Shakespeare's Globe Reveals Climate Activities For 2026

 As part of London Climate Action Week, the Globe will be free to access on Sunday 21 June to enjoy  special events and activities across the site including The Globe Theatre and Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. 

The Globe is opening its doors for a rare opportunity to speak from the stage with Letters to the Earth.  Emily Lim’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will go ‘off grid’ on Sunday 28 June for London Climate Action  Week. In October Half Term, craft-a-long Cardboard Adventures’ MakeBeth will come to the Globe as part of its UK  Tour for children and families, written by Globe Associate Artist Hannah Khalil. 

Michelle Terry, Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe, said: “It is no accident that our wooden O is made from  the wood of a thousand oak trees, open to the elements, on the bank of the river Thames. Shakespeare and his  contemporaries understood better than most their place and reliance on the natural world. The ever-changing  relationship between Nature and human nature weaves its way through all of Shakespeare’s plays and it’s not all flowers  and fairies in the forest of Arden. Shakespeare saw first-hand how human beings could destroy nature’s ‘native dwelling  place’ and that Great Birnam Wood can haunt and hunt as much as it can hope and heal.  

But he also thought that ‘one touch of nature makes the whole world kin’, and there is no better example of that than  making theatre - this human act of collaboration, in which strangers from all walks of life congregate around a story and  collectively deploy one of the most powerful agents for change that we have: our imagination.  

Our Open House is an opportunity to come together and imagine. Imagine new ways of being, create alternative ways  of living, to listen hard, learn quick, take positive action, and celebrate this ‘harmless earth’ that we call home (Henry IV Part 1). Come one. Come all!  

FREE CLIMATE OPEN HOUSE – SUNDAY 21 JUNE, 12-5pm 

On the opening weekend of London Climate Action Week, Shakespeare’s Globe will open its great oak doors for an  Open House on Sunday 21 June. Visitors will be welcomed into the Globe to discover performances, events, and  activities taking place across the whole site including The Globe Theatre, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and the  Underglobe events space. 

Hosted and curated by the award-winning participatory storytelling organisation Letters to the Earth, there will be a  rare opportunity for visitors to stand on the Globe stage and speak. Letters to the Earth invite the public to write  creatively, inspired by the provocation of sending a message from or to the earth. On the day letters will be selected,  and some lucky people will be invited to read them out on the Globe stage. The readings will take place alongside

Shakespeare’s own words on nature, special guest appearances from actors, and those involved in global nature  movements.  

Greener and Cleaner will be bringing their sustainability-focused Community Hub, populating the Underglobe with a  range of inspiring activities empowering positive action and practical solutions to help people live greener, healthier,  and more connected lives. 

In the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, creating a surround-sound of choral a cappella, the incredible  choir Acapellies will bring their concert WildSong. WildSong explores how different countries and cultures see  themselves in relation to their natural environment. 

Ahead of a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Little Animals with actor Paul Ready will play in the Sam Wanamaker  Playhouse, a tale of what we have lost, what we have forgotten and the ever-present chance to write ourselves a new  story. 

The Globe will be open from 12 – 5pm, with an initial half hour from 11.30am available for attendees who may find  large public spaces, noise and crowds difficult to navigate. All events will be free, and some will require booking in  advance. 

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: OFF GRID 

On Sunday 28 June, we’ll be experimenting with how far we can go ‘off grid’ with a matinee performance of A  Midsummer Night’s Dream. This experiment will allow audiences to experience the joy of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, whilst we lean into the daylight, keep the lights off, break backstage routines, and unplug around the site to  see how much energy usage can be lowered, and what positive change we can make together.  

MAKEBETH: A SHAKESPEARE CRAFT-A-LONG ADVENTURE 

Shakespeare’s Globe and Cardboard Adventures present MakeBeth, in association with Leeds Playhouse and  Chichester Festival Theatre. MakeBeth is a brand-new interactive ‘craft-a-long’ Shakespearean adventure, coming to  the Globe from 24 October to 1 November as part of a UK Tour. Adapted by award-winning playwright and Globe  Associate Artist Hannah Khalil (The Fir Tree, Hakawatis) this unique retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is created  for families and young audiences aged 7+, brought to life entirely with recycled cardboard magic. MakeBeth bursts  with live music, puppetry, and hands-on creativity, transforming Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy into a joyful, laugh out-loud cardBARD adventure. Directed by Ian Nicholson and designed by multi award winning Sam Wilde (The Fir  Tree and founder of Cardboard Adventures). 

CLIMATE PLAYWRITING PRIZE 

Shakespeare’s Globe, Climate Spring, and Fern Culture have launched the 2026 Climate Playwriting Prize, which aims to embolden and champion playwrights engaging with the nature and climate crisis to uncover the most exciting  new and accessible work. Announced earlier this year, The Climate Playwriting Prize aims to empower the theatre  industry into new climate conversations, drawing on the skills of storytellers and artists to inspire societal shifts  towards a restorative relationship with nature. The winning playwright will receive £15,000 and dramaturgical  support to develop the play, including rehearsal draft with specialists at Shakespeare's Globe, Climate Spring and  Fern Culture, and industry exposure to leading theatre decision makers. 

Submissions will open in June, and close on 1 September 2026 and winners will be announced in November 2026.  The Climate Playwriting Prize is being delivered in association with partner organisations Chichester Festival Theatre,  Exeter Northcott Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Theatre Belfast, Mercury Theatre Colchester, New Earth Theatre,  Pentabus Theatre, and tiata fahodzi. Each will host a climate storytelling workshop delivered by the Globe, Fern  Culture, and freelance playwrights which will feed into the award’s reading and judging process.