The speaker reflects on a profoundly challenging period shaped by nature’s upheaval, yet sees immense opportunity amid the ruin, quoting Rumi’s idea that ruin holds hope for treasure. They observe global resilience, courage, and a collective will to reimagine theatre, storytelling, connection, and education—fields traditionally built on live participation. Drawing on Shakespeare as a guide, the speaker notes how the playwright produced major works like *Macbeth* and *Antony and Cleopatra* while theatres were closed, suggesting this pause is a chance to innovate before doors reopen. Overwhelmed by recent events, the speaker turns to poetry, literature, and history, finding solace in Hamlet’s “the time is out of joint” and *Measure for Measure*’s warning that doubts betray us. They emphasize that while people are isolated, they remain globally connected—“one touch of nature makes the whole world kin”—and must strive toward a brave new world. To sustain connection, the speaker announces free streaming of Globe films, a new piece called *Love in Isolation*, and the podcast *Such Stuff*, all rooted in Shakespearean inspiration. Ultimately, the message affirms that theatre’s values—participation, communication, collaboration, and celebration—persist even without physical togetherness, and the community will continue to share these experiences in the weeks ahead.
It's a very, very profoundly challenging time for everybody. Mother Nature has certainly thrown us a huge challenge. And somewhere in there I know there is huge opportunity. I keep thinking of the roomy quote and he said, "Where there is ruin, there is hope for treasure. I feel like we're all on a massive treasure hunt right now. I look at what is happening in the globe and I'm watching unbelievable amounts of tenacity, resilience, courage, bravery, faith, hope, the desire and the will to think differently, to reimagine the world and reimagine what theatre looks like, reimagine what connection looks like, reimagine what storytelling looks like for the globe, it's reimagine what a classroom looks like, how do you take an art form and plays and a theatre that is fundamentally built on participation, whether that's groundlings in the yard with actors on the stage or practitioners in the classroom with students or lecture halls filled with students, how do we take that now and either try to recreate it or I suppose somewhere in there we take Shakespeare as our guide and look at other ways to use it with all their faith and hope and belief that the doors will open again. You know we know that he wrote Venus in the Donnis, we know that he wrote Anthony Cleopatra, Macbeth, all of these came out of a mind that was clearly exploding with ideas at the point that the theatre is closed so maybe that's what it's about pausing and breathing and completely imagining something entirely new and getting ready for when the doors are open again, possibly like most people I've found recent events fairly overwhelming and so where do you turn to? I turn to poetry and I turn to literature and I turn to guides from the past, I look to history to help me understand what happened then in order to learn how to cope with now, I keep thinking of hamlet, the time is out of joint, I keep thinking of him saying now I am alone but surrounded by 3000 people in the globe, now we are all alone in various states of aloneness but we are also together connected to billions of people, one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, we are journeying towards a very brave new world, I keep thinking of that amazing quote from Measier for Measier, our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we off might win by fearing to attempt when there is so much doubt and so much fear at the moment, there's also so much good and so much to win and so much to strive for and to work for and maybe that's what this time is about, in the meantime there will definitely be some really exciting content coming whether that's from a globe player so streaming some of our live films for free, a brand new piece called Love in Isolation where artists share some of their favourite words that they find comfort in or inspiration from or recorded from their place of sanctuary and then of course this amazing podcast such stuff, new episodes every week, new discussion, new debate, interviews, content created bespoke to the time and all inspired by Shakespeare and all inspired by our amazing theatres and all the things that they stand for which do not have to disappear just because we can't be together we can still participate, we can still communicate, we can still collaborate and we can still celebrate and we continue and we'll continue to do all of those things with you and for you over the coming weeks. you
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
The speaker acknowledges the profound challenges posed by current global events, but sees hidden opportunities within them.
They quote Rumi ("Where there is ruin, there is hope for treasure") and emphasize a collective "treasure hunt" for new ways of thinking.
The speaker highlights themes of tenacity, resilience, courage, and the reimagining of theatre, connection, storytelling, and education.
They draw inspiration from Shakespeare, noting his creative output during theatre closures (e.g., *Venus and Adonis*, *Macbeth*) as a model for pausing and innovating.
They turn to poetry, literature, and history for guidance, citing Hamlet ("the time is out of joint") and *Measure for Measure* ("our doubts are traitors").
Despite isolation, the speaker stresses global interconnectedness ("one touch of nature makes the whole world kin") and the need to overcome fear.
They announce upcoming content
The message concludes with a call to continue participation, communication, collaboration, and celebration even while physically apart.
Summary:
The speaker reflects on a profoundly challenging period shaped by nature’s upheaval, yet sees immense opportunity amid the ruin, quoting Rumi’s idea that ruin holds hope for treasure. They observe global resilience, courage, and a collective will to reimagine theatre, storytelling, connection, and education—fields traditionally built on live participation. Drawing on Shakespeare as a guide, the speaker notes how the playwright produced major works like *Macbeth* and *Antony and Cleopatra* while theatres were closed, suggesting this pause is a chance to innovate before doors reopen.
Overwhelmed by recent events, the speaker turns to poetry, literature, and history, finding solace in Hamlet’s “the time is out of joint” and *Measure for Measure*’s warning that doubts betray us. They emphasize that while people are isolated, they remain globally connected—“one touch of nature makes the whole world kin”—and must strive toward a brave new world. To sustain connection, the speaker announces free streaming of Globe films, a new piece called *Love in Isolation*, and the podcast *Such Stuff*, all rooted in Shakespearean inspiration.
Ultimately, the message affirms that theatre’s values—participation, communication, collaboration, and celebration—persist even without physical togetherness, and the community will continue to share these experiences in the weeks ahead.
FAQs
The main theme is finding hope and opportunity in challenging times, especially through creativity and reimagining art, connection, and education.
The speaker references Shakespeare writing major works like 'Macbeth' during theatre closures, suggesting that pausing can lead to new ideas and preparation for reopening.
It highlights shared human experience, emphasizing that despite physical isolation, people are connected globally through common challenges.
It's a new piece where artists share comforting words from their sanctuaries, created during the pandemic.
Free streaming of live films via Globe Player, 'Love in Isolation', and the 'Such Stuff' podcast with new episodes weekly.
By turning to poetry, literature, and historical guides, like Hamlet, to find perspective and strength.
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