Shakespeare theater loss of history

A building that hadn’t been in regular use for decades, whose glory days happened before many residents were born, is not often the subject of mourning. But the Shakespeare theater in Stratford was not like other buildings.

For a generation of theater lovers, it was a destination to see the biggest stars on a Connecticut stage. For schoolchildren, it was the site of trips for what might have been many people’s first experience with live theater. For history buffs, it was a connection between Stratford, Conn., and Stratford-upon-Avon, England, the 16th-century birthplace of William Shakespeare.

And for residents who saw it every day, even as it fell out of use and was the subject of innumerable resuscitation efforts, it was a point of pride. Without question, it is irreplaceable.

“When people came to the site early this morning ... there was such misery,” said Mayor Laura Hoydick on Sunday. “They were mourning the loss of the building, the loss of the structure, the loss of the memories that incorporated their vision for the future.”

As of this writing, there’s no indication of what caused the fire that destroyed the building early Sunday morning, but knowing what happened wouldn’t change the result. The iconic theater, which hosted its final season of regular performances in 1982, is now a part of local history.

Talk has already turned to what will happen to the property, which was the source of major disagreements while the theater stood. The commercial viability of live theater at the site was always questionable, and it seems likely that if someone could have found a way to make it work over the years, it would have happened.

More recently, talk moved to finding someone up to the task of merely keeping the building standing. The question of what to do with a large, strategically placed yet functionally obsolete museum piece was never adequately answered.

Now, the Shakespeare Academy at Stratford says it will continue to stage outdoor performances at the property this summer even as it mourns a “tragic day” for the community. A deed restriction put in place when the state transferred ownership of the property to the town mandates the site be used for recreation or entertainment purposes, but it’s hard to imagine there won’t be some kind of commercial use for the riverfront land.

For now, as only a husk of the building remains, people are mourning a lost part of their pasts. There might not have been a viable future for the theater, but no one wanted to see it end this way.

And it serves as a reminder about all the other history in our midst — from abandoned theaters to closed factories and historic homes. They won’t last forever, and neglect will only hasten their demise. If we want to preserve the past, the price can be steep. But what we stand to lose is immeasurable.