What to do

1. Make copies of the first activity page and cut out the pictures. Divide the class into groups of 3 or 6 students. Give each group a set of pictures and ask them to place them face down on a desk or table. The students take it in turns to pick up a picture and describe it to the other students in their group, without showing it to them. When they have described all the pictures, the students look at them together and try to work out what they all have in common. Invite some students to share their ideas with the rest of the class. (eWB users display the first page and describe all the pictures.)

2. Write the word ‘globe’ on the board. Can any of the students tell you what the word means? Answer: A round ball that has a map of the world on it, or a round object. Explain that ‘The Globe’ is the name of a place. What and where is it? Answer: It’s the name of the theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed. A reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe was opened in 1997 very close to the site of the original theatre.

3. Give copies of the two paragraphs at the top of the activity page to some students and ask them to read out the paragraphs to the rest of the class. Help with any new words and comprehension problems. Clarify that the photographs the students looked at are from six of the 37 Shakespeare productions in the Globe to Globe season. Can the students say which countries the productions might come from?

4. Make copies of the second activity page and cut it in half. Give students copies of the top half. Ask them to quickly read the descriptions and match the titles of the Shakespeare plays with the pictures. When they have finished, check through the answers together, asking students to give reasons for their choices.

5. Focus on the descriptions. Invite students to explain what information is included in the first three lines of each description. Answer: The title of the play; the name of the company; the place the company is from; the language the play is performed in.

Each student in the group then chooses one of the productions and reads the corresponding description in more detail. When they are ready, the students exchange information about the six productions and then decide which one they would all most like to see as a group. Ask the different groups to explain their choices to the rest of the class.

6. Tell the students that you want them to imagine that they are going to go to London to see the production of their choice. What do they have to do first? Answer: Book the tickets. Explain that they are going to look at the booking information for Globe to Globe. They should look at the information and do the following:

a) Select the best way to book tickets.
b) Choose the type of tickets the group wants.
c) Calculate the total price of the tickets (including any discounts).
d) Check if they need to take anything with them to the performance.
e) Choose how to get to the theatre and where to eat.

If more than one group wants to see the same production, they can do the task together.

7. Finally, students can prepare what they would say if they booked the tickets on the phone.

Answers

Matching pictures
a – Cymbeline
b – Othello: The Remix
c – Love’s Labour's Lost
d – Coriolanus
e – Romeo and Juliet
f – The Comedy of Errors

Booking tips
a. Check which options are cheapest or easiest to do. A phone call also costs money.
b. Check prices, concessions, group bookings.
d. Check the important information. Possibly take an umbrella.
e. Walking is another option.