ELIZABETHAN theatre remains a somewhat elusive world to scholars. Limited records have left wide gaps in our knowledge. So the recent discovery of the remains of a theatre in Shoreditch, east London, is a big deal. Built in 1577, before the more famous Globe, the Curtain playhouse hosted the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare’s theatrical troupe, for two years in the 1590s, performing “Henry V” and many other famous plays, including “Romeo & Juliet”.

The remains were found by workers digging up the ground for a new development in the run-down area. Work stopped and the excavation began—led by Chris Thomas at the Museum of London Archaeology (which also excavated London's first playhouse nearby, in 2008).