Shakespeare’s Globe drops Sackler name from rehearsal studios
Shakespeare's Globe has renamed its education and rehearsal building on Bear Gardens, dropping its association with the controversial Sackler family.
The Sackler Studios opened in 2010 at the corner of Park Street and Bear Gardens – a short walk from the replica playhouse on Bankside – with the Duke of Edinburgh performing the official opening.
In 2010 the Globe acknowledged a "generous primary grant from The Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation" but in recent years arts institutions have moved to distance themselves from the Sacklers.
The Sackler family fortune came from Purdue Pharma, maker of opioid painkiller OxyContin, which has been linked to the USA's opioid crisis.
As part of a complex legal settlement, Purdue has been involved in a multi-billion-dollar programme to fund prevention and treatment programmes.
In February Tate Modern removed a 'Sackler Escalator' plaque recognising the family's funding for the gallery.
Earlier this year Shakespeare's Globe told The Sunday Times that the Sacklers had a 15-year deal to lend their name to the Bear Gardens building and that it was "actively searching" for a new sponsor.
A Google Street View image dated June 2022 shows the Sackler Studios name was still in place, but by 6 August new signage removing all reference to the Sacklers had been installed.
Shakepeare's Globe did not respond to a request for comment from the SE1 website.
