Roman Theatre, St Albans

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The Roman Theatre at St Albans, Hertfordshire, England sits in the old Roman city of Verulamium. There are other Roman theatres in Britain, such as the one at Camulodunum, but Verulamium’s theatre is said to be unique because it has a stage instead of an amphitheatre. It was built around 140 AD and sits on a gently sloping site, unlike many theatres that use natural hills. Verulamium continued to be lived in into the 5th century, but the theatre fell out of use and was used as a rubbish dump in the 4th century. It was excavated in the 19th century and again in the 1930s by Kathleen Kenyon. The theatre is on land owned by the Earl of Verulam and is open to the public. It has been used for performances since its excavation, and today it hosts a Roman Theatre Open Air Festival.