Mercury. Why, man, he doth bestride the world like a Colossus... - William Shakespeare. On this site in 1937, legendary American actor - writer - director - producer Orson Welles founded the Mercury Theatre with John Houseman. Here Welles directed groundbreaking productions of Julius Caesar, The Shoemaker's Holiday, Heartbreak House, and Danton's Death. Welles and The Mercury would go on to make history with The War of The Worlds broadcast and Citizen Kane. Astonishingly, he would accomplish all this by his 26th birthday.