Shakespeare Magazine 08

At last!
A magazine with all the Will in the world
Issue 8
FREE
Painting
the Bard
Native
Tongues
The haunting
Shakespeare art
of Rosalind Lyons
The sound of
Shakespeare
in Scotland
Sweet
Home
Screen
Savers
Shakespeares
Stratford-uponAvon: its our
essential guide!
Hamlet
Shakespeares hottest ticket:
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
is Burning at the Barbican
Video Games:
The future of
Shakespeare?
At last! A magazine with all the Will in the world
Hamlet
Welcome
Welcome
to Issue 8 of Shakespeare Magazine
Photo: David Hammonds
Shakespeare is our greatest, most discussed, most studied, most

written-about author. And yet, we Shakespeare fans are often
made to feel that the Bard is some minor, niche obsession, that
cuts us off from what everyone else is getting excited about.
So its great for us when Shakespeare becomes headline news

and I mean real news, as opposed to the medias endlessly recycled
Shakespeare non-stories.
Which brings me to Benedict Cumberbatchs Hamlet. Undoubtedly
a real news story, and a real Shakespeare story, right now it feels like
the biggest thing to hit London since Henry VIIIs fourth stag party.
The papers have been having a field day reporting on every aspect of
Bens Barbican performances. Some of it has been trivial, sure. But its
also touched on interesting subjects. What is accepted theatre etiquette
for journalists as well as fans? Why is Hamlet such a pinnacle for
actors? And what happens if you move its most famous speech to the
start of the play?
So this issue were unashamedly celebrating Benedict Cumberbatchs
Hamlet. If youre new to Shakespeare, you probably dont know that
he wasnt actually the most popular and successful playwright of his
day. But 400 years later hes the undisputed number one. And thats
definitely something to shout about.
Enjoy your magazine.
Pat Reid, Founder & Editor
SHAKESPEARE magazine
At last! A magazine with all the Will in the world
Issue 8
FREE
Painting
the Bard
Native
Tongues
The haunting
Shakespeare art
of Rosalind Lyons
The sound of
Shakespeare
in Scotland
Sweet
Home
Screen
Savers
Shakespeares
Stratford-uponAvon: its our
essential guide!
Hamlet
Video Games:
The future of
Shakespeare?
Contents

Shakespeare Magazine
Issue Eight
August 2015
Big
Ben
Its the Shakespeare event

of the Year: Benedict
Cumberbatch is Hamlet.
18
No Place
Like Home
Back to where it all began:

exploring Shakespeares home
town, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Founder & Editor

Pat Reid
Art Editor
Paul McIntyre
Staff Writers
Brooke Thomas (UK)
Mary Finch (US)
Writers
Liz Barrett
Andrew Bretz
Paul F Cockburn
Rosalind Lyons
Helen Mears
Jen Richardson
Chief Photographer
Piper Williams
28
Painting
Shakespeare
34
Killing
the King
39
Bonnie
Prince Billy
44
The Games
Afoot
Magical, haunting and dreamlike: the Shakespeare art of

Rosalind Lyons.
Actor Aidan OReilly tells us

how hes preparing to play
Shakespeares Richard III.
Thank You
Mrs Mary Reid
Mr Peter Robinson
Merchant Taylors School, Crosby
Web design
David Hammonds
Contact Us
shakespearemag@outlook.com
Facebook
facebook.com/ShakespeareMagazine
Twitter
@UKShakespeare
Website
www.shakespearemagazine.com
You havent heard Shakespeare

until youve heard it in the
original Scottish
Could the dizzying digital

world of video games be
7LEOIWTIEVIWREPJVSRXMIV#
!"#$%&"'()*+,-./0.,$.
.10.$234),5$67(.7)8"$)0.$8"$9,':.),'7),/),')6'2$"7#:26"')2")*+,-./0.,$.;/)($.,2./2)03,4/
!"#$%&!'()!*+%,!-)!"#$%&!(!'%(!./01+%2!'''
!"#$%&"!"#$%#!&'(!)*+,%-.!/&01%-2!'()!)*+,*3!4&%3&5
!"#$"%&
Matthew Jenkinsons careful alterations of some of Shakespeares

