Category Archives: Stratford-upon-Avon

Celebrating the Swan Theatre’s birthday

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

On 13 November 1986 The Queen visited Stratford-upon-Avon to open the Swan Theatre. The official opening ceremony was held during the day and in the evening The Fair Maid of the West was staged in front of an invited audience, … Continue reading →

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Learning about education in Shakespeare’s town and the universities

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

Duncan Salkeld’s new book Shakespeare among the Courtesans is based on close study of documentary evidence, a technique which he notes sometimes takes a battering. Facts, he notes, are “subject to interpretation, and so refracted through a variety of political, … Continue reading →

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Valuing performance: violins, Vaughan Williams and Henry V

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

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

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

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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Linking Shakespeare’s Theatre and his Church: Bensonian actor Frank Rodney

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

When I wrote my piece about the Benson memorial windows in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, I received a comment about the memorial to Bensonian actor Frank Rodney that stands in Holy Trinity Church. Stratford’s Church probably contains more memorials to … Continue reading →

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Macbeth from stage to film

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

Macbeth is one of the most-filmed of Shakespeare’s plays, and no wonder. According to  Daniel Rosenthal in his book Shakespeare on Screen, “From its supernatural opening to its gruesome climax, Macbeth is the Shakespeare play that reads most like a … Continue reading →

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“Trivial fond records” of wartime performance

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

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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Shakespeare’s rhyming couplets

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

We all know that in order to get to grips with Shakespeare’s writing, you have to understand blank verse, most crucially the unrhymed iambic pentameter. Students often struggle with the theory, though in practice it’s not so tough: one of … Continue reading →

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Fairs, pedlars, and Shakespeare’s Stratford

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

October is fair-time in Stratford-upon-Avon and the surrounding towns as the travelling rides, the prize stalls and the hot dog stands fill the town’s streets. The traditional pig roast is still part of the Mop fair as is the fortune-teller’s … Continue reading →

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Putting a girdle round about the globe: Shakespeare clubs and societies

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Sylvia Morris

What makes a group of like-minded Shakespeare-lovers turn themselves into a formal club or society? According to Nick Walton, it’s when the provision of refreshments, particularly biscuits, becomes an issue. Is the occupation of discussing or reading Shakespeare so exhausting that … Continue reading →

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