Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Tucked within the Shakespeare's Globe complex on Bankside, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is a breathtaking indoor Jacobean theatre lit almost entirely by candlelight. With its intimate galleried auditorium and richly decorated interior, it offers audiences an extraordinarily atmospheric experience unlike anywhere else in London. Named after the American actor and director whose tireless vision brought the Globe back to life, the playhouse stages early modern drama, opera, and new writing in a setting of genuine historical authenticity.

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse opened in January 2014 as the indoor companion to the open-air Shakespeare's Globe, which had itself welcomed its first audiences in 1997. The playhouse takes its name from Sam Wanamaker, the American actor and director who dedicated decades of his life to the campaign for reconstructing a working Globe Theatre on Bankside. Wanamaker died in 1993, just a few years before his dream was fully realised, and the indoor theatre stands as a permanent tribute to his extraordinary perseverance.

The design of the playhouse draws on historical research into the indoor venues of the Jacobean era, most notably the Blackfriars Playhouse used by Shakespeare's company, the King's Men. Its rectangular galleried auditorium, decorated timberwork, and use of candelabras all reflect scholarly understanding of how such spaces would have looked and functioned in the early seventeenth century. The result is a building that feels genuinely rooted in theatrical history while serving a fully working modern producing house.

Available at this venue:

• Wheelchair-accessible entrance
• Wheelchair-accessible toilet

Accessibility information supplied by Google Maps. Please contact the venue directly to confirm details for your visit.