most important plays may give us less than 50% of each plays
lines, but they convey far more than that percentage of each plays
theatrical power. Moreover, they belong 100% to the highest
traditions of both teaching and performing Shakespeares plays.
Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the
Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-uponAvon, and Professor of Shakespeare
Studies, University of Birmingham
Order now from

www.johncattbookshop.com
Coming soon: Vol 3: A Midsummer Nights Dream,
Twelfth Night and
The Tempest
! Benedict Cumberbatch
How weary, stale,
flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the
uses of this world! [I, 2]
Big
Ben
Benedict Cumberbatch
Lyndsey Turners 2015

production of Hamlet
features striking set
designs by Es Devlin.
Perhaps the quintessentially English actor,

Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on the
quintessentially English poet and playwright,
William Shakespeare. His new Hamlet
is the fastest-selling production in London
history, but which other Shakespeare roles
has Benedict played? And how does he feel
about tackling The Big One?
Words: Helen Mears Photos: Johan Persson
SHAKESPEARE magazine!
Benedict will be
seen as Richard III
in the second cycle
of the BBCs The
Hollow Crown.
enedict Cumberbatchs professional

relationship with Shakespeare began early in
his career, back in 2001. He appeared in the
New Shakespeare Companys productions in
Regents Park, playing the King of Navarre
in Loves Labours Lost and Demetrius in A
Midsummer Nights Dream. As he told Whats
On Stage in 2005, They were my first two
professional roles in the theatre. In the
interview he also stated that Shakespeare
was his favourite all-time playwright. This
presumably influenced his decision to return
to Regents Park in 2002 for As You Like It
and Romeo and Juliet, playing Orlando and

Benvolio respectively.
Shakespeare does not feature again in
Cumberbatchs CV. Instead he worked his
way through acclaimed TV work such as his
portrayal of Steven Hawking in 2004 biodrama Hawking, and his role as the troubled
artist Vincent Van Gogh in 2010s Van
Gogh: Painted with Words, and film roles in
Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl
(2008), before breaking big in 2010 with the
BBCs Sherlock. The programme was a worldwide success and propelled Cumberbatch
onto the acting A-list. Since then he has
featured in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), 12
Years a Slave (2014) and two of the Hobbit
films (2013-14), in which he voiced the
dragon Smaug. He also made a huge success
of The Imitation Game (2014), in which he
played codebreaker Alan Turing.
Now Benedict is returning to Shakespeare
with vengeance, with two major roles, on
stage as tragic hero Hamlet and on BBC
TV as arch-villain Richard III in The Hollow
Crown: The Wars of the Roses. A taster came in
the BBCs Lifetime of British Drama promo
where he beautifully recites the Seven Ages
of Man speech from As You Like It over clips
from classic BBC dramas past and present.
Incredibly, Cumberbatch is himself a
distant descendant of Richard III. The actor
read Carol Ann Duffys specially-composed
poem Richard at his ancestors re-interment
at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015. He
felt honoured to have been involved and it
seemed particularly apt that he was filming
the role of Richard at the time of this
historic event. Having just played his very
different Shakespearean characterisation,
You wouldnt look twice at Richard. Hes a

very dangerous, charming, powerful man
he commented, I was intrigued to see what
the real historical event would be like, and
to be a part of this extraordinary moment of
remembrance. Then what really sealed the
deal was this beautiful poem.
Benedict feels that the discovery of
Richards remains has changed peoples
perceptions. I think the debate in historical
and archaeological terms about the reality of
him and his kingship is whats extraordinary
to witness now.
He also recognises the perilous appeal
of Shakespeares Richard. You wouldnt
look twice at him necessarily, he said, but
once he had you in his beam Hes a very
dangerous, charming, powerful man.
Cumberbatch was boldly instrumental
in Dame Judi Denchs appearance in The
Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses. He
attended a Shakespearean workshop event
at which the veteran actress was appearing.
When the audience were asked if they had
any questions, he leapt into action asking:
Would you like to be in Richard III with
me? Dame Judi, naturally, accepted.
And fans of Sherlock will already know
that Andrew Scott, who played criminal
mastermind Moriarty, will also be appearing
in The Wars of the Roses as the French King,
Louis.
But its Cumberbatchs run as Hamlet
Rehearsals for
Hamlet, July 2015.
Benedict with Martin

