The Old Globe Wishes Shakespeare a Happy 452nd Birthday

Coming Saturday April 23rd, The Old Globe is celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday from 10:00am to 1:00pm with exciting festivities that include cake, games, costumes, and sonnet karaoke. All of this is taking place on the Globe’s Copley Plaza and in the Craig Noel Garden, as well as in the Old Globe and Sheryl and Harvey White Theatres, which are both a part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. 

The Old Globe has always been an important part of San Diego. In fact, some might argue that this theatre has become an important part of the nation because it's one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego’s flagship arts institution for over eighty years. Barry Edelstein is the leading Artistic Director and works with Managing Director Michael G. Murphy to produce The Old Globe's year-round season that includes fifteen productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on the three Balboa Park stages: the 600-seat Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, which is the home to the internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. 

The Old Globe has brought much success to the San Diego arts, with more than 250,000 people attending Globe productions and participating in the theatre and community education programs. Many world premieres have come from The Old Globe, including A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! These have all been developed at The Old Globe and moved on have highly successful runs at other regional theatres across the country, including Broadway! 

The Old Globe has brought much success to San Diego, and it owes part of that success to their famed Shakespeare renditions, so it's no wonder why The Old Globe insisted on celebrating his birthday with a bang. The Globe will be recognizing his countless contributions to arts and culture around the world. The day will be filled with family activities that are free and open to the public, where people can don their best doublet and ruff or come as they are. 

Cake will be served at 12pm from a local bakery. Birthday games and activities will be available for entertainment. Musicians and Globe alumni Clinton Davis and Mark Danisovszky will be there to celebrate by recounting the hits of Shakespeare's day, while local artist DJ Mike Vale will create beats to back up The Old Globe's first ever Sonnet Karaoke. The Karaoke will be led by five illustrious Shakespeareans from the Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program: Ally Carey, Kae Millgard, Makha Mthembu, Daniel Petzold, and Nathan Whitmer. 

People are allowed to participate by bringing their own sonnet or memorized monologue, or participants can choose from one of the designated selections. The Globe itself will have a costume exhibit to explore in the lobby and docents on hand to answer questions. In the Plaza, there will be Shakespeare-themed activities such as life-sized board games, and an interactive puppet performance suitable for children. If you want a nice memento of the event, take a picture in the stocks or one where you pretend to be Elizabeth I!

Not only is this Shakespeare’s birthday, but April 23rd marks the 400th anniversary of his death. In order to honor him in a suitable fashion, The Old Globe and the San Diego Public Library will co-host First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare, on Tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library, a national traveling exhibition organized to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. Produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC, in association with Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association, they offer a rare glimpse of the Shakespeare First Folio, which is one of the world's most significant books. It will be on display free-of-charge to the public at the San Diego Central Library at the Joan Irwin Jacobs Common from June 4th through July 7th. Along with this display, there will be sixty or more free public performances, film screenings, discussions, and education programs. 

Tickets to the exhibition and signature events will be available on April 23rd starting at 12pm. The Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park, but be aware that on Saturday April 23rd, the March of Dimes Run will speed through Balboa Park until 10:00am, with thoroughfares and the Cabrillo Bridge remaining closed until it passes. Enter through the east side of the park to access parking. For directions and up to date information, visit The Old Globe.