THE countdown has begun for the opening night of Europe's first-ever pop-up Tudor theatre.

Shakespeare's Rose Theatre will combine state-of-the-art scaffolding technology, corrugated iron and timber with the historic 13-sided design of a 16th-century theatre.

Situated in the heart of York, by the city's iconic Clifford's Tower, it will house an audience of 950, with 600 seated on three tiered balconies around an open-roofed courtyard and standing room for 350 "groundlings".

And four of the Bard's most popular plays will be performed in repertory by two companies of actors during the 10-week season, from June 25 until September 2 - Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Richard III.

Outside the theatre will be "Shakespeare’s Village" - a free-to enter attraction.

Celebrity chef Brian Turner, is creating a special street food menu with leading Yorkshire street food vendors, showcasing some of the best fare the county has to offer.

In addition there will be locally-made ice cream and a fully licensed bar, all housed in traditional oak-framed and reed-thatched buildings.

And award-winning Yorkshire designer Sally Tierney has been engaged to design and create an Elizabethan garden, with ornate box-edged beds of cottage flowers, roses and herbs.

The production team are now busy sourcing performers for the village. During Elizabethan times, actors would often travel the country performing plays on farm wagons.

Shakespeare’s Village will feature a regular schedule of "wagon entertainment" with speeches, soulful sonnets and medieval music, as well as juggling jesters.

The original Rose Theatre was built in 1587 on the south bank of the River Thames in London. It was a 14-sided timber structure, with plaster exterior and a thatched roof, open in the centre to the elements.

Its success paved the way for other theatres to be built in the area, including the Swan in 1595, the Globe in 1599 and the Fortune in 1600.

The project is the brainchild of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and CEO James Cundall said: “More than 400 years ago, the first audiences for Shakespeare’s plays enjoyed an experience that was as intimate as it was exciting.

“In Shakespeare's Rose Theatre an experience every bit as exciting, intimate and immersive will be offered to today’s audiences in a dramatic playhouse setting beside the iconic 13th-century Clifford’s Tower."