Shakespeare's long-lost London theatre recreated in small-town America

It is safe to say that the work of William Shakespeare is performed and celebrated somewhere in the English speaking world and beyond on a daily basis.

Few, however, would expect to find his plays staged throughout the year in a former industrial mill town, in the southern US state of Virginia.

All the more surprising is the fact the plays are performed in the world’s only authentic recreation of Shakespeare’s long lost Blackfriars Playhouse.

Three hours drive south of Washington DC lies the small town of Staunton (pop. 24,363), where you will find Blackfriars Playhouse, home of the American Shakespeare Center.

The company celebrated its 30th anniversary in September and boasts a reputation as one of the most accomplished Shakespeare companies in the United States.

Its theatre has even attracted the attention of Dame Judi Dench, who on visiting Blackfriars Playhouse declared:  "Crikey! Why isn't this in England?"

She later added: “I was instantly captivated by its atmosphere and by the amazing work that goes on there. It is a center of excellence and should be protected and cherished.”

The company began life as a travelling repertory group in 1988, when Jim Warren and Ralph Alan Cohen founded the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express to perform the playwright’s work in towns along Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

In 1996 the company travelled to Britain to stage work in primary and secondary schools, returning in 2009 to take part in events at Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s South Bank, which its founders still regard as “our big brother”.

Ten years after the touring company was founded it decided to create a permanent base in Staunton, where the liberal arts students of Mary Baldwin University provided a regular and appreciative audience.

In 2001 Shenandoah Shakespeare began work on recreating as a base for the company Shakespeare’s original Blackfriars Playhouse, which was sited until its demolition in 1655 near what is now the edge of the City of London.

The original building was a Tudor renovation of a 13th Century hall and was the fourth largest meeting space in the City, capable of holding 500 people. Parliament even met there on occasion.

But with no reliable records of what Blackfriars Playhouse looked like, or even its basic dimensions, architect Tom McLaughlin had to rely on plans for other 17th century theatres, surviving halls from the period, Shakespeare’s own stage directions and the work of scholars and historians.

The Blackfriars Playhouse cost $3.7 million to complete and the result is a breathtaking evocation of a 16th century London theatre in the most unlikely of locations.

The town of Staunton sits beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, close to some of the most bitterly contested sites of the American Civil War, including Lexington, Fredericksburg and Appomattox, the scene of the Confederacy’s eventual surrender on April 9, 1865.

Indeed local legend has it that the only reason Staunton escaped the destruction that befell so many other towns as the warring armies crisscrossed Virginia, was that it was home to dozens of prostitutes who entertained the soldiers of both sides.

Though Shakespeare himself might well have made something of that paradox, today’s bawdy entertainment is more likely to be found in a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor or As You Like it.

A unique feature of performances at the Blackfriars Playhouse is the decision to stage each production under the bright lights of a dozen candelabras, recreating the lighting conditions seen in the time of Shakespeare and his contemporaries Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe.

“Shakespeare’s actors could see their audience; our actors can see you,” states the playhouse’s 2018/2019 season programme. “Leaving you in the dark can literally obscure a vital part of the drama.”

In keeping with what is known of performances of the period there are no special effects or elaborate set designs to detract from the actors and their material. Stools and benches placed on the stage for members of the audience emphasise a sense of interactions between performers and observers.

The rest of the 300-strong audience sit directly in front of the stage and in two wooden galleries around the edge of the auditorium, just as they would have at the original Blackfriars Playhouse, 400 years ago and nearly 4,000 miles away across the sea.

Mr Cohen, now Director of Mission at the American Shakespeare Center, said: “The American Shakespeare scene is vigorous and growing, and it's almost a grassroots movement.  

“As to the likelihood of Staunton being a center for that movement, it's fair to point out that the two largest Shakespeare companies in North America are Stratford, Ontario, and Ashland, Oregon, both with populations smaller than Staunton's.

He added: “Staunton, which from the 19th century has had a rich and deep history in the performing arts, is a beautiful small city the Shenandoah Valley, a city celebrated for its architecture and setting. In short, the perfect place for a Shakespeare getaway.”