Freeman (left) in the
BBCs Sherlock.
at Londons Barbican that is arguably the

Shakespeare event of 2015. It sold out in
record time (although the venue promise
that day tickets will be available for each
performance) as fans worldwide fought
for their chance to see Benedict play the
Dane. It is clearly the fruition of a dream for
Cumberbatch. Indeed, when asked at 2012s
Cheltenham Literary Festival which play he
would choose if he could only perform one
more stage role, he opted for Hamlet. Every
actor wants to have a go at it, he said, and I
want to have my go at it, and I will. But were
working out when and how.
Well, the when and how is right now.
Benedict Cumberbatchs career has come full
circle from his first professional performance
of Shakespeare to playing his dream role. If
youre lucky enough to have a ticket, youll
be witnessing the most talked-about and
feverishly-anticipated theatrical event in years.
If not, theres always those queues for day
tickets. Well see you there.
Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre,

London until 31 October
7RPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZ&UHHSVLQWKLVSHWW\SDFHIURPGD\WRGD\7R
WKHODVWV\OODEOHRIUHFRUGHGWLPH$QGDOORXU\HVWHUGD\VKDYHOLJKWHGIRROV7KHZD\WR
Shakespeare On Sale:
GXVW\GHDWK2XWRXWEULHIFDQGOH/LIHVEXWDZDONLQJVKDGRZDSRRUSOD\HU7KDWVWUXWV
DQGIUHWVKLVKRXUXSRQWKHVWDJH$QGWKHQLVKHDUGQRPRUH,WLVDWDOH7ROGE\DQ
SAVE 25%!
LGLRWIXOORIVRXQGDQGIXU\6LJQLI\LQJQRWKLQJ7RPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZ
Since 1941, Dover Publications has built its reputation by offering remarkable books at
&UHHSVLQWKLVSHWW\SDFHIURPGD\WRGD\7RWKHODVWV\OODEOHRIUHFRUGHGWLPH$QGDOO
amazing prices. Discover our fine catalog of the works of William Shakespeare.
RXU\HVWHUGD\VKDYHOLJKWHGIRROV7KHZD\WRGXVW\GHDWK2XWRXWEULHIFDQGOH/LIHVEXW
DZDONLQJVKDGRZDSRRUSOD\HU7KDWVWUXWVDQGIUHWVKLVKRXUXSRQWKHVWDJH$QGWKHQ
LVKHDUGQRPRUH,WLVDWDOH7ROGE\DQLGLRWIXOORIVRXQGDQGIXU\6LJQLI\LQJQRWKLQJ
7RPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZ&UHHSVLQWKLVSHWW\SDFHIURPGD\WRGD\7RWKH
ODVWV\OODEOHRIUHFRUGHGWLPH$QGDOORXU\HVWHUGD\VKDYHOLJKWHGIRROV7KHZD\WRGXVW\
GHDWK2XWRXWEULHIFDQGOH/LIHVEXWDZDONLQJVKDGRZDSRRUSOD\HU7KDWVWUXWVDQG
The complete collection of comedies, histories,
Complete and unabridged text of a play plus a
and tragedies, all in compact 5 x 8 unabridged
comprehensive study guide with scene-by-scene
IUHWVKLVKRXUXSRQWKHVWDJH$QGWKHQLVKHDUGQRPRUH,WLVDWDOH7ROGE\DQLGLRW
paperback editions. The lowest-priced editions
summaries, explanations and discussions of the plot,
available
for
todays
educators,
students,
actors,
a question-and-answer section, and more.
IXOORIVRXQGDQGIXU\6LJQLI\LQJQRWKLQJ7RPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZ&UHHSV
and Shakespeare lovers of every kind.
