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Monthly Archives: December 2014
Christmas traditions: The Mummers’ Play
Christmas Day itself may have passed, but today as in past centuries the Christmas season continues. In Shakespeare’s time the Christmas period was marked by more home-grown traditions including the burning of the yule log, rural sports, feasting and misrule. … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged Boxing Day, Christmas, English Folk Dance and Song Society, folklore, Ilmington, Ilmington Morris Men, Master Mummers, Mumming, Overton, Peter Millington, R J E Tiddy, The Howard Arms, The Mummers' Play, Warwickshire
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Happy Christmas from the Shakespeare blog
Many thanks to all of you who have been reading the Shakespeare blog during 2014! Over the past year I’ve written 145 posts, and have had nearly 135,000 visits to the site. I’ve also had many responses to posts and suggestions … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy
Tagged charity, Christmas, homelessness, King Lear, poverty, Thomas Tusser
2 Comments
Floral offerings for Shakespeare’s Birthday
Shakespeare’s Birthday has been celebrated in Stratford-upon-Avon for very nearly two centuries. Over this period there have been many changes, but the floral procession from the centre of the town to Holy Trinity Church remains their central feature. It is … Continue reading
Catching the plague
The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has been one of the most alarming continuing stories of 2014. Seven thousand people have died and the West has been accused of being slow to respond. It is heartening to hear … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World
Tagged Black Death, bubonic plague, Ebola, Folger Shakespeare Library, Great Plague of London, medicine, Neil MacGregor, plague, Thomas Dekker
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Plays and performances in Shakespeare’s theatres
I recently wrote about how Shakespeare leaves gaps within the text which actors are able to fill using their own imaginations. I’ve been reading a book that describes how theatres themselves contributed to the writing and performance of plays, an … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged effects, Farah Karim-Cooper, First Folio, Gwilym Jones, Lucy Munro, Nathalie Rivere de Carles, Shakespeare's Globe, The Tempest, theatre, Tiffany Stern
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Old December’s bareness everywhere
It’s December and winter is definitely on the way. Heavy snow has already been causing chaos in the USA, and in the UK we are bracing ourselves for violent storms. In Stratford the ways are certainly foul with mud and … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World
Tagged As You Like it, December, King John, snow, weather, winter
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The Swan Wing takes flight
Last week the Royal Shakespeare Company announced the start of a major project to restore what is now called the Swan Wing, the most historic part of their complex of buildings. From January work will begin on both the exterior and … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged Archive, collection, fire, Library, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre
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Shakespearean acting: achieving greatness
Four hundred years on, Shakespeare has lost none of his appeal for actors and directors, with Tom Hiddleston recently winning the Evening Standard Best Actor award for his charismatic portrayal of Coriolanus at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Only 33, … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged acting, awards, David Calder, Evening Standard, Jeremy Irons, Judi Dench, Laurence Olivier, Nicholas Hytner, Ralph Myers, Robert Greene, Shakespeare Club, Stanley Wells, Tom Hiddlestone
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Cheek by Jowl and Shakespeare’s Globe in the news
Two theatre companies which have made their mark by performing Shakespeare have recently made announcements about future programming and projects. First, Cheek by Jowl. Since they were formed in 1981 by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod the company has done … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged archives, As You Like it, Cheek by Jowl, Dominic Dromgoole, King John, Magna Carta, Measure for Measure, National Video Archive of Stage Performance, Russia, Shakespeare's Globe, Victoria and Albert Museum
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Shakespeare in France: the St Omer First Folio
There was good news for those interested in the history of Shakespeare’s plays last week. On Tuesday 25 November, it was announced that a First Folio had been discovered in a public library in Northern France. Many libraries must be … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy
Tagged catholicism, Eric Rasmussen, First Folio, forgery, France, Gutenberg, Martin Wiggins, printing, St Omer
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