The forgotten story of the Curtain theatre and the flourishing of the Shakespearean stage
Before the Globe, there was the Curtain. The longest-running theatre built in Tudor London, it was at the heart of its original theatreland in Shoreditch. Constructed sometime around 1577, the playhouse hosted a huge variety of dramatic works as well as fencing, clowning and gaming. It was home to Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and it premiered some of his best-known plays. Its success continued even after Shakespeare and his troupe moved across the river in 1599.
In this illuminating account, Callan Davies tells the full story of the playhouse for the first time. From its founding on priory land after the dissolution of the monasteries to the flourishing of dramatists like Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton, the Curtain was one of the defining institutions of London’s early entertainment scene. Incorporating fascinating archival and archaeological insights, Davies reveals the experiences of those who built, performed at and frequented this forgotten flashpoint of the Shakespearean stage.