That Shakespeare Life - The Curtain Theater Excavation

The Curtain Theater Excavation

02/17/25 • 24 min

The Curtain Theatre was built in 1577 in a section of London called Shoreditch. Constructed only about 200 yards, or 600 feet, away from The Theater, which is the building James and Richard Burbage built as the first purpose built theater in London. For context, this distance about half a city block in Manhattan, and little less than 1 city block in Chicago. In 1585, the Burbages took advantage of this close proximity and struck a deal with the owner of The Curtain to use it as a second performance venue. From 1597-1599, The Curtain was home to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and saw the staging of some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays including Romeo and Juliet, and Henry IV Part 1 and 2. The Curtain also staged contemporary plays by John Marston and even one production of Ben Jonson's Every Man in His Humour in 1598, which is a significant production for Shakespeare history, since William Shakespeare was listed as a member of the cast, making The Curtain theater a place we know Shakespeare would have performed himself. There are no records of the Curtain after 1627, so historians are unclear what happened to cause the theater space to be closed down, but a recent development of a square in Shoreditch is bringing The Curtain back to life by having uncovered remains of The Curtain theater that have not only been preserved, but are being showcased as the new Museum of Shakespeare in London, that will allow patrons to literally stand where Shakespeare once stood. Here today to share with us the details behind the dig, and how you can visit the Museum of Shakespeare, is our guest, and lead archaeologist for the excavation with the Museum of London Archaeology, Heather Knight. Get bonus episodes on Patreon

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Previous Episode

Food Preservation in the 16-17th Century

In Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, Proteus says “Here's too small a pasture for such store of muttons.” Proteus is speaking metaphorically here, but the phrase refers to the relationship between animals raised in a field, and then processed for food to be stored away in a cache that can be drawed upon for consuming later. Stephano, in the Tempest, shares the location of his store of wine, saying “The whole butt, man: my cellar is in a rock by the sea-side where my wine is hid.” Indicating that a cellar was one place to store bottles of wine long term. Both of these references demonstrate for us that 16th-17th century society was familiar with the idea of storing fresh food for the winter, but it leaves us with the question of what exactly was a “store of muttons,” for example? I mean, Shakespeare and his contemporaries didn’t have refrigeration, so what methods were used to keep fresh meat from going rancid? Back with us again this week, to help us understand Tudor and Renaissance England food preservation methods, as well as storage options, like cellars, is our guest and food historian, Neil Buttery. Get bonus episodes on Patreon

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Next Episode

Funerals, Memorials, and Burials

With all the death in Shakespeare’s works, you may not be shocked that the word “Funeral” comes up in Shakespeare’s plays over 20 times, but what is surprising is that funeral ceremonies are used by Shakespeare in multiple plays to serve a specific role, almost a character in and of themselves for how they impact the plot. Most notably, and my apologies here for any spoilers, the play is still worth seeing, but there’s an elaborate funeral for Hamlet ordered by Fortinbras at the end of the play. This funeral is said to mirror the real funeral of English poet, Sir Philip Sydney that had happened in 1587.If we’re going to appreciate Shakespeare’s portrayal of Hamlet’s funeral, then it becomes important to understand how funerals worked for Shakespeare’s lifetime, what the steps and rights were involved in an official, or unofficial, service and what constituted a fitting tribute to the dead. Here today to take us through what funerals involved for the 16-17th century, why Sir Philip Sydney’s service was so remarkable, and what all of this history means we should notice when we see funerals used for dramatic impact in Shakespeare’s plays, is our guest, and author of “Death, Religion, and the Family in England 1480-1760", Ralph Houlbrooke. Get bonus episodes on Patreon

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