MIDSUMMER ROMAN FEAST
MIDSUMMER ROMAN FEAST
Sunday 25 June - Avonbank Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon
Following the success of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Midsummer activities in 2016 at the Fairy Portal Camp, family fun filled celebrations return with the Midsummer Roman Feast on Sunday 25 June.
Inspired by the RSC’s Rome Season with the productions of Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus and Coriolanus, audiences are invited to join a Roman festival in a day on the Avonbank Gardens in Stratford-upon-Avon. Roman festivities were characterised by decadence and excessive feasts; the wealthy seeking to impress with extravagant dishes and unusual delicacies; food often appearing to be one thing and turning out to be another.
Working with the RSC to create this lavish feast will be renowned food designers Blanch & Shock who will present a three-course meal, interspersed with moments of performance. Blanch & Shock find creative and unusual ways to explore and illustrate ideas through food. Their projects have included ‘Feast of the Dead’ in Hastings, with collaborators, Dens and Signals, to create a feast as part of Root 1066, the town’s commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings; and being part of the current Wellcome exhibition ‘Electricity: The spark of life’ where they will be cooking a dinner inspired by the use of artificial refrigeration.
Mike Knowlden from Blanch & Shock said: ‘The menu for the Midsummer Roman Feast imagines what the Romans might have been eating in Stratford-upon-Avon at the time that the Empire reached Great Britain. We are preparing some ingredients that they might have brought with them, and some wild ones that they would have found here. It’s been exciting to research such old recipes and find the meeting points of their cuisine with the way we cook today. You can expect some unusual herbs and spices, a little splash of gore, lots of honey and some decadent Roman party tricks.’
Find out more about Blanch & Shock here: www.blanchandshock.com
Alongside the Roman Feast in the Swan Gardens from 12pm – 4pm will be free traditional life sized and table top games, live music and Roman inspired crafts. These free activities are open to all to enjoy with space for families to bring their own picnic.
The Roman Feast begins at 12pm on the 25 June, tickets are £15 for adults and £7.50 for concessions and children over five. To book call 01789 403493 or online at www.rsc.org.uk/events/midsummer-roman-feast
Notes to Editors:
For further information, please contact:
Nurinder Mantell, nurinder.mantell@rsc.org.uk 01789 412657/ 07920 541729
The Royal Shakespeare Company Rome Season:
Julius Caesar, directed by Angus Jackson
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, until 9 September 2017
Antony & Cleopatra, directed by Iqbal Khan
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, until 7 September 2017
Titus Andronicus, directed by Blanche McIntyre
Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 23 June to 2 September 2017
Coriolanus, directed by Angus Jackson
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, from 15 September to 14 October 2017
