Recovery of stage foundations, which will be part of new London museum, has changed understanding of theatre development

Three metres below ground in a newly developed square in Shoreditch, east London, is a short expanse of brickwork that is both unique and utterly magical.

These low brick walls, measuring 14 metres by five, are the foundations of the stage of the Curtain theatre, where William Shakespeare’s company of actors were based between 1597 and 1599.