SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov.

By MICHAEL COVENEY Theatre LIBERTY Shakespeare's Globe LONDON * Anatole France was a Nobel prize-winning author, Glyn Maxwell is a poet of some reputation and the French Revolution was a fair old shindig.

By PAUL TAYLOR Theatre KING LEAR Shakespeare's Globe LONDON **** Dominic Dromgoole, who took over in 2006 as artistic director, has just signed up to remain for a further three years at the helm of Shakespeare's Globe.

By Arifa Akbar Arts Correspondent When Mark Rylance announced he was resigning as founding director of Shakespeare's Globe, many in the world of theatre were left utterly perplexed.