GLOBAL DESIGNS

The founder of the New Globe Theater organization, Barbara Romer, and the deputy chairman of the architecture firm Foster and Partners, David Nelson, make a presentation tonight on their proposal for Governors Island. Ms. Romer seeks to convert the decrepit Castle Williams, a fort used during the War of 1812, into a version of the London open-air theater that first produced many of Shakespeare’s plays. When she realized that “Broadway audiences are getting older and richer and whiter,” she set out to bring the democratic spirit of London theater to “the ultimate melting pot.” She soon discovered that Castle Williams could easily serve as a skeleton for a reconstruction of the Globe: Both buildings are perfectly round, with three tiers, and located just across a river from the cities they serve. Ms. Romer’s enthusiasm caught on quickly. She now leads “an army” of volunteers, has procured an official partnership with the “old” Globe Theater, and counts Senator Clinton, Al Pacino, the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, John Whitehead, and the executive director of Shakespeare’s Globe, Peter Kyle, among her influential supporters. As the National Park Service enters its official public planning process, Ms. Romer good-naturedly said she’s “absolutely positively certain” her proposal will be chosen.The talk is sponsored by the Municipal Art Society Urbanists. Tonight, 6:30-7:30 p.m. presentation, 7:30 p.m. reception, MAS Urban Center, 457 Madison Ave., between 50th and 51st streets, 212-935-3960, $10 general, free for members, reservations requested.