Early Shakespeare theatre unearthed

Shakespeare experts have hailed the "thrilling" discovery of remains of the predecessor to The Globe theatre.

Plays including Henry V were first performed at The Curtain Theatre - immortalised in that play as "this wooden O" - and Romeo And Juliet might also have premiered there.

Parts of the playhouse's yard and gallery walls were excavated in Shoreditch, east London, by the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) as part of regeneration works.

It is hoped the site could be opened to the public and plays could be staged there in the future.

Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director Michael Boyd said: "It is inspiring that the Museum of London has unearthed the foundations of The Curtain Theatre.

"I look forward to touching the mud and stone, if not wood, and feeling the presence of that space where Shakespeare's early work, including the histories, made such a lasting impact."

Actor Eddie Redmayne, who won last year's Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for Best Shakespearean Performance for his Richard II role at the Donmar Warehouse, said: "The discovery of The Curtain in Shoreditch is a thrilling prospect particularly in this year of the World Shakespeare Festival."

The Curtain, which opened in 1577, was operated by theatre manager James Burbage and was home to Shakespeare's Company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, before The Globe opened. It was the main venue for the Bard's plays from 1597 to 1599.

Patrick Spottiswoode, director of Globe Education at Shakespeare's Globe, said the discovery was "tantalising".

"What's exciting is what more they might find," he said. "It's like a jigsaw puzzle, these fragments of different theatres we're finding. The exciting thing about The Curtain, for Shakespeare enthusiasts, is that the Lord Chamberlain's Men performed there."