Open-air market planned at Stratford’s Shakespeare Theatre site

A new bimonthly open-air market is coming to the grounds of the long-shuttered American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford.

american shakespeare theatre
The theater burned to the ground early Sunday morning, Jan. 13, 2019. Photo by Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

The Shakespeare Market will be held on the first and third Sundays of each month, beginning Jan. 17 and running through April 18. According to the market”™s website, the endeavor will offer “crafts, food vendors and activities supported by community organization partners.” The website also encourages visitors to explore Stratford”™s “hidden gems,” including its waterfront attractions.

The market is the first new activity to take place on the grounds of the American Shakespeare Theatre that was completely destroyed in a fire that began in the early hours of Jan. 13, 2019. The celebrated venue saw its last live performance in 1989 and was shuttered ever since. Last August, a $70 million plan was floated by an independent group to construct a replica of London’s Shakespeare-era Globe Theatre at the 12-acre Stratford site, but to date nothing has come of this proposal.