LQWKLVSHWW\SDFHIURPGD\WRGD\7RWKHODVWV\OODEOHRIUHFRUGHGWLPH$QGDOORXU
Calla
Editions
FDQGOH/LIHVEXWDZDON
\HVWHUGD\VKDYHOLJKWHGIRROV7KHZD\WRGXVW\GHDWK2XWRXWEULHIFDQGOH/LIHVEXWD
Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
Our premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductions
LQJVKDGRZDSRRUSOD\HU
ZDONLQJVKDGRZDSRRUSOD\HU7KDWVWUXWVDQGIUHWVKLVKRXUXSRQWKHVWDJH$QGWKHQLV
of some of the most beautiful books ever published. Filled with
breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features, each Calla Edition
7KDWVWUXWVDQGIUHWVKLV
KHDUGQRPRUH,WLVDWDOH7ROGE\DQLGLRWIXOORIVRXQGDQGIXU\6LJQLI\LQJQRWKLQJ7R
recalls a time when bookmaking was considered an artform.
KRXUXSRQWKHVWDJH$QG
PRUURZDQGWRPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZ&UHHSVLQWKLVSHWW\SDFHIURPGD\WRGD\7RWKHODV
WKHQLVKHDUGQRPRUH,W
V\OODEOHRIUHFRUGHGWLPH$QGDOORXU\HVWHUGD\VKDYHOLJKWHGIRROV7KHZD\WRGXVW\GHDWK
LVDWDOH7ROGE\DQLGL
2XWRXWEULHIFDQGOH/LIHVEXWDZDONLQJVKDGRZDSRRUSOD\HU7KDWVWUXWVDQGIUHWVKL
RWIXOORIVRXQGDQGIXU\
KRXUXSRQWKHVWDJH$QGWKHQLVKHDUGQRPRUH,WLVDWDOH7ROGE\DQLGLRWIXOORIVRXQG
6LJQLI\LQJQRWKLQJ7R
DQGIXU\6LJQLI\LQJQRWKLQJ7RPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZ&UHHSVLQWKLVSHWW\
PRUURZDQGWRPRUURZDQG
SDFHIURPGD\WRGD\7RWKHODVWV\OODEOHRIUHFRUGHGWLPH$QGDOORXU\HVWHUGD\VKDYH
WRPRUURZ&UHHSVLQWKLV
OLJKWHGIRROV7KHZD\WRGXVW\GHDWK2XWRXWEULHIFDQGOH/LIHVEXWDZDONLQJVKDGRZ
SHWW\SDFHIURPGD\
DSRRUSOD\HU7KDWVWUXWVDQGIUHWVKLVKRXUXSRQWKHVWDJH$QGWKHQLVKHDUGQRPRUH
,WLVDWDOH7ROGE\DQLGLRWIXOORIVRXQGDQGIXU\6LJQLI\LQJQRWKLQJ7RPRUURZDQG
To SAVE 25% Click Here
WRPRUURZDQGWRPRUURZ&UHHSVLQWKLVSHWW\SDFHIURPGD\WRGD\7RWKHODVWV\OODEOHRI
NO minimum order required Use Code WLA2 at checkout Expires 12/31/15
UHFRUGHGWLPH$QGDOORXU\HVWHUGD\VKDYHOLJKWHGIRROV7KHZD\WRGXVW\GHDWK2XWRXW
www.doverpublications.com/william-shakespeare
EULHIFDQGOH/LIHVEXWDZDONLQJVKDGRZDSRRUSOD\HU7KDWVWUXWVDQGIUHWVKLVKRXU
XSRQWKHVWDJH$QGWKHQLVKHDUGQRPRUH,WLVDWDOH7ROGE\DQLGLRWIXOORIVRXQGDQG
e
r
o
M
s
Plu
Hamlet
G A L L E RY & R E V I E W
For a generation of Cumberbatch fans, Benedict at the Barbican is the

most sensational and controversial Shakespeare production of a lifetime.
Images: Johan Persson Words: Liz Barrett
To be, or not to be
that is the question
[III, 1]
Controversially, the plays most iconic
speech was moved to the beginning.
As we went to press, however, this
decision had apparently been reversed.
11
Tis in my
memory lockd,
And you yourself
shall keep the key of it
[I, 3]
Ophelia (Sin Brooke)
A villain kills my
father; and for that,
I, his sole son, do this
same villain send
To heaven [III, 3]
12
13
But in my terms
of honour
I stand aloof
[V, 2]
Laertes (Kobna
Holdbrook-Smith)
Battle of the Hamlets

Does Benedicts Hamlet vanquish Maxine Peakes acclaimed recent version?
f early reviews were to be believed, the Barbicans

