Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542693
H A M N E T | P E R S P E C T I V E 5 9 the story and the essence remained the same, the articulation changed and deepened. Through the early days of preproduction as we scouted, we discovered resonances in the landscape and in the architecture that became central to the film. The black void presented itself to us as we walked through the woods. The first location we looked for was a place for Agnes to give birth. We settled on a sheltered hollow that sat adjacent to a gaping black hole underneath an ancient tree. The black hole, a portal, became a key image in the film, moving from the forest to the theatre stage, and sat with me in a very personal way. After the few days in the forest, we already had the sense that like all things in Hamnet, one thread was tied to another, and so the theatre was tied to the forest. The Globe had to feel like the inside of a tree. Most often, the scale and grandeur of Production Design is measured in big gestures. With Hamnet, there was a different measure. The scale exists in how deep, how layered and how intricate the work is. We investigated and discovered deeply from the beginning until the end. Intimate gestures speak volumes in the performances, the camera moves, the soundscape and the design choices. It is these small gestures that keep the story close and immediate to the audience, allowing for the final act to resonate in its enormity. The opportunity to interpret the Globe felt significant. It is an iconic landmark and it is beloved. There are tours daily and it is a very active theatre. The audience of Hamnet may well have visited the Globe. What will they say about mine? There was creative and historical leeway. The original Globe was built in 1599 and burned down in 1614. Most of the records and illustrations of the Globe are from the second Globe that was built in 1614. The Globe that exists today was built in 1997. The original Globe was said to have been built from reclaimed (or stolen) timber from another theatre. It was hastily constructed. I liked the idea that the beauty and color existed on the stage and that the building was rustic and simple, made from the B. & C. GLOBE THEATRE. CONSTRUCTION PLAN AND MODEL VIEWS DRAWN BY VICTORIA ALLWOOD. D. GLOBE THEATRE WHITE MODEL. PHOTO BY AGATA GRZYBOWSKA. B D C