The inspiration hit in 2014 as Dr Miles Gregory was reading his three-year-old daughter a story from a pop-up picture book. He turned the page and an image of the original Globe Theatre in London leapt forth. Miles, who is an expert on Shakespearean staging with various degrees in the subject, started talking excitedly about the venue, and his daughter asked if they could go and see it.

Pop-up Globe’s As You Like It. Photos © Jay Wennington

They were in Auckland, where New Zealand-born Gregory had recently moved with his family after two decades in the UK, and London was a long way to go to show her the replica of the original Globe. Very quickly the idea of building a replica version in New Zealand began to form.

Four years on, the Pop-up Globe has proved phenomenally successful. Originally planned as a one-off in Auckland to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016, there was such a demand for tickets that the season was extended. The venue has now taken to the road and has attracted more than 450,000 people in Auckland and Melbourne, where Limelight...