Here's a look inside the Globe Theatre before it reopens

The format is the same, but the venue looks very different from the last time audiences were inside Regina’s Globe Theatre after extensive renovations.

Lately, instead of music, monologues and more, the less rhythmic sounds of construction have filled Canada’s only permanent theatre-in-the-round.

Four years and millions of dollars later, the Globe is marking the beginning of the end of its construction process with a phased approach, appropriately broken down into ‘acts.’

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Act I is the initial phase for the public-facing areas of the theatre, like the stage itself and the newly-christened Ruth Smillie Lobby, named for the theatre’s former artistic director.

The first act also includes actor and crew spaces necessary for productions to return to the historic venue on Scarth Street after years of wandering performances.

Work nears completion on the newly named Ruth Smillie Lobby, one of the public-facing areas of Regina’s Globe Theatre. (Cole Davenport/CTV News)Audiences can expect more room to mill about in the lobby and larger seats once inside the theatre, done without sacrificing the number of seats for theatre-goers. It’s all part of a series of quality-of-life changes and accessibility upgrades.

Act II will mark the end of all interior construction, and Act III is the completion of outdoor construction, namely the main entrance.

Work is expected to be fully complete sometime in 2025, ahead of the Globe’s 60 year anniversary in 2026.

A full theatre-in-the-round performance is a first for Dean Stockdale, the actor playing “Peter Pan” in the show that will welcome audiences back to the renovated theatre for the first time.

The renovated Globe Theatre awaits an audience as construction work nears its end on Nov. 22, 2024. (Cole Davenport/CTV News)“I've never done anything properly in the round before, so this is very exciting for me,” Stockdale said. “I'm overwhelmed by the beauty and the intimacy, and I'm just so excited to have bodies in here.”

This version of “Peter Pan” comes from Bad Hats Theatre, told from the perspective of Smee the Pirate.

"We're going to share with people all the best parts of this story, but we're also going to show you new ways of looking at it with new songs,” Stockdale said. “This is like the fourth production of this particular Peter Pan. So Regina's getting a bit of an exclusive here."

A view of Scarth Street from the Globe Theatre lobby, where construction crews continue work on the building’s exterior. (Cole Davenport/CTV News)Stockdale added construction noise has been a minimal distraction at rehearsal as crews continue working to get the theatre ready for the show’s Nov. 27 opening.

“I have done shows in rain, in 32 degree weather, so this is just another challenge,” Stockdale said, the sounds of power tools in the background. “And I think the beauty of theater is that it's a little different every time.”

“Peter Pan” runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 22, with “Women of the Fur Trade,” “Steel Magnolias,” and “Bring it On: The Musical” all scheduled for performances in 2025.

- With files from Donovan Maess