This past Saturday, our group had the unique experience of being groundlings at the Globe Theatre for a performance of Shakespeare’s comedy, “As You Like It”. For those of you who do not know, the Globe sells £5 groundling tickets as a way to make Shakespeare more accessible to the general public. The only catch is that you have to stand for the duration of the performance! Doug prepared us well by suggesting we wear two pairs of cushy socks and our best shoes. Our feet were tired by the end, but being a groundling was well worth it (for “As You Like It” in particular) for the following reasons:
-You get up close and personal with the actors. They come on and off stage right next to the standing crowd, occaisonally even standing amongst them before their next entrance
-Catching the one-liners, humor, puns, and facial expressions are much easier when you are close to the action
-When actors were talking across the stage you get to be in the middle of the conversation, moving your head back and forth vigorously to keep up
-The actors often make references/ jokes directly to the groundling audience, which makes you feel special
In brief, seeing this show as a Groundling was well worth the £5 ticket covered by our arts allowance. I would argue this experience, for us able bodied young folk, was worth much more than it would have cost to sit down and miss so much of the energy, humor, and engaging nature of the play! If you ever have the chance to experience the Globe, don’t hesitate to buy the cheap tickets. You won’t be dissapointed! 
