Eynsham Morris at The Globe - 1997

In "The Life of Henry The Fifth" Lewis the Dauphin implied that the French should not be overly concerned about the English invasion which had assembled upon their shores, stating despisingly that they should fear the situation no more than if they had heard that England were busied with a Whitsun Morris Dance.
And so it came to be that, on a rainy Sunday in July, Eynsham Morris went to dance at the opening of the Globe.

It is a tribute to the continued work of so many people that this project was ever completed at all. Many people from all over the world contributed money, and others gave their time and expertise. For them. it is the realisation of a dream.
Efforts like this only come to completion because everybody does what they can, and we are happy to contribute in whatever way we are able.

The day turned out to be the wettest day I have ever seen but, like Henry's soldiers at Agincourt, and the present-day builders of the Globe, we did not give up. After all, as a Frenchman once said to me "If the English stopped doing things because it was raining, they'd never get anything done at all".

A rest after dancing on Bankside Jetty	Considerable wetness
Inside the Globe It is still a matter of conjecture whether the supporting pillars were actually positioned like that in the original construction. Much work was done by the actors and builders to determine how they could best be positioned for the purposes of performing.
And now their turn to entertain us. Probably the first continuous performance of 'The Life of Henry the Fifth' for 400 years. It is widely thought that the original plays were performed without intervals, a practice that ceased when theatre moved indoors and it became necessary to replace the candles.
Peter Smith surveying the river. We wouldn't have got much wetter if we'd jumped in it. It is widely said that Eynsham Morris never cancel anything just because it's raining. Personally I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

©1997 Steve & Lesley Douglas