Shakespeare in the Park

A few weeks ago I blogged about the latest twist in the story of the Stadtschloss. In the wake of the announcement that Berlin's Schlossplatz will remain empty till at least 2014, the earliest date when work on the new Humboldtforum can begin, came ingenious proposals for using the space in the meantime.

Enter the Shakespeare Company, a Berlin theater group with one of the most creative ideas that have come up. The group is lobbying to bring a replica of the historic Globe Theater to the Schlossplatz. "We have the theater, we have the team, we have the concept, and we have the space. All we need now is the permission," says Christian Leonard, the group's artistic director.

The idea is not as far-fetched as it might seem. A replica of the Globe Theater is already waiting in the wings. Set designers at the Babelsburg studios created it for the new film "Anonymous," shot just weeks ago, starring Vanessa Redrave and Rhys Ifans, and directed by Roland Emmerich (remember "Independence Day"?)

The Shakespeare Company's idea is a three-season run, from 2011-2013. Since the replica, seating about 750 people, is already complete and needs only to be dismantled, transported from Babelsburg, then reassembled, costs should not exceed a million EUR. The group will not expect public funding; they believe they can raise sufficient funds from sponsors and supporters. They could set the ball rolling with an opening production in the studios as early as September.

The idea of combining a reproduction of the venerable London theater with the popular New York summer tradition of Shakespeare in the Park and bringing it to the site of Berlin's Stadtschloss is nothing short of brilliant. I'm rooting for the Shakespeare Company!