Teens charged with arson that destroyed historic theatre

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Two Connecticut teenagers have been arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed the historic American Shakespeare Theatre, where Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Plummer, James Earl Jones and other stars once performed.

Police say the teens, ages 18 and 17, were charged with arson Monday for setting fire to the Stratford theatre and to a truck.

The Connecticut Post reports police believe the students at Stratford’s Bunnell High School set six fires in all, including one that damaged the former Southbury Training School.

The teens’ names were not released because both were juveniles at the time of the fires.

The theatre burned to the ground in January and had not hosted a play since 1989. It was built in 1955 and modeled after London’s Globe Theatre, which famously burned in 1613.

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Information from: Connecticut Post, http://www.connpost.com

The Associated Press