Norfolk theatre declares discovery of stage believed to have hosted William Shakespeare

A historic theatre in Norfolk, St George's Guildhall, claims to have discovered a stage where William Shakespeare may have performed. The theatre, which dates back to 1445 and is the oldest working theatre in the UK, found floorboards under the existing auditorium during recent renovations. These floorboards have been dated back to the 15th Century. The theatre also claims to have documents showing that Shakespeare's company performed at the venue in 1592 or 1593. The Earl of Pembroke's Men, believed to include Shakespeare, visited King's Lynn when theatres in London were closed due to the plague. Dr Jonathan Clark, an expert in historical buildings, used tree-ring dating and a survey of the building's construction to date the floorboards to between 1417 and 1430 when the Guildhall was built. He believes this discovery is significant as it could be the only surviving example of a stage on which Shakespeare acted. Although there has been academic debate over whether Shakespeare performed in King's Lynn, experts consider this discovery to be strong evidence. The discussion about the discovery will continue at a talk called Revealing the Secrets of the Guildhall.