meo And Juliet" were first performed have been discovered by archaeologists, a museum said Wednesday. Shakespeare appeared at The Theater in Shoreditch, east London, as an actor with a troupe called The Lord Chamberlain's Men, which also performed his efforts as a playwright there.
"Richard III," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Merchant Of Venice" are among the other plays likely to have premiered at the theater, according to the Museum of London, whose team made the discovery.
After a tenancy dispute in 1599, the owners of The Theater dismantled it during the night and its timbers were used to construct the Globe Theater by the River Thames, which became the home of Shakespeare's plays.
But now Museum of London archaeologists have rediscovered the original footings or groundwork of the polygonal Shoreditch venue -- ironically on a site being prepared for the construction of a new theater.
"It's a theater that's been known about for a long time but no remains have ever been found," museum spokesman Tim Morley told AFP.
"This is the theater that the company of players that Shakespeare was part of first performed in, and where when he started writing, the company would have performed his plays."
It is planned that the remains will be kept in place as the new theater is built.
Jeff Kelly, chairman of the Tower Theater Company which is constructing the new venue, added: "The discovery that we shall be building a 21st century playhouse where Shakespeare played and where some of Shakespeare's plays must first have been performed is a huge inspiration."
Archaeologists will now start trying to find more detail about how the venue looked and hope that will help them to increase their knowledge of London theaters during the reign of queen Elizabeth I.
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