Category Archives: Legacy

Everything to Everybody: opening up Birmingham’s Shakespeare Memorial Library

For years Libraries have been under severe pressure, with many closing their doors, having their opening hours restricted, or having to rely on volunteers. So it’s wonderful to report that one of the great Shakespeare libraries in the West Midlands, … Continue reading

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Hung be the heavens with black! Terry Hands remembered

Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night! The opening line of Henry VI Part One seems appropriate as a memorial for the great theatre director Terry Hands, who died on 4 February 2020. The success of the … Continue reading

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The Dugdale Society’s centenary

One hundred years ago this week, on 22 January 1920 to be exact, the Dugdale Society was formed with the aim of promoting the history of Warwickshire. Over the past century the Society has grown to be a significant force. … Continue reading

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December 12th: a date to remember in Stratford-upon-Avon’s Shakespearean history

December 12th is probably not the date anybody would choose for an important event. There’s hardly any daylight, the weather’s cold and damp, and everybody’s preoccupied with Christmas and the New Year. It’s true for the General Election in 2019, … Continue reading

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Dickens and the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon

Nineteenth-century novelist Charles Dickens is particularly associated with the festive season. His “little Christmas book” A Christmas Carol was published in 1843 and with its larger than life characters, dramatic plot and heartwarming message, it was an instant success. It … Continue reading

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Shakespeare annotated: John Milton’s First Folio

Over the last few weeks the hottest story in Shakespeare studies has been the identification of a First Folio in the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Rare Book Department as John Milton’s own copy, annotated in his own hand. The book … Continue reading

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David Garrick’s Apotheosis today

The 250th anniversary of the Garrick Jubilee has been celebrated in a number of ways in Stratford-upon-Avon during September 2019. Church bells have been rung, Morris dancers have performed, talks and exhibitions have been put on. There’s also a more … Continue reading

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Garrick’s Jubilee in London

By the end of September 1769 Stratford-upon-Avon must have been returning to humdrum normality after the excitement of David Garrick’s Shakespeare Jubilee that had taken over the town earlier in the month. The phenomenon of the Jubilee, however, was far … Continue reading

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Remembering Garrick’s Jubilee in Stratford-upon-Avon

Imagine the scene in Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday 9 September 1769, the morning after the night before, indeed after the three days of David Garrick’s Jubilee. There was an undignified rush to leave the town, but there weren’t enough carriages. A … Continue reading

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David Garrick’s Jubilee Ode, 1769

Today, 7 September 2019, is the 250th anniversary of the highlight of David Garrick’s Shakespeare Jubilee. In the specially-built amphitheatre Garrick delivered his Ode, a long piece of verse consisting of spoken sections interspersed with airs delivered by some of … Continue reading

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