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This year marks what would have been the 450th birthday for one of the greatest playwrights the world has ever known: William Shakespeare.

If you’re in search of a Shakespeare fix, you won’t want to miss the yearlong celebration being held in London in 2014. Here are five hot spots to hit for a little Shakespeare appreciation.

The Globe Theatre

This early 20th-century open-air theater in the Soho of Elizabethan London is an exact replica of Shakespeare’s playhouse built in 1599 as an homage to where many of Shakespeare’s plays were once performed. This year, you’ll be able to experience Shakespeare’s work as it was meant to be enjoyed at The Globe, with productions like “Antony & Cleopatra,” “Julius Caesar” and “The Comedy of Errors” taking the stage in 2014.

London Walks

Get a sense for Shakespeare’s London with your feet on the ground during a London Walks tour. The “Shakespeare’s and Dicken’s London: The Old City” tour gives you a literary double hitter as you tour the city, experiencing the same sights that inspired these two men to write some of the world’s most notable literary works. Tours are held Wednesday mornings and Sunday afternoons.

Middle Temple Hall

This historic hall was said to have hosted the very first performance of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” with Queen Elizabeth I herself in attendance in 1602. The cobblestone lanes and majestic hall have been kept in pristine condition over the centuries, and today, Middle Temple Hall is considered one of the most outstanding Elizabethan Halls in all of England.

Victoria & Albert Museum

For a deeper look at the influence Shakespeare’s plays have had around the world, don’t miss the upcoming “Shakespeare: Our Greatest Living Playwright” exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Running from Feb. 8 through Sept. 28, the exhibit will display objects and feature interviews that examine how Shakespeare continues to shape the theatrical world to this day.

Noel Coward Theatre

If you’re headed to London during the summer of 2014, you can catch a live performance of the award-winning “Shakespeare in Love,” which is set to be adapted for the stage at the Noel Coward Theatre. The fictional story follows the playwright as he struggles to write another successful play and finds inspiration in a young noblewoman.

(Main image: brownpau)

About the author

Marissa WillmanMarissa Willman earned a bachelor's degree in journalism before downsizing her life into two suitcases for a teaching gig in South Korea. Seoul was her home base for two years of wanderlusting throughout six countries in Asia. In 2011, Marissa swapped teaching for travel writing and now calls Southern California home.

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