An historic drawing of the Globe Theatre
©TopFoto.co.uk

2. Apart from the performances, the Globe was probably also the scene of gambling and for local prostitutes to solicit trade.

3. Sam Wanamaker, the American actor and director who founded the modern Globe Theatre, came to live in England after being blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy witch-hunts in the 1950s.

4. The original Globe was closed several times because of outbreaks of bubonic plague.

5. Thomas Platter, a regular visitor to London from Switzerland, made the first known written record of a performance at the Globe – Julius Caesar, on September 21, 1599 – including ticket prices and seating arrangements.

6. A trumpet was sounded to let Globe audiences know a play was about to commence.

7. The Elizabethan playhouses featured a number of special effects previously unseen in theatres, including trap-doors and fireworks for battle scenes.

8. The Globe had no toilets; audiences went outside and sewage was buried in pits or dumped in the Thames.

9. Ordinary theatre-goers who paid a penny to see plays were called "groundlings".

10. Lords’ seats cost fivepence, which included a cushion.

11. And for an eleventh, very important fact... On January 9, 2006, the reconstructed Globe hosted the launch of the ICONS Project!