Stockton Globe Trip! 3/10/22

Week 5 of Milly's acting journey:

On Monday 3rd October, both the acting and hair and makeup students went down to Stockton Globe and we prepared for a busy yet exciting morning ahead of us. In preparation for our Halloween tour there, Tom who works there invited us to have a tour around the place, and also arranged for four of the men who worked hugely on the Globe's remodelling and found lots of old tickets and letters during it, to have time to talk to us and tell us stories of what they found and have heard and know about the Globe's supernatural history. We began by being given a light and sound show which we all loved it as it not only was bright and fun, it also showed us the range of light and sound effects they have to offer us. Groups were then formed and I was apart of the first group that were given the tour around first with Tom. He showed us the entrance first, and told us about the history of the Globe in general, like the two Lewis brothers, who had the idea of the Globe first and how one was a butcher, the other a confectioner who made sweets. Both brothers sound like such great characters that could be involved somewhere in show, as I found it interesting that they both worked in the same place doing very different jobs. They were bought out in the end due to their lack of money and funding and someone else took on their idea of what the Globe would become. We learnt of bands like The Beatles who came and performed their songs and how at the time, that was amazing for Stockton to host for a band like The Beatles and even The Rolling Stones. He showed us a glass decorating that behind showcased steel work that has a more important job than we all thought, as it supports the building instead of pillars and columns which is such a huge bonus for the audience at the Globe since wherever they sit, they will have a perfect view with nothing constructing their view at all. I thought this was so interesting as the steel work behind the glass could be where the spirits hide themselves, instead of hiding behind pillars as it means everything and everyone would be on show. We were showed the bar which is actually underground, and has many pictures and photos hung around on the walls, which we later found out were taken by a 17 year old boy who was famous for having interviews with all the acts at the globe, and taking pictures of them. I thought that was so interesting as he was near the same age of me at the time, and was already meeting such influential people just by helping out the Globe. I found the tour super vital in our Globe Tour, as it showed us all of the rooms like The Dressing Room, which for me held lots of ideas, like perhaps there are old pictures on one of the mirrors of people like the Lewis brothers, and even have silent film actress Ivy Close perhaps sat doing her hair and makeup without speaking. The tour was also important for us as a group, as we learnt about the people involved in the Globe's history and who we would make main characters in the tour, like the sister of the Lewis brother's who would take in the earnings on a night, and on her way home carried a pistol in order to feel safe at night. The first group's tour was then followed by a talk with the men who worked on the Globe's restoration where they delved deeper into the stories Tom talked about, as well as some eerie aspects to their findings along with stories they had been told that could influence our Halloween tour. For me, I found the tour really useful as I left knowing buckets more information than before I went in. I recorded notes on my phone, so that I could write down in more detail what I learnt and my ideas for the upcoming Ghost tour.