Anticipating the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, an archetype of a Jacobean indoor playhouse, opened next to Shakespeare's Globe on London's South Bank in January 2014. Just as the Globe's opening in 1997 was the source of expectancy and intrigue for the theatre and academic community so the opening of this new venue raises some important questions, which this article seeks to examine through four points of anticipation, or possible areas of theatre practice at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: lighting, music, actor/audience dynamic and unexpected outcomes. This article discusses some of the first productions and trends that may shape the future debate about the theatre.