Why was Rose Discovery glorious and memorable
Answers
Day after day, and by night, we actors visit the Rose. To us, it is already a shrine.
This is where modern drama was born. Words that we all know and love were first said here; phrases that have entered the language, shaped English consciousness, changed the thoughts even of people who have never set foot in a theatre in their lives.
That is why we want to preserve the Rose. By we, I mean theatre people, and audiences, archaeologists and historians, as well as the politicians and residents of Southwark, where the skeleton of the Elizabethan theatre was unearthed in February. That is why we have caused so much fuss.
That is what is so special about these fragile bricks and mortar that have been clogged in Thames-side mud for 400 years.
It is easy to see why the academics are so excited. The Rose is unique — the sole survivor of the handful of open-roofed playhouses which were custom-built around 1587 to stage the first performances of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries.