Museum of Shakespeare to open in London in 2024

Bompas & Parr is collaborating with Historic England and Museum of London Archaeology to create an immersive museum dedicated to William Shakespeare.

Opening in spring 2024, London’s new Museum of Shakespeare is being built on the site of the Curtain Theatre in Shoreditch, east London (via Evening Standard).

The Curtain Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse, opened in 1577 and closed in 1624. It was the main venue for the English playwright and poet’s company before the Globe was built.

The site was first uncovered by archaeologists in 2011. The new museum will include historical displays, and a projected reconstruction of the original theatre above the remains of the stage.

Bringing to life London in 1598

“Leading the excavations on the site of the Curtain, one of London’s earliest and longest-lived playhouses, that have transformed our understanding of early modern performance, has been an immense privilege,” said Heather Knight, senior archaeologist at Museum of London Archaeology.

Using artificial intelligence (AI), the attraction will bring to life the sights, smells and sounds of Shakespeare’s London in 1598.

Visitors will find themselves in London in the 16th century, where they can perform on the stage where Shakespeare presented plays including Romeo and Juliet and Henry V.

One of Bompas & Parr’s recent installations featured edible fog. Before that, the experience design studio created the world’s first ‘flavour rainbow’ in London.

“The Museum of Shakespeare will be the most ambitious project that Bompas & Parr has undertaken and is in line with our mission to create location-based experiences that make London a more interesting place and a city unrivalled in its cultural importance,” said Bompas & Parr co-founder Harry Parr.