Hamlet was clearly designed for the Cumberbitch
crowd: a tacky term used to describe female fans
of Benedict Cumberbatch. A Hamlet-lite, so to
speak, to appeal to a Hollywood crowd.
What really riled one reviewer in particular was
the moving of the to be or not to be soliloquy
from Act 3 to the opening line of the play. An odd
choice, yes, but, personally, Im all for reinterpreting
Shakespeare.
By the time I caught the performance, three
weeks into the run, the Barbican had already made
the decision to return the line to its original home.
Now the play opens to Hamlet, crouched on the
14
floor, listening to Nat King Coles Nature Boy, before

Horatio breaks his train of thought.
And so begins one of the most opulent stagings of
Shakespeare I have ever seen. While I didnt find the
actual performances Hollywood in their grandeur, the
same could not be said for the set design. Set within
the Danish court, the stage is bathed in a haunting
glow of candlelight as the second scene sees the royal
family gather round a huge dining table to celebrate
the hasty nuptials of Claudius and Gertrude.
If anything, the set design was too detailed, and I
often found myself mesmerised by the scenery rather
than the live performances being enacted in front
of me. But thats not a criticism of the acting, rather
O Hamlet, speak no more!

Thou turnst mine eyes
into my very soul
[III, 4]
Gertrude (Anastasia Hille)
a round of applause to the talented set designers,

lighting crew and choreographers. (I wont spoil it
for anyone yet to catch it live or in the cinema, but
theres one particular scene right before the interval,
with just Claudius on stage, back to the audience,
that drew gasps from the crowd and the most
enthusiastic mid-play applause Ive ever heard.)
Saying that, I was lucky enough to catch Maxine
Peakes Hamlet in Manchester last year, and I found
it hard not to compare the two. The settings
couldnt have been more different: Peakes in the
centre of the Royal Exchanges round theatre, with
hardly any props or stage furniture, allowing the
audience to fully immerse itself into the performance;
Cumberbatchs on a traditional stage surrounded by
a movie-like set.
While Peake brought a manic, calculating slyness
to the role of the tragic prince, Cumberbatchs
Hamlet was a sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful
interpretation, with fantastic comic timing. In fact,
my theatre buddies and I all agreed that wed love to
see him in a Shakespearean comedy role, Much Ados

Benedict, say.
Ciaran Hinds Claudius is a much quieter
interpretation than Ive seen before, but it works
well within the cast. Indeed the cast is a beautiful
amalgamation of theatre stalwarts, young upand-comers (Sian Brooke as Ophelia is tragically
captivating, her final scenes beautifully interpreted
and realised) and big screen icons.
What youre left with when the final bow is taken
is a sense of fulfilment. While I preferred Peakes
Hamlet, Cumberbatch delivered a truly memorable
performance. And the man doesnt half provide
bang for your buck, the sweat pouring off him as he
receives the fatal blow from Laertes poisoned sword.
So a Hollywood setting, yes, but a masterful
reinterpretation of a Shakespearean classic that will
appeal to Cumberbatch and Bard fans alike.
15
And yet to me what

is this quintessence
of dust? [II, 2]
16
Sale! 99! through September 30 for iOS and Android!
Back to
School
Sale
All you need to know

before the curtain goes up
or the test goes down
Shakespeare300 offers students and theatregoers alike a unique take on
all the plays presented in concise (300 word) introductions, synopses and
infographics written by New York Times bestselling author James Reese.
Shakespeare300 provides . . .
portable insight into Shakespeares plays
original content, including introductions and synopses
colorful charts, infographics and a wealth of extras:
Shakespearean Neologisms, Insults and a detailed Timeline
Shakespeare300 is perfect for . . .
anyone desiring a better understanding of Shakespeares remarkable
(yet sometimes intimidating) canon
students seeking a fun and thorough study guide-on-the-go
theatregoers looking to brush up on their Shakespeare by quickly
reviewing the Bards complex plots and characters prior to any production
Download Shakespeare300 Today!
Release date: August 1, 2014 / Category: Education

Device: iPhone, iPad, Android / Back to School Special Price: 99!
Shakespeare300.com
! Stratford-upon-Avon
NO PLACE LIKE
18
Stratford-upon-Avon
Even more than London, there

is one place above all that is
MHIRXMIH[MXLXLIPMJIERH
