Category Archives: Shakespeare on Stage

The Old Vic at 200

11 May 2018 is the 200th anniversary of the opening of one of the most important theatres in the UK, known as the Old Vic. It was originally named the Royal Coburg Theatre, after Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and his … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and the actors

The annual Olivier Awards ceremony took place on 8 April 2018, and this year, sadly, there were no awards for any Shakespeare productions. Even more unusually, there were only three nominations, all for Robert Icke’s production of Hamlet at the … Continue reading

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Remembering Vivien Leigh on World Bipolar Day

In 1955, sixty-three years ago, Stratford-upon-Avon experienced its most glamorous season of Shakespeare. Laurence Olivier and his wife Vivien Leigh, the golden couple of stage and screen, performed in three plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre: Twelfth Night (Malvolio and … Continue reading

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Reviving the great Edmund Kean

Who wouldn’t wish to have been able to experience the great Edmund Kean performing Shakespeare? He mesmerised his audiences and critic after critic tried to explain how he got his effects. The most famous of all descriptions came from the … Continue reading

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Speaking Shakespeare in 2018

The speaker at a recent meeting of the Shakespeare Club in Stratford-upon-Avon was actor Robert Lister. Never heard of him? Well Robert wouldn’t be hurt or surprised. He described himself as an “engine room actor” and in his talk, entitled … Continue reading

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International Women’s Day 2018

On 8 March 2018 International Women’s Day is being celebrated around the world. This year seems particularly special as we mark the centenary of women’s suffrage in the UK. And the treatment of women in the world of entertainment and … Continue reading

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2018: The Year of Macbeth

Macbeth is known as Shakespeare’s unluckiest play. For generations it has been referred to by the superstitious as “The Scottish Play” because even speaking its name inside the theatre could bring down disaster. There are many stories of accidents and … Continue reading

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Remembering John Barton, teacher and mentor

In the days since his death on 18 January 2018, tributes have flooded in for theatre director John Barton. He was invited to help form the RSC by Peter Hall in the early sixties and both were hugely influential. While … Continue reading

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International Migrants Day: Ira Aldridge and theatre

18 December is International Migrants Day, when the courage and contribution of migrants and refugees around the world is especially celebrated. In the play Sir Thomas More, Shakespeare wrote persuasively about the plight of people fleeing their own countries: he … Continue reading

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David Garrick at 300

Events to mark the 300th anniversary of David Garrick’s birth have been taking place all year. Born in 1717, Garrick burst onto the London stage in 1841 in the role of Richard III. The Museum of London has held an … Continue reading

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