RSC ACTIVITIES AS PART OF SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, SATURDAY 20 APRIL
INCLUDES INVOLVEMENT FROM COMMUNITY GROUPS FROM COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE
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The Royal Shakespeare Company is offering visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon a wide range of activities to help mark Shakespeare’s Birthday as part of the town’s annual celebrations on Saturday 20 April, ahead of his real birthday on 23 April. Much of what’s on offer has been created with the involvement of the local community.
Free events include performances of Parade – The Giant Wheel - a choreographed procession, created by Autin Dance Theatre, featuring a 12 foot tall giant wheel and members of the local community; family friendly workshops, including storytelling sessions based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the opportunity to explore Shakespeare’s characters, themes and language; and a range of colourful and mindful activities promoting kindness and acceptance.
During the town’s Birthday Parade, which starts at 11am, a Community Flag, created by groups from Warm Hubs across Stratford-upon-Avon, will be unfurled.
The RSC will also reopen The Play’s The Thing, its permanent theatre-making exhibition, made up of items including costumes and props from the RSC’s vast Collection, offering unique insights into the history of theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879. Many of the items on display have been chosen in consultation with local community groups.
And, of course, there will be the chance to see Love’s Labour’s Lost, featuring Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (1.15pm and 7.15pm), and The Buddha of Suburbia, a new adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s award-winning novel in the Swan Theatre (7.30pm).
PARADE – THE GIANT WHEEL
by Autin Dance Theatre
Free, no booking required, suitable for all ages.
1.30-2pm - Swan Gardens.
4-4.50pm - starts in the Swan Gardens, finishes on the Bancroft Terrace. This performance will also be BSL interpreted.
Parade – The Giant Wheel is a moving performance inspired by the beauty, power and impact of people from different walks of life coming together. It features a 12 foot tall Giant Wheel powered by 6 street artists, accompanied by music and a large community cast from Coventry’s Positive Youth Foundation, Fred Winter Centre, ILEAP, and Warwickshire Pride, organisations the RSC has been working with regularly.
Autin Dance Theatre uses their unique blend of contemporary storytelling, striking physicality and innovative large designs to transport audiences and communities along a carefully choreographed procession.
Autin Dance and the Giant Wheel will also feature in the town’s annual Birthday Parade at 11am.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS
Free, ticketed 45min workshops suitable for ages 8+
Tickets: www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeares-birthday (from Monday 18 March)
Clore Learning Centre, Waterside
12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
Parent/carers must also book a ticket.
Explore A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s magical story of fairies, sprites, confused lovers, and the beloved character of Bottom the Weaver.
SHAKESPEARE WORKSHOPS:
EXPLORING CHARACTERS, THEMES AND LANGUAGE
Free, ticketed active workshops, suitable for ages 8+
Tickets: www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeares-birthday (from Monday 18 March)
PACCAR Room, Second Floor, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Hour long introductory fun and practical workshops exploring characters, themes and language in Shakespeare’s plays.
12-1pm
Setting Scenes
Discover how setting the world of a play helps us to understand the journey and resilience of the characters.
2-3pm
Creating Characters
Explore some of the characters from Shakespeare that break down barriers.
3-4pm
Power of words
How to use language to change people’s minds and world around you.
DROP-IN ACTIVITIES – THE KINDNESS SPACE
12noon-4pm
Reading Room, off the Swan Theatre Bar
Drop-in activity suitable for all ages. Colourful, mindful activities to promote kindness and acceptance.
A COMMUNUITY FLAG – PART OF THE BIRTHDAY PARADE
Workshops have been taking place across seven warm hubs in the local area to create a flag to be flown as part of the Birthday Parade, starting at 11am. Those involved have worked with artist, Michelle Flint to create a flag that will feature embroidery and collage, inspired by Shakespeare, the RSC’s Collection of costumes and props, and Stratford itself. Those that have helped create the flag will be invited to unfurl it and walk in the parade.
Warm Hubs involved in the project are Bishopton, Wellesbourne, Bidford, Stratford Library, Venture House and Clopton, and RSC’s own Warm Hub which takes place every Tuesday at The Other Place.
THE RSC’S PERMANENT EXHIBITION, THE PLAY’S THE THING
From noon – 7.15pm
First floor, Swan Theatre end of the building
Free, no booking required
Made up of items including costumes and props from the RSC’s vast Collection, The Play’s The Thing is the RSC’s permanent exhibition offering unique insights into the history of theatre-making in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879.
As part of the re-opening the RSC has co-curated the display with a number of local community organisations, including Coventry’s Positive Youth Foundation, Fred Winter Centre, ILEAP and Warwickshire Pride. The groups have shaped the exhibition by choosing which items they would like to see in it.
The exhibition includes Beyond the Borders, a spoken word film by artist, musician, rapper and Coventry’s Poet laureate John Bernard, working with the RSC and Positive Youth Foundation. The film responds to themes found in the RSC’s 2023 production of The Empress, addressing the concepts of home, identity, displacement, loneliness, and uncertainty.
The Play’s The Thing is located in the Swan Theatre end of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre’s buildings. Entrance is free, and the exhibition will be open from 12noon daily, closing at 7.15pm (5pm on Sundays). No advance booking required.
Started by Charles Edward Flower in 1879, the RSC Collection is one of the most significant Shakespeare and theatre collections in the world. The Collection material spans from the 1600s to the present day and offers an insight into the history of performance, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST
1.15pm and 7.15pm
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Tickets: www.rsc.org.uk
This year’s official Shakespeare’s Birthday Performance will be Love’s Labour’s Lost, at 7.15pm on Saturday 20 April. There will also be a matinee at 1.15pm. The show runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre between 11 April – 18 May, and is the first production programmed by the RSC’s new Co-Artistic Directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, as part of their inaugural season.
As previously announced the production features WhatsOnStage award-winner and Olivier Award nominated Luke Thompson (Bridgerton) as Berowne, alongside Melanie-Joyce Bermudez as the Princess, Ioanna Kimbook as Rosaline, and Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran as Ferdinand.
THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA
A co-production with Wise Children
7.30pm
Swan Theatre
Tickets: www.rsc.org.uk
An irresistible, heart-breaking and joyful exploration of family, friends, sex, theatre and, ultimately, belonging, Emma Rice adapts the award-winning 1990 novel, The Buddha of Suburbia with Hanif Kureishi in a major new co-production with Wise Children and the RSC. The production runs in the Swan Theatre between 18 April – 1 June.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Dean Asker, Senior Media Relations Officer, RSC
dean.asker@rsc.org.uk or 0778 9937759
NOTES TO EDITORS
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
RSC £10 Tickets for 14-25s supported by TikTok
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
New Work at the RSC is generously supported by Hawthornden Foundation and The Drue and H.J. Heinz II Charitable Trust
The redevelopment of the Swan Wing and The Play’s The Thing exhibition was generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Tubney Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund, The Wolfson Foundation and others
Beyond the Borders is kindly supported by The Grantham Yorke Charitable Trust
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates exceptional theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, London and around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commissioning a wide range of original work from contemporary writers. Our purpose is to ensure that Shakespeare – and theatre as a whole – is for everyone, and we do that by unlocking the power of his plays and live performance, and with our learning and education work throughout the UK and across the world.
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