A theater located in Norfolk believes it has uncovered the sole surviving stage where William Shakespeare once performed.
St. George’s Guildhall in King’s Lynn holds the distinction of being the oldest operational theater in the UK, with its origins dating all the way back to 1445.
During recent renovation work, historical timber floorboards were discovered beneath the existing auditorium, and they have been traced back to the 15th century.
The theater asserts that historical documents provide evidence that Shakespeare participated in performances at this venue in either 1592 or 1593.
During that period, when theaters in London were shuttered due to the plague, acting troupes, including the Earl of Pembroke’s Men, which is believed to have included Shakespeare, ventured outside the capital and visited King’s Lynn to continue their theatrical activities.
“We have the borough account book from 1592-93, which records that the borough paid Shakespeare’s company to come and play in the venue,” explains Tim FitzHigham, the Guildhall’s creative director.
The floorboards were revealed last month as part of a renovation project at the Guildhall. They had remained hidden for 75 years, concealed beneath a replacement floor that was installed in the theater.
Dr Jonathan Clark, an expert in historical buildings, was brought on board to research the venue. “We wanted to open up an area just to check, just to see if there was an earlier floor surviving here. And lo and behold, we found this,” he says, pointing through a temporary trapdoor.
“We know that these [floorboards] were definitely here in 1592, and in 1592 we think Shakespeare is performing in King’s Lynn, so this is likely to be the surface that Shakespeare was walking on,” he says.
“It’s this end of the hall where performances took place.”
Dr. Clark regards this discovery as profoundly significant for two compelling reasons. Firstly, it stands as the largest existing 15th-century timber floor in the country. Secondly, it potentially represents the sole surviving instance of a stage upon which William Shakespeare himself performed.
Back at the venue, FitzHigham believes a number of theories strengthen the argument that Shakespeare performed there.
Shakespeare’s comedian Robert Armin was born just one street away, he notes, while a Norfolk writer called Robert Greene famously described the Bard as an “upstart crow” in what was essentially a bad review in 1592.
The debate will continue. On Thursday, the discovery will be discussed at a talk at the venue called Revealing the Secrets of the Guildhall.
Finally, FitzHigham takes me underneath the stage, making us squeeze between beams and using a torch, to allow a closer look at the huge expanse of medieval floorboards, which he explains is the size of a tennis court.
“600 years old,” he says with a real sense of wonder.
“Not just Shakespeare’s trodden on it, but everyone in between and we’re trying to make that safe and share it with everybody for the next hundreds of years going forward.”