Bardwatching: Autumn Term 1 2021-22

The groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise…

Shakespeare's Globe has reopened its yard to groundlings with their popular £5 tickets, now that social distancing regulations have been reduced – with the number of tickets increasing incrementally to a capacity of 400 groundling tickets available for each performance by the end of August.

In keeping with the lifting of restrictions, guided tours of the theatre are also back in action – with family guided tours offered to those with children aged 7-11 years old. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Globe's offering for young people, Lucy Cuthbertson and Professor Farah Karim-Cooper have been formally announced as the new co-directors of education. Having been joint interim leaders throughout the Globe's year of closure, creating hundreds of events and courses, and supporting the sudden critical need for home-learning, they take on the position after Patrick Spotiswoode – who served as the director and founder of Globe Education for 37 years – confirmed his retirement last summer.