Monthly Archives: May 2013

The Mary Rose Museum: open at last

Do you remember what you were doing on 11 October 1982? It’s a day which I remember vividly. There was going to be live coverage on the TV of the raising of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship, which had … Continue reading

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Shakespeare, Live from Stratford-upon-Avon

At last, at last, the Royal Shakespeare Company are launching “Live from Stratford-upon-Avon”, in which the sellout production of Richard II starring David Tennant is  to be screened live in cinemas around the world. The RSC have been slow getting … Continue reading

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To move, astonish and delight mankind: Shakespeare at Stowe

With the extravagance of the Chelsea Flower Show behind us, and gardens and open spaces looking at their best, summer has finally started. Shakespeare has always been associated with nature, writing about flowers, plants and the English countryside.  So it’s surprising … 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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Shakespeare in London, dodging taxes and multiculturalism

It may no longer be the Year of Shakespeare but there’s no shortage of events and exhibitions on offer quite apart from performances of his plays. Coming soon, at the London Metropolitan Archives, is a free exhibition focusing on Shakespeare … Continue reading

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Peter Brook: from enfant terrible to grand old man of the theatre

Nobody has been more influential in the world of the theatre in the last 70 years than Peter Brook. And at the age of 88, he’s still involved, setting out his ideas about why theatre is so important. Shakespeare has … Continue reading

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Encouraging the sense of wonder: Educating with Shakespeare

Funding and the arts is a subject that never drops off the agenda completely, but since Arts Minister Maria Miller’s speech about funding, indicating that the arts needed to think more about profit, arts organisations and their supporters have been … Continue reading

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Looking at Leontes: The Winter’s Tale in stitches at the RSC

Last week I wrote about the three costumes for Prospero in The Tempest which form part of the RSC’s exhibition of historic costumes, Into the Wild. Just opposite them stand three quite different costumes, for the character Leontes in The … Continue reading

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Sir William Davenant and adapting Shakespeare, Restoration-style

In April the Painted Room in what used to be the Crown Tavern, at 3, Cornmarket, Oxford was temporarily re-opened. It’s remarkable that this room has survived, but even more astonishing is the coincidence that it is thought that Shakespeare … Continue reading

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Shakespeare, the BAFTAs, and screening theatre

On Sunday May 12 the award ceremony for the UK’s TV industry, the BAFTAs, is being held. Shakespeare interest is focused on The Hollow Crown, the four-part mini-series which screened during the summer of 2012. The series isn’t badly represented: Ben … Continue reading

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