The idea behind The Globe of the Great Southwest was first conceived in an English class at Odessa High School in the late 1950s: The Globe Theatre organization and
fundraising efforts for construction began in 1958. Its construction was completed as funds were raised and became available. "In 1966, when construction was not finished, director Paul Baker brought his production of
Julius Caesar from the
Dallas Theater Center to six sold-out performances at the Odessa Globe." The theatre began its first season in 1968. The construction of the theatre was done with primarily wood and plaster. The building is a simplified and modernized version of its much larger Elizabethan namesake: both have an
apron stage backed by a two-story fixed
set that forms one side of an octagonal courtyard surrounded by wooden balconies. The theatrical term for the area directly behind the stage used by actors is the "inner above" - a term still used in theatre design today. The Globe Theater is octagonal with a covered courtyard containing fixed seats for 441 attendees and a single balcony, while the original London theater was a 20-sided polygon with an open-air courtyard where most attendees stood, and three balconies offered more expensive seats: total capacity may have been as high as 3,000. As of 2022, it "is home of the annual Odessa Shakespeare Festival, the Odessa Brand New Opree, and the Permian Basin Opera." It mostly stages western classics and serves a local Latino student population in the area. == External links ==