Curtain Theatre

The Curtain Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Hewett Street, Shoreditch, within the modern London Borough of Hackney. It opened in 1577, making it London’s second playhouse after The Theatre nearby. The name came from Curtain Close, land near the curtain wall of Holywell Priory. Archaeologists found its remains between 2012 and 2016, revealing a rectangular building rather than the expected round shape. Excavations uncovered a 14-metre stage, a tunnel beneath it, and timber galleries for wealthier spectators. Small finds included a ceramic bird whistle, money boxes, beads for costumes, and a statue of Bacchus. The Curtain hosted Shakespeare’s Lord Chamberlain’s Men from 1597 to 1599. During this time, plays like Romeo and Juliet and Henry IV were performed there. Ben Jonson’s Every Man in His Humour premiered at the Curtain in 1598, with Shakespeare in the cast. The theatre also saw performances by Queen Anne’s Men after they left the Rose Theatre. Its profits were shared with The Theatre under an agreement between owners Henry Lanman and James Burbage. The site closed by 1624, though its later history remains unclear. Visitors today see exposed walls up to 1.5 metres high in a glass enclosure. The courtyard where groundlings stood is visible, along with the straight timber galleries above. A tunnel under the stage allowed actors to move unseen between entrances. Artefacts like money boxes and a bird whistle hint at daily operations. The site is now part of a modern development named The Stage, with nearby buildings called The Bard and The Hewett. A reconstruction of the theatre appears in the film Shakespeare in Love.