Theatres · London
Curtain Theatre
Curtain Theatre — scheduled monument-listed theatre in england-london, United Kingdom.
Julian Osley — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 2 h–3 h
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Curtain Theatre is a scheduled monument-listed theatre in england-london, United Kingdom, registered on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE entry 1463328). Listed status protects buildings and structures of special architectural or historic interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for further details.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
The Curtain Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Hewett Street, Shoreditch (within the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It opened in 1577, and continued staging plays until 1624. The Curtain was built some 200 yards (180 m) south of London's first playhouse, The Theatre, which had opened a year before, in 1576. It was called the "Curtain" because it was located near a plot of land called Curtain Close, which derived its name in turn from its proximity to the walls of Holywell Priory, a curtain wall being a section of wall between two bastions. (The name bears no relationship to the front curtain associated with modern theatres.) The remains of the theatre were rediscovered in archaeological excavations in 2012–16.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
The Curtain Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Hewett Street, Shoreditch (within the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It opened in 1577, and continued staging plays until 1624. The Curtain was built some 200 yards (180 m) south of London's first playhouse, The Theatre, which had opened a year before, in 1576. It was called the "Curtain" because it was located near a plot of land called Curtain Close, which derived its name in turn from its proximity to the walls of Holywell Priory, a curtain wall being a section of wall between two bastions. (The name bears no relationship to the front curtain associated with modern theatres.) The remains of the theatre were rediscovered in archaeological excavations in 2012–16. The most significant revelation was that the Curtain was rectangular, not round. The excavation revealed a 14-metre (46 ft) stage, and evidence of a tunnel under the stage and galleries at the first floor level. Small finds included a ceramic bird whistle; ceramic money boxes for collecting entry fees; beads probably used for decorating stage costumes; and a small statue of Bacchus.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
, the other Elizabethan theatre in Shoreditch at that time]] The Curtain Theatre was built in 1577 in Shoreditch, and was London's second playhouse. The name derives from the curtain wall of the adjacent St John the Baptist Holywell monastery.), Henry IV Part I and Part II. The Lord Chamberlain's Men also performed Ben Jonson's Every Man in His Humour here in 1598, with Shakespeare in the cast. Later that same year Jonson gained a certain notoriety by killing actor Gabriel Spencer in a duel in nearby Hoxton Fields. The Lord Chamberlain's Men departed the Curtain when the Globe Theatre, which they built to replace the Theatre, was ready for use in 1599. For seven years Henry Lanman (owner of…
Architecture
The Curtain was believed to have been built near The Theatre, but the exact location was for many years unknown. However, a commemorative plaque was erected at 18 Hewett Street. In 2012, archaeologists from MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) announced that they had discovered the remains of the theatre during trial excavations. In 2013 plans were submitted to develop the site with a 40-storey tower of 400 apartments, plus a Shakespeare museum, 250-seat outdoor auditorium and park, with the archaeological remains visible in a glass enclosure. In May 2016, excavators announced that the theatre was probably an adaptation of an existing structure, in the form of a rectangle measuring 22×25…
Visiting
A reconstruction of the Curtain Theatre is used in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love. The theatre is the main setting for the jukebox musical & Juliet, which takes place during the first performance of Romeo and Juliet.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.5231, -0.0797
- District
- Hackney
- Parish
- Hackney, unparished area
- Postcode
- EC2A 3NP
- Parliamentary constituency
- Hackney South and Shoreditch
- Established
- 1577
- Official site
- www.museumofshakespeare.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q2631360 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Curtain Theatre (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Curtain Theatre?
- Curtain Theatre is in London, United Kingdom (postcode EC2A 3NP), in the parish of Hackney, unparished area.
- Who owns Curtain Theatre?
- Curtain Theatre is owned by | tenant =.
- Is Curtain Theatre a listed building?
- Curtain Theatre is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- How do I get to Curtain Theatre?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode EC2A 3NP. It sits within the Hackney South and Shoreditch parliamentary constituency.