Every summer, theater lovers travel hours for Shakespeare — in parks, under stars, in converted warehouses doing their best. None of it compares to seeing Shakespeare performed in a faithful recreation of his own indoor theater, in a small Virginia city most people haven't discovered yet.
That city is Staunton. And if you haven't been, this is your summer.
The Blackfriars Playhouse: Why It Matters
The American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse is the only operating recreation of Shakespeare's indoor theater in the world. Built in 2001 in downtown Staunton, it performs the plays the way they were originally staged — original practices, live music, and audiences kept lit throughout so actors can make direct eye contact with the crowd.
It is, in a word, electric.
The 2026 fall and winter season rotates a repertory of Shakespeare classics and select contemporary works. Shows sell out. Plan ahead.
What makes a Blackfriars performance different:
- Audience and actors share the same candlelit space — no dark house, no fourth wall
- Musicians perform live before and during each show
- Standing room "groundling" tickets offer an authentic 1600s experience
- Post-show discussions with the cast most evenings
Stay Steps Away — Not Miles
Most visitors drive in from Charlottesville, Richmond, or DC, catch a show, and head home. They miss the point of Staunton entirely.
The city rewards staying. Downtown is walkable, genuinely charming, and free of chain-hotel sprawl. The restaurants along Beverley Street are serious. The boutiques in the Wharf Area Historic District are worth an afternoon. The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library is a five-minute walk from the theater.
Hotel 24 South sits at the center of all of it — a 1924 Colonial Revival building that has been part of downtown Staunton longer than most of its landmarks. Rooms are comfortable, service is personal, and the walk to Blackfriars takes under five minutes.
A suggested two-night theater itinerary:
- Friday: Arrive, check in, dinner on Beverley Street, evening show at Blackfriars
- Saturday: Morning coffee downtown, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, afternoon at leisure, second show from the rotating repertory
- Sunday: Farmer's market if the timing is right, scenic drive toward Skyline Drive before heading home
Book Your Stay
Hotel 24 South offers packages that pair your Blackfriars experience with comfortable, historically grounded accommodations in the heart of downtown. View current offers at hotel24south.com/specials.
The theater is a five-minute walk. Everything else worth doing in Staunton is closer. There is no better home for a summer of Shakespeare.