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Monthly Archives: October 2014
A new chapter in the history of Shakespeare’s Celebrations
I’ve spent much of the past year or so researching the history of the celebrations of Shakespeare’s birth in Stratford-upon-Avon. It’s a long and complicated story with its origins in the 1769 Garrick Jubilee, and I’m happy to report that after a few … Continue reading
Exploring Shakespeare’s blank verse
About 10 days ago I wrote about the ways in which actors approach speaking Shakespeare’s poetry to bring it alive in performance. That post was mostly looking at OP or original pronunciation as opposed to modern speech, and some time ago … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged Cicely Berry, Henry V, iambic pentameter, John Barton, metre, Playing Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company, verse
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Remembering the days of Empire: The Shakespeare Memorial National Theatre Ball, 1911
The years leading up to the First World War saw interest in Shakespeare reaching a high. In Stratford there were events relating to the rise in folk traditions of singing and dancing, but in London the movement to found a … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy
Tagged Earl's Court, Edwin Lutyens, Marie Corelli, Michael Dobson, National Theatre, pageant, Royal Albert Hall, Shakespeare Exhibition, Shakespeare Memorial National Theatre Ball
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Hugh Quarshie: Othello at last
In 2015 Hugh Quarshie will at last be taking on the role of Othello. It’s been a long wait: having played a whole series of Shakespeare’s characters in the 1980s and 1990s, from the predictable Aaron in Titus Andronicus, through … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Sources
Tagged Black History Month, Cinthio, Hugh Quarshie, James Earl Jones, Kwame Kwei Armah, Lucian Msamati, Othello
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Shakespeare, politics and the history of Stratford-upon-Avon
The Shakespeare Club’s October meeting consisted of a lecture by historian Nicholas Fogg on Shakespeare and politics. It was perhaps no surprise that he had decided to look at the subject through a historical perspective, suggesting that to understand Shakespeare’s views … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged Henry V, Henry VI, history, Nicholas Fogg, politics, Shakespeare Club
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So how should Shakespeare really sound?
The biggest perceived challenge to anyone getting to grips with Shakespeare for the first time is probably making sense of the language. All the old-fashioned words, the use of “thee” and “thou”, the poetic constructions, the grammar itself. Yet reading … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged Ben Crystal, David Crystal, John Barton, original pronunciation, Playing Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe, Word of Mouth
Comments Off on So how should Shakespeare really sound?
British Black and Asian Shakespeare
We’re in the middle of Black History Month 2014, and it’s a good moment to draw attention to a major project on the history of non-white performers of Shakespeare. British Black and Asian Shakespeare is run by Professor Tony Howard … Continue reading
Shakespeare’s marvellous sweet music
Shakespeare’s own use of music, and the many ways in which Shakespeare’s works have inspired composers in the centuries since he wrote them, are among the most recurrent subjects for this blog. And in the next few weeks there are … Continue reading
Shakespeare and the memories of the German nation
The British Museum is just about to launch its new exhibition Germany: Memories of a Nation. Following a successful formula, the Museum’s Director Neil MacGregor has a Radio 4 series under way that links museum objects with an idea or … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy
Tagged British Museum, Germany, Neil MacGregor, Weimar
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Stratford-upon-Avon’s historic Town Hall
Standing at the busy junction of Sheep Street, Chapel Street, Ely Street and High Street is Stratford’s Town Hall. From the outside it’s a dignified building built of Cotswold stone and facing towards the High Street, in a niche, is … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged David Garrick, Jubilee, Shakespeare Club, Shakespeare's Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, Town Hall
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