"ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE, AND ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN MERELY PLAYERS." - AS YOU LIKE IT
The Globe Theatre was Shakespeare's stomping grounds for most of his time as a working playwright in London. Built by his acting company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, the Globe served as an enormous point of communal gathering for Londoners. From the peasants standing in the pit in front of the stage (known as "groundlings" back then) to royalty high up in the theater's rafters, people of all classes would come from all over to take in one of Shakespeare's plays. Before the show, a lively market-style courtyard could be found buzzing with vendors and customers outside. Sometimes, actors would even sell off their old costumes from previous shows to eager fans in this area. The original Globe Theatre burned down on June 29th, 1613, but a new one was constructed in its place less than a year later.
For further information, please enjoy this short video on the history of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre: