The World Shakespeare Festival was part of the London Olympics - a UK-wide eight-month celebration, produced by the RSC, which reached more than 1.8 million people.
We invited UK and international artists and producers to explore Shakespeare as the world's playwright, what resulted was:
How to prepare for a festival which brings together thousands of artists from across the world.
Photos of the key themes that ran through the festival, including Globe to Globe, exhibitions and international productions.
The festival in pictures: see photos of the productions, events and exhibitions across the UK.
The World Shakespeare Festival was part of London 2012, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad.