BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE

About the Theatre

Welcome to the world’s first re-creation of shakespeare’s indoor theatre.

“One of the most historically important theatres in the world.” – Andrew Gurr, former Director of Research, Shakespeare’s Globe

Situated in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse has delighted hundreds of thousands of audience members from all over the world.

The original blackfriars

Shakespeare’s Blackfriars Theatre was originally a 13th century monastery.  Henry VIII dissolved the monastery in 1538 when he removed the Catholic Church from England.  The monastery’s numerous buildings and gardens were divided up and sold off to private interests.

James Burbage purchased the property from the estate of Thomas Cawarden in 1596 and converted it into a Playhouse.  Shakespeare’s company began performing there in 1608, charging twelve times as much for tickets to the indoor theatre as they did for the outdoor.

The original Blackfriars burned in the 1666 Great Fire of London.

Construction

A product of years of research, the Blackfriars Playhouse was built in 2001 at a total construction cost of $3.7 million.  It was designed by the late Richmond architect Tom McLaughlin. Former Shakespeare’s Globe Director of Research Andrew Gurr and the late C. Walter Hodges, illustrator of the Globe, advised the work.

There is little direct visual evidence of the details of the original Blackfriars, but documentary evidence helped McLaughlin in determining the overall size, orientation, internal organization, scale, materials, and textures of the original building including but not limited to:

• archaeological excavations of the Blackfriars precinct
• James Burbage’s deed of 1596
• visits to surviving Tudor structures
• Westminster Hall
• well-preserved Elizabethan and Jacobean houses
• Architectural drawings by Simon Basil (1605), Inigo Jones (1616), and John Webb (1629)

Today

The Blackfriars Playhouse is open year-round for performances of Shakespeare’s plays and contemporary works in productions hailed by The Washington Post as “shamelessly entertaining.”

KING LEAR

2/13 - 4/19/2025

A King dividing his kingdom spirals into betrayal and madness, and where daughters are pitted against each other in a story of loyalty, and loss.

LITTLE WOMEN

2/6 - 4/19/2025

Discover the heartwarming journey of the March sisters, where family, love, and dreams are tested in the backdrop of Civil War-era America.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

3/20 - 4/20/2025

As two sets of twins unknowingly cross paths, chaos and confusion erupt in this fast-paced farce, making it a must-see for fans of Shakespeare's comedies!

RELATED STORIES

Photos: Shakespeare's MERRY WIVES at ASC's Blackfriar's Playhouse

by Chloe Rabinowitz - October 15, 2024

The American Shakespeare Center is presenting the mad-cap comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR as part of their 2024 Summer/Fall Repertory Season at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia. See photos of the production!...

Photos: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST At ASC's Blackfriars Playhouse

by Chloe Rabinowitz - August 15, 2024

The Importance of Being Earnest is being presented at ASC's Blackfriars Playhouse. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets....

Photos: American Shakespeare Center presents MACBETH

by A.A. Cristi - August 15, 2024

American Shakespeare Center is presenting the gripping drama MACBETH. See photos of the production!...

American Shakespeare Center Announces Fall Season

by A.A. Cristi - July 27, 2023

American Shakespeare Center (ASC) finishes its 35th Anniversary Season and its celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio with a flourish, with vivid portrayals of two of Shakespeare's most complex and compelling characters: the bitter, tortured prince Hamlet and the proud, re...

Past Shows

MACBETH

7/20 - 11/24/2024

Step into an ominous world of witches, warfare, murder, and madness this season at the Blackfriars Playhouse with Shakespeare’s  Macbeth , a relentless examination of ...

THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

9/13 - 11/23/2024

In this uproarious comedy, Sir John Falstaff finds himself entangled in the shrewd schemes of two clever Windsor wives who unite to outwit one of ...

The Importance of Being Earnest

7/27 - 10/20/2024

Oscar Wilde's brilliant and wicked  The Importance of Being Earnest , is a comedic masterpiece that unravels a web of mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, and ...

The Comedy of Errors

3/31 - 5/15/2022

Two pairs of infant twins, separated by shipwreckwhat else could go wrong? One of Shakespeares earliest comedies overflows with mistaken identities, slapstick and puns, ending ...

Romeo and Juliet

3/15 - 5/14/2022

"Smashing...steamy...powerful...dazzling. Critics are talking about American Shakespeare Centers new production of Romeo and Juliet, a whirlwind of adolescent passion in a violent, vengeful adult world. ...