Shakespeare in Ten Acts

A landmark exhibition on the performances that made an icon, charting Shakespeare’s constant reinvention across the centuries

Journey through 400 years of history – from the first productions of Hamlet and The Tempest – to understand how Shakespeare’s plays have been transformed for new generations of theatre-goers.

Imagine how audiences reacted to ground-breaking moments like the first stage appearance by a female actor in 1660 and the first British performance of Othello by a black actor in 1825.

Experience the glamour of Vivien Leigh’s Lady Macbeth costume, the surprising circus prop from Peter Brook’s radical 1970s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the stunning detail of the award-winning costumes from Twelfth Night starring Mark Rylance, as performed at Shakespeare’s Globe.

Shakespeare in Ten Acts showcases over 200 unique and rare items such as the only surviving literary manuscript in Shakespeare’s hand, the earliest printed edition of Hamlet from 1603 and Shakespeare’s First Folio.