The most important part is ‘The Dig’
After six years of work going on and around the building above, the Rose Playhouse has reopened for business, writes Michael Holland.
Arguably one of London’s most significant Shakespearean sites will open on a regular weekly basis with specialist guided tours, giving a unique opportunity for visitors to see the remains of the theatre where plays like Shakespeare’s first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, and Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and Tamburlaine the Great were once staged.
Site manager, Pepe Pryke, who has been involved with keeping the Rose Playhouse alive from the start, could not have been more happy to welcome the first visitors through the door and tell them of future plans.
Pepe knows all there is to know about the history of this iconic site and revels in sharing that knowledge. He instils a feeling of awe in the audience when we know we are actually standing in the very place that William Shakespeare once stood; we get excited about how the site of the Playhouse has been saved for posterity and we see how huge steel girders hold up the building above, so that if that goes, the Playhouse stays. The archaeological remains are now protected in law as a Scheduled Monument.
But the most important part is ‘The Dig’. Only two-thirds of the Playhouse have been uncovered; the rest is there to be revealed. So, the London Museum archaeologists will be seeking the rest, checking for the 14-sided walls and, of course, documenting any artefacts found from the theatrical side of the Playhouse itself. Already there are leather shoes, parts of a banister, and an inscribed ring, which was probably a prop.
And there will be theatre, and Sonic Walks, and special days, where the famous Shakespearean actors, who have supported the work here, will come and show their support, all to raise the £2m needed to complete the work.
The Playhouse is an important part of English history; Shakespeare is internationally regarded as one of the greatest playwrights. And it is important for Southwark to ensure this place is never forgotten.
Rose Theatre Trust, 56 Park Street, London, SE1 9AR
Check the website for the exciting events coming up: https://www.roseplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on
