What to Know
- The Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford opened in 1955. Katharine Hepburn, James Earl Jones and Christopher Walken all performed there.
- The historic theatre burned to the ground on Jan. 13, 2019, after sitting vacant since the 1980s.
- The town of Stratford is looking to breathe new life into the property in line with restrictions in the deed.
Police have arrested a third juvenile in connection with the fire that destroyed the historic Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford in January as well as burglaries in town.
Police said Monday that they arrested two juveniles. On Tuesday, police said a third juvenile was arrest and charged with conspiracy to commit arson in the third degree, criminal trespass in the third degree, burglary in the third degree and criminal mischief in the third degree.
The other two juveniles were charged with arson in the first degree, burglary in the first degree. criminal trespass in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, conspiracy to commit arson in the third degree, criminal trespass in the third degree, burglary in the third degree and criminal mischief in the third degree, police said.
Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick said the town is still moving forward with plans to rebuild in some way.
“It’s really heartfelt that people were so connected to that building and what happened there, the memories that they had there," she said. She added that while the plan isn't necessarily to rebuild the theatre itself, she hopes they will be able to do something around culture and arts with the property.
They are collecting input from the community and are waiting to hear back on the insurance claim to decide what's next.
Authorities have not named the suspects because of their ages.
Shakespeare Theater opened in 1955 and was mostly vacant since the 1980s. The town acquired the theatre from the state in 2005 and it burned down on Jan. 13.
