Remains of One of the First Theaters to Perform Shakespeare’s Plays Will Open to the Public After 400 Years
Excavations at the site have also unearthed a large complex that was built around the theater
By Brigit Katz
August 31, 2018
In 2008, archaeologists in London discovered the remains of a long-lost 16th-century playhouse known simply as “The Theatre,†where William Shakespeare appeared as an actor and staged his plays before moving on to the famed Globe. Now, as Max Eckersley reports for the Hackney Citizen, the Museum of London Archaeology is planning to make the theater accessible to the public for the first time in more than 400 years—and excavators have been making important discoveries while the project is underway.
A recent dig at the site revealed the remnants of a large complex that was constructed around the theater, the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) announced this week. In the 16th century, performances of Shakespearean plays were long—shows could last up to four hours—and the complex gave restless theater-goers a space to mill about and socialize.
Read more:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-one-first-theaters-perform-shakespeares-plays-will-open-public-after-400-years-180970188/#te0w827woWT3jhPZ.99
