Blackfriars Playhouse

The American Shakespeare Center is an internationally acclaimed theatre company that performs Shakespeare's works under their original staging conditions -- on a simple stage, without elaborate sets, and with the audience sharing the same light as the actors. Home to the ASC's resident troupe, the Blackfriars Playhouse has been established as one of America's premier Shakespeare destinations.

This stunning re-creation of the first indoor theater in the English-speaking world, which William Shakespeare and his colleagues built on part of London's Blackfriars Monastery...is, in itself, a reason to visit Staunton. 

-- Frommer's Virginia guide

Situated in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley in historic Staunton, Virginia, the 300-seat Blackfriars Playhouse -- the world's only re-creation of Shakespeare's original indoor theatre -- opened its doors in September 2001 and has already delighted tens of thousands of enthusiastic audience members from around the world. The product of years of research, this unique, historically accurate performance space provides the perfect backdrop for the ASC's Elizabethan staging practices, and has already been called...

One of the most historically important theaters in the world.

-- Andrew Gurr, Professor of English, University of Reading, England and former Director of Research, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London

The Blackfriars Playhouse is open year-round for Shakespeare productions, hailed by The Washington Post as "shamelessly entertaining" and by The Boston Globe as "phenomenal…bursting with energy." It's also the perfect venue for meetings and conferences, or for the wedding of your dreams. Additionally, the Playhouse is open for special musical and theatrical events, workshops, educational programs, and actor-led theatre tours. Be sure to take a Virtual Tour of the theatre offered in this section of our website, and find out why Southern Living believes that "Staunton's Blackfriars Playhouse will make you fall in love with Shakespeare."