Monthly Archives: February 2015

Conferences 2015: Shakespeare and others

2015 may be seen as a breathing space between the major years of 2014 (450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth) and 2016 (400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death), but there are a goodly crop of academic conferences coming up this year that … Continue reading

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Alan Howard: remembering the Dream

Alan Howard, who died on 14 February 2015, came from a family of actors and writers, and following in the family tradition, became the most theatrical of actors. Many have concentrated on the partnership he developed with RSC director Terry Hands … Continue reading

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“Go ply thy needle”: embroidery in Tudor England

One of the great pleasures of the BBC series Wolf Hall, adapted from Hilary Mantel’s novels, has been to admire the costumes worn by the king and his court, from the scarlet robes of Cardinal Wolsey and the magnificence of … Continue reading

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Farewell to Alan Howard, the “great spirit” of the RSC

Tributes have been pouring in following the death on 14 February 2015 of the great Shakespearian actor Alan Howard, who did his best work at the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1966 to 1981. Although this was a golden period for … Continue reading

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Chinese Shakespeares

Thursday, 19th February is the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Goat, Sheep or Ram. The biggest celebrations outside China are held in London, which testifies to the internationalism of the English capital. The main festivities will take place over … Continue reading

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William Blake and creativity in science and the arts

What is creativity and where does it come from? Is there a place for creativity in science? Shakespeare was one of the most creative of people, but the mysteries of his talent are impossible to pin down. William Blake, (1757-1827) … Continue reading

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Stratford-upon-Avon projects 2016: a new collaboration

Earlier in the week I wrote about some of the projects in Stratford-upon-Avon timed for completion at the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in April 2016. The Royal Shakespeare Company and Birmingham University have also announced a five-year collaboration centred on … Continue reading

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“Let me see your archery”: from deadly conflict to courtly leisure

More than one scene in the TV series Wolf Hall has shown gentlemen and ladies of the court of Henry VIII practicing archery as a pastime. And in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost the Princess of France and her ladies take aim … Continue reading

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Celebrating 2016 in Stratford-upon-Avon: preparations begin

2016 will be the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and preparations are well under way to celebrate in the town where he was born and died. Projects are afoot everywhere, and I’m going to write a couple of posts giving … Continue reading

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Shakespeare onstage 2015

In the last couple of weeks lots of announcements for Shakespeare productions in the UK  in 2015 have been made, and booking opened. This post contains links to just some of what’s going to be on offer this year. It’s … Continue reading

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