Tag Archives: Royal Shakespeare Company

Sir Simon Russell Beale

I was delighted to hear, a few weeks ago, that actor Simon Russell Beale has been awarded a knighthood. I’ve always enjoyed seeing him on stage and television, in particular watching him taking on many of Shakespeare’s most challenging roles. … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Sir Simon Russell Beale

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

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Reviving the great Edmund Kean

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

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Remembering John Barton, teacher and mentor

John Barton

It has just been announced that this morning, 18 January 2018, John Barton died. The Royal Shakespeare Company, that owed him so much, has published a wonderful tribute written by their Artistic Director Gregory Doran. John Barton’s name is nothing … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on John Barton

Preserving Macbeth’s Birnam Wood

  I’ve only just caught up with the story of the real Birnam Wood. Birnam Wood in Scotland dates back to medieval times, but now just two trees survive: the Birnam Oak, which is thought to date back around 500 … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Preserving Macbeth’s Birnam Wood

Ovid and Shakespeare: the world’s greatest storytellers

Anyone who’s interested in Shakespeare will have heard the name Ovid, but how much do we really know about him? I’ve written a couple of posts on Ovid myself, but I have never really investigated the story of this great … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World, Sources, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ovid and Shakespeare: the world’s greatest storytellers

Influences on Shakespeare

The source books from which Shakespeare took the main stories of his plays are well-known, sometimes so important that he quoted almost word for word, as in Enobarbus’s description of Cleopatra from Plutarch’s Lives. Other sources seem to have been … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Shakespeare's World, Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Influences on Shakespeare

Peter Hall and Shakespeare

On 15 September 2017 theatres in the West End of London and on Broadway will dim their lights in memory of Sir Peter Hall whose death, aged 86, was announced on 12 September. This has become a recognised tribute to … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Peter Hall and Shakespeare

Celebrating Ovid 2000 years on

2017 marks the 2000th anniversary of the death of the Roman writer Ovid, whose  Metamorphoses has continued to be one of the most influential of literary works. As Shakespeare’s favourite writer, the RSC, and its current Artistic Director Gregory Doran … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage, Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Shakespeare, culture and the digital

On Monday 3 July it was announced that the DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) would change its name to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. Sadly this has nothing to do with digital developments in the … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Shakespeare, culture and the digital