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News This Recently Discovered Mid-Century Theatre Is Believed To Be The Oldest In London
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This Recently Discovered Mid-Century Theatre Is Believed To Be The Oldest In London

Archaeologists make a discovery which they claim is the oldest theatre in Whitechapel East London, and is the Elizabethan playhouse called 'The Red Lion'.

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By: Priyanka Chakrabarti Published: Jun 16, 2020 02:22 PM IST

This Recently Discovered Mid-Century Theatre Is Believed To Be The Oldest In London

Archaeologists make a shocking discovery which they claim is the oldest theatre in Whitechapel East London, and is the Elizabethan playhouse called ‘The Red Lion’. By Tanvi Jain

A mid-16th-century theatre – oldest purpose-built theatre of London – claimed to be Elizabethan playhouse by experts, and also called ‘The Red Lion’, was recently discovered by the archeologists of UCL’s Archaeology South-East, and is believed to be built somewhere around 1567 in East London Whitechapel. 

“One of the most exciting and significant finds from #WhitechapelCentral was the possible remains of the #RedLionPlayhouse, the UK’s earliest (AD1567)! This site, with its prototype stage and seating, could represent the dawn of Elizabethan theatre!” UCL Archaeology South-East tweeted. 

“This is one of the most extraordinary sites I’ve worked on. After nearly 500 years, the remains of The Red Lion playhouse, which marked the dawn of Elizabethan theatre, may have finally been found. The strength of the combined evidence – archaeological remains of buildings, in the right location, of the right period, seem to match up with characteristics of the playhouse recorded in early documents. It is a privilege to be able to add to our understanding of this exciting period of history,” Stephen White, director for excavation, was quoted as saying in a press release on the official website of UCL Archaeology South-East. 

The Red Lion, which is said to be built during the Tudor period, plays a crucial role in filling the gap between the Tudor and Shakespearean time. While in the former era the plays were primarily based on Biblical subjects, the later ones were more on secular subjects.  

The Story of Samson was the first drama, to be performed at this theatre. It was a tale of a Biblical superman’s sacrifice of life to fight paganism. However, just like this one, many other plays of the Tudor times are lost now, because they were never allowed to publish. 

Although the excavation was conducted in 2019, it was only after a year-long analysis that the archaeologists were able to confirm that it’s London’s oldest theatre. Media reports further suggest that along with this discovery, buildings constructed in the 15th and the 16th century over the next 100 years were also discovered in the northeast corner of the site.  

Related: Take Note Of These Top 5 Theatre Shows In London That You Must Witness In 2020

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