When Shakespeare first came to London he worked at “The Theatre”, the capital’s earliest purpose built playhouse. It was constructed by James Burbage in 1576 and almost certainly saw the premiere of Romeo and Juliet. Until recently the exact location was unknown, but a local charity has commissioned archaeologists from the Museum of London to examine the site and they have now discovered traces of the building under a warehouse in Shoreditch.
The charity now aims to bring London theatre back to its roots by transforming the warehouse into a twenty-first century theatre within which the remains of the original will be preserved. Until then they will be covered in order to protect them.
They are not aiming to reproduce an Elizabethan theatre, but to create a 21st century equivalent of the original; a no-frills, full-time, hardworking place of entertainment that will be a versatile and accessible resource for Hackney and provide valuable rehearsal, performance and exhibition space for the smaller scale arts in central London.
Watch this space for further developments.
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