Archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology are preparing for the excavation of Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre in Shoreditch. From Thursday 31 March until Wednesday 25 May, there will be events, lectures and walking tours open to the public.
The events are part of Shakespeare400, celebrating 400 years since Shakespeare’s death. Experts in all things theatre, history, archaeology and – of course – Shakespeare will be telling us facts we never knew. They will lend insight on Elizabethan theatre, especially the ‘rogues and villians’ of Shoreditch theatre. The Stage will become a new focal point in east London, featuring new shops, offices, homes, artifacts discovered from the dig, a heritage and visitor centre and the excavated and preserved remnants of Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre.
The full calendar of events is below and online at www.mola.org.uk/events and www.shakespeare400.org.
Full Outreach Lecture & Tour Events Programme for The Stage:
Title: Shoreditch – The Earliest London Theatreland a talk with Archaeologist Julian Bowsher
Date: Thursday 31 March
Time: Doors 6.15pm – 7.45pm
Speaker: Julian Bowsher (MOLA archaeologist and Shakespeare expert)
Type: talk
Abstract: Although there were a number of theatrical venues throughout London from the 1550s, the earliest concentration developed in Shoreditch in the 1570s. It was situated only a few minutes’ walk from the City, on a major route to the north, well-to-do houses in nearby Hoxton, and home to many of the leading playwrights and actors – all centred around two of the earliest successful playhouses in London. This talk explores these relationships as well as its history and development – and what archaeology has revealed.
Venue: St Botolph’s Hall, Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3TL
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
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Title: In Search of Shakespeare with BBC Historian Michael Wood
Date: Tuesday 5 April
Time: Doors 12.15pm – 1.45pm
Speaker: Michael Wood (Historian, author and television presenter)
Type: talk
Abstract: The BBC presenter and author of In Search of Shakespeare will give his own personal interpretation of the life and works of William Shakespeare based on his detailed experience and passion for the plays and poems alongside his extensive research into the biography of the historically elusive playwright.
Venue: St Botolph’s Hall, Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3TL
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: The Early Modern Theatrical Scene in London, in Conversation with Prof Duncan Salkeld and Dr Andy Kesson
Date: Monday 11 April
Time: Doors 7.30pm – 9pm
Speaker: Professor Duncan Salkeld (University of Chichester) & Dr Andy Kesson (University of Roehampton)
Type: in conversation with
Abstract: A discussion, debate, questions and answers session on the place and nature of theatre during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries between two academics from the universities of Roehampton and Chichester
Venue: The Rose Theatre, 56 Park St, Southwark, London SE1 9AR
Price and booking: £8 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Henry V, the Curtain, Shakespeare and the Manipulation of History
Date: Monday 18 April
Time: Doors 6.15pm – 7.45pm
Speaker: James Wright (MOLA archaeologist)
Type: talk
Abstract: A look at the real life historical events of the Agincourt campaign of 1415 contrasted against the authorship of Shakespeare’s most resilient play which was written against the background of late 16th century political events and has continued to be produced to reflect contemporary life.
Venue: Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London, N1 7ED
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Shoreditch – a Shakespearean Suburb? Walk with Senior Archaeologist Julian Bowsher
Date: Saturday 23 April
Time: Meet 2pm – 3.30pm (at St Leonard’s Church)
Speaker: Julian Bowsher (MOLA archaeologist and Shakespeare Expert)
Type: walk
Abstract: The walk will start at St Leonard’s church, the ancient parish centre from where we can survey the growth of the settlement, situated only a few minutes’ walk from the City. We then meander southwards visiting the sites of the two major playhouses, the Theatre and the Curtain, as well as the streets, homes taverns and less savoury “entertainments” frequented by the leading playwrights and actors of the day.
Start Point: The Stage archaeology space, Hewett Street, EC2A 3NN
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Shakespearean Performance in Modern London: Discussions and Performances on the Shakespeare in Modern Theatre
Date: Monday 25 April
Time: Doors 7.30pm – 9pm
Speaker: KDC Theatre, South London Theatre, Tower Theatre and The Rose Theatre Trust
Type: performance based talk
Abstract: Presentations by directors Duncan Moore, Bryon Fear and Tom Salyers alongside Pepe Pryke from the Rose Theatre Trust about recent productions of Shakespeare plays and how they are relevant to life in modern London. Each presentation will also be complimented by excerpts from the plays performed by cast members.
Venue: The Rose Theatre, 56 Park St, Southwark, London SE1 9AR
Price and booking: £8 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: The Curtain and Crime: Rogues and Villains of Elizabethan Theatre Walk
Date: Thursday 28 April
Time: Meet 6.30pm – 8pm (outside 42 Curtain Road)
Speaker: Jon Kaneko-James (Writer)
Type: walk
Abstract: The walk will start at the site of the Curtain Playhouse and will be a tour based around the crime and general roguishness associated with the Curtain, its players and the Shoreditch theatrical scene.
Start point: The Stage archaeology space, Hewett Street, EC2A 3NN
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
Capacity: 20
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Title: Shoreditch – a Shakespearean Suburb? Walk with Senior Archaeologist Julian Bowsher
Date: Thursday 5 May
Time: Meet 2pm – 3.30pm (at St Leonard’s Church)
Speaker: Julian Bowsher (MOLA archaeologist and Shakespeare expert)
Type: walk
Abstract: The walk will start at St Leonard’s church, the ancient parish centre from where we can survey the growth of the settlement, situated only a few minutes’ walk from the City. We then meander southwards visiting the sites of the two major playhouses, the Theatre and the Curtain, as well as the streets, homes taverns and less savoury “entertainments” frequented by the leading playwrights and actors of the day.
Start point: The Stage archaeology space, Hewett Street, EC2A 3NN
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Shakespeare, Language and the Elizabethan Mind with Actor and Author Ben Crystal
Date: Thursday 5 May
Time: Doors 6.15pm – 7.45pm
Speaker: Ben Crystal (Actor, Author, Producer)
Type: talk
Abstract: Ben Crystal, the actor and author of Shakespeare’s Words and Shakespeare on
Toast, dives into the hearts, minds, ears and words of Shakespeare’s world and asks what would it have been like to go to the theatre in Shakespeare’s time? How did his plays tap into his audience’s views on life and love? How did the social, cultural and political developments of the time shape his writing?
Venue: St Botolph’s Hall, Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3TL
Price and booking: £8 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Eating and Drinking in Shakespeare’s Theatreland – the Archaeology of Entertainment
Date: Friday 6 May
Time: Doors 6.15pm – 7.45pm
Speaker: Jacqui Pearce (MOLA finds specialist)
Type: talk
Abstract: This talk aims to explore the wider entertainment scene that was inextricably linked with the theatre in Shakespeare’s time, using the latest evidence from archaeologically excavated sites to throw light on the many and varied aspects of theatre-going that Elizabethan and Jacobean Londoners would have enjoyed, from smoking and drinking ale to eating bar snacks.
Venue: Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London, N1 7ED
Price and booking: £5via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Playing the Curtain with Dr Lucy Munro
Date: Friday 13 May
Time: Doors 12.15pm – 1.45pm
Speaker: Dr Lucy Munro (King’s College London)
Type: talk
Abstract: From the plays of Shakespeare and Jonson in the 1590s to those of Dekker, Ford and Rowley in the 1620s, the Curtain was one of the most enduring performance places in early modern London. This talk will explore some highlights of this long history, from Jonson’s humours comedy and Shakespeare’s romantic comedies and histories to the topical story of The Witch of Edmonton and lost plays such as Henry the Unable, The Plantation of Virginia and The Man in the Moon Drinks Claret.
Venue: Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London, N1 7ED
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: The Curtain and Crime: Rogues and Villains of Elizabethan Theatre Walk
Date: Saturday 14 May
Time: Meet 6.30pm – 8pm (outside 42 Curtain Road)
Speaker: Jon Kaneko-James (Shakespeare’s Globe)
Type: walk
Abstract: The walk will start at the site of the Curtain Playhouse and will be a tour based around the crime and general roguishness associated with the Curtain, its players and the Shoreditch theatrical scene.
Start point: The Stage archaeology space, Hewett Street, EC2A 3NN
Price and booking: £5via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Shakespeare in London with Prof Stanley Wells
Date: Friday 20 May
Time: Doors 12.15pm – 1.45pm
Speaker: Professor Stanley Wells (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust)
Type: talk
Abstract: An opportunity to hear the author of Shakespeare & Co., Shakespeare: For All Time and the Honorary President of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust discuss the professional and personal links with the capital that the Bard made. In what ways was London important to Shakespeare? How was he involved with national dramas? What do we know of his personal relationships with Londoners?
Venue: St Botolph’s Hall, Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3TL
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Digging Shakespeare’s Shoreditch: Excavating London’s First Theatreland
Date: Wednesday 25 May
Time: Doors 6.15pm – 7.45pm
Speaker: Heather Knight (MOLA archaeologist leading the Curtain dig)
Type: talk
Abstract: MOLA’s excavations on the sites of the Theatre playhouse (built in 1576) and the site of the Curtain playhouse (in use by 1577). Both playhouses had a fascinating life, intrinsically linked with the story of William Shakespeare. We will see how, 400 years after the death of Shakespeare, archaeology is in the unique position of being able to add new details to the story of these iconic buildings with particular reference to the very latest findings from the excavation on the site of the Curtain playhouse.
Venue: St Botolph’s Hall, Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3TL
Price and booking: £5 via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
More information at http://www.mola.org.uk/events/
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Title: Dig Shakespeare: archaeology and theatre family workshops
Date: 30th April
Time: 10.00-15.30 drop in
Type: Family Event
Description: Pop into The Stage archaeology space and try your hand at being an archaeologist for the day or take part in theatrical workshops with The Malachites, Shoreditch’s Shakespeare company. Excavate artefacts in dig boxes using archaeologists’ tools, handle objects found on real digs and learn how to record and date Shakespearean artefacts. As well as talking to real archaeologists from MOLA and learning about the history and excavation of Hackney’s Curtain Theatre, actors from local Shakespeare company, The Malachites, will be leading theatrical workshops.
Who is it for: Families, children of all ages! (Kids must be accompanied by adults, and vice versa)
Venue: The Stage archaeology space, Hewett Street, EC2A 3NN
Price and booking: FREE!
More information at: http://www.mola.org.uk/events/dig-shakespeare-archaeology-and-theatre-family-workshops
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Title: Dig Shakespeare: archaeology and theatre family workshops
Date: 1 June 2016
Time: 10.00-15.30 drop in
Type: Family Event
Description: Pop into The Stage archaeology space and try your hand at being an archaeologist for the day or take part in theatrical workshops with The Malachites, Shoreditch’s Shakespeare company. Excavate artefacts in dig boxes using archaeologists’ tools, handle objects found on real digs and learn how to record and date Shakespearean artefacts. As well as talking to real archaeologists from MOLA and learning about the history and excavation of Hackney’s Curtain Theatre, actors from local Shakespeare company, The Malachites, will be leading theatrical workshops.
This is a Shakespeare 400 event, as part of The Stage community archaeology programme.
Who is it for: Families, children of all ages! (Kids must be accompanied by adults, and vice versa)
Venue: The Stage archaeology space, Hewett Street, EC2A 3NN
Price and booking: FREE!
More information at: http://www.mola.org.uk/events/dig-shakespeare-archaeology-and-theatre-family-workshops-0