to the stage below, allowing for total control and interaction by the puppeteer. Will you be exiting, pursued by a bear?
Overall,
Shakespeare: Behind the Curtain isn't your standard Princess meet and greet for
Seasons of Fantasy -- that's all covered with Princess Plaza, Arendalle, and Bambi. Instead, it ties to the strong themes of literature already present in Charles Dicken's Holiday Village, while also giving the Summer Festival some added live entertainment. It is a place where you can interact with some of the most iconic characters in literature, and even if you haven't read the stories or seen the pop culture, you will be impressed by the liveliness of each actor, taking the eccentricity of their role and bringing it out tenfold to create a memorable experience for every guest.
But most importantly, Outbound had to write in Iambic Pentameter using Shakespearan Rhyme Scheme, and Outbound is now upset that it took so long to do properly. Outbound now has immense respect for Shakespeare for writing 154 sonnets and hopes to never write sonnets again.
Actually though, writing sonnets was kinda fun. Key word is kinda.
