Elizabethan-Era Theater Site Excavated in London

LONDON, ENGLAND—According to a report in The East London Advertiser, a team of researchers from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) is investigating the site of the Boar’s Head Playhouse in the Whitechapel district of East London. Historic records show that rowdy plays were performed in open-air spaces at the inn, which was owned by Oliver Woodliffe, as early as 1557. Woodliffe added tiered galleries, a 360-degree stage, and a central yard to the inn complex in 1598, and a roof over the stage and additional galleries a year later. Acting troupes including the Lord Derby’s Men, the Lord Worcester’s Men, and the Queen’s Men all performed on the Boar’s Head stage. Any surviving remnants of the theater will be featured in the student housing and community performance space planned for construction on the site. To read about excavations at one of London's earliest Elizabethan theaters, go to "Behind the Curtain."