Shenandoah Shakespeare opens world’s first re-creation of Blackfriars Playhouse

Shenandoah Shakespeare opens world’s first re-creation of Blackfriars Playhouse

The most active touring Shakespeare company, Shenandoah Shakespeare, opens the world’s first-ever re-creation of the Blackfriars Playhouse, one of Elizabethan London’s most famous theaters, in Staunton, Virginia. The original Blackfriars, built on the bank of the Thames River in 1596, was London’s premier playhouse.

Shenandoah Shakespeare’s Blackfriars Playhouse opens Saturday, September 21 with its first performance at 7:30 p.m. The Shenandoah Shakespeare Express troupe will perform, in repertory, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Hamlet; Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (by Tom Stoppard); and The Alchemist (by Ben Johnson) starting opening weekend through November18. Tickets range from $10-$26 with special group rates available. Call 877/MUCH ADO (877/682-4236), or visit www.shenandoahshakespeare.com

Directions: The Blackfriars Playhouse is located in downtown Staunton at 10 South Market Street. From I-81 take Route 250 West into Staunton. Go under the railroad trestle past the welcoming, oversized flower pots and continue up Coalter Street. Turn left on Frederick Street, then left on Market Street. The Playhouse is in the second block on the right.