American Shakespeare Center in Staunton Virginia

The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton Virginia is the home of one of the most unique structures around.  If you are any sort of a fan of live theater, this is a place you must visit at some point.

Their stage and seating area, the Blackfriars Playhouse, is a replica of the original Blackfriars Theatre in London.  William Shakespeare and his pals would have practiced their art there.

The original was demolished in 1655, and there are no real plans to go by, so this is kind of an approximate replica, but they did do all of the researching they could to get it right.

We took a formal tour of the theatre and we were impressed by just how spectacular the place is.  Sure, I wanted to see all of the behind the scenes stuff on a tour, but moments after seeing the place in person for the first time, I longed to see actors on it's stage.  I wanted to see people in the seats, and movement on the stage.  This is a beautiful place when empty, and I can only imagine it with lights, players, and an appreciative audience complimenting it.


As I imagine.... this venue would be the star of any play.

Being that we would not be able to attend any plays here any time soon, we were thrilled to be able to see so much of it on our tour.

Our tour was given by a very energetic student from the nearby Mary Baldwin College, where she studies acting!

AND we got to see the whole place!  Backstage, dressing rooms, the trap door area under the stage...... it was all very exciting!

This is a great venue, and Staunton is a very nice town.  I can't wait to get back here to visit more, and to see a play!