- Address: 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park, San Diego
- The Old Globe summer Shakespeare season runs from mid-June through late September
- Other productions are staged year round
- The Old Globe website
- Admission is charged and reservations are recommended. See below for more details
The Old Globe performs in three venues: Outdoors in a reproduction of London's Old Globe Theatre or in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. They also stage productions indoors at the Old Globe Arena at James S. Copley Auditorium at the San Diego Museum of Art, which is a temporary venue while their new home is under construction.
Balboa Park is a popular place among both San Diegans and visitors. You can find several parking lots near the theatre, but during busy times, finding an open space may be harder. Parking attendants are on duty to assist you before every show. Valet parking (small fee) is also available nightly in front of the Prado Restaurant at the House of Hospitality, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
- Backstage tours are given selected Saturdays and Sundays. Call 619-231-1941, extension 2142 for reservations and schedules.
- Doors open 30 minutes before the performance. You can picnic outside before the show, but no food is allowed inside.
- One of San Diego's nicest restaurants, The Prado at Balboa Park is nearby. Make a reservation for 1.5 to 2 hours before the show to avoid ruining your experience worrying about whether you'll miss the show.
- Children under the age of five are not permitted, except for the Christmas show.
- It can get chilly in the outdoor theatres, even in summer. Bring a jacket or blanket.
We rate the The Old Globe 3.5 out of 5 for the performance of All's Well That Ends Well we saw in September, 2008. However, any organization with Itamar Moses (The Four of Us, Bach at Leipzig) as Playwright-in-Residence, a Tony Award for Regional Theatre and top-name actors appearing on its stage likely deserves a better rating overall. See our comments below.
Directions depend on where you're coming from. The Old Globe website has them all.
- Old Globe: A 580-seat, outdoor theatre modeled after Shakespeare's original venue.
- Lowell Davies Festival Theatre: A 615-seat, outdoor theatre, it operates during the summer season.
- Arena Stage: The 225-seat, temporary indoor home of the Old Globe while their new building is under construction.
Tickets cost $43 and up.
Buy early online, by phone at 619-234-5623, or in person at Ticket Services, which opens daily at noon.
The performance we saw was near the end of the season, and we concede that Shakespeare is a difficult playwright for modern actors to perform. It's easy to get lost in the rhythm of the lines and deliver them mechanically, something many of the actors fell prey to. Nevertheless, the theatre was packed on a weekday night, so others may disagree with me.
Local reviewers tend to treat Old Globe with deference, content to recite the plot line but offering little in way of critical analysis. Many guidebooks give the summer Shakespeare festival high marks, but one had to wonder how long ago those were awarded. Based on our small sample, we'd recommend going elsewhere for your Shakespeare.
Because of its name and origins, many associate The Old Globe with Shakespeare plays only, but it produces much more, including launching productions that go on to national acclaim. Until we get a chance to sample the Old Globe's other productions, we'll give it a qualified thumbs-up, based on the authors, actors and productions it creates.
As is common in the travel industry, the author received complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review. It has not influenced the outcome. However, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see the ethics policy.
