Tag Archives: Shakespeare Memorial Theatre

The pioneering Flowers of Stratford-upon-Avon

Today there are few places where you will see the name of Flower in Stratford-upon-Avon apart from in a pub, but a hundred or even fifty years ago Flowers Brewery was one of the major employers in the town with … Continue reading

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The end of a tradition: Charlecote’s deer and Nigel Playfair’s As You Like It

As You Like It was in the very first season of plays performed at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in April-May 1879. With its references to the Forest of Arden the gently romantic comedy was bound to please. The other Shakespeares … Continue reading

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Slaughter in the streets: Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus

This post was always going to be about Titus Andronicus. But it was going to be about the designs for the 1955 Shakespeare Memorial Theatre production of the play, put on at a time when it was thought to be … Continue reading

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Theatres for Shakespeare

What is the ideal theatre, or stage, for Shakespeare? It’s a question that theatre people have been addressing for centuries. Shakespeare didn’t write exclusively for the Globe, and even though it was  purpose-built by Shakespeare’s company in 1599 I don’t … Continue reading

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Relics of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre’s fire

Last year on 6 March, the anniversary of the fire that destroyed the first Shakespeare Memorial Theatre I wrote a piece about the events of the day. Most people who were living in the town at the time remembered it … Continue reading

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Valuing performance: violins, Vaughan Williams and Henry V

This morning violinist Tasmin Little was interviewed on Radio 4’s flagship news programme Today, talking about rare violins and their value. In Vienna the verdict in the trial of Dietmar Machold, accused of fraud and embezzlement in the trade of … Continue reading

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When Hollywood came to Stratford: Claire Luce’s Cleopatra

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about Lionel Bradley, an ordinary man who lived through the second world war in London, recording his thoughts about not the blitz but the concerts which he and other Londoners attended: a … Continue reading

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“Trivial fond records” of wartime performance

Regular readers will know of my interest in the history of Shakespeare on stage, in particular the ways in which productions have been recorded. Many members of the audience choose to keep autographed programmes, posters or even their tickets, but … Continue reading

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Stratford’s Band of Brothers: the Bensonian Company

One of the most significant events in the early years of the theatre in Stratford was the appointment of Frank Benson to run the festivals. From 1879 to 1885 the Memorial Theatre had been a receiving house for companies bringing … Continue reading

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Gregory Doran’s Royal Shakespeare Company Odyssey

  On 14 September Gregory Doran becomes Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the most high-profile job in the world of Shakespeare. The RSC was founded in 1961 by the young Peter Hall, renaming and giving new life to … Continue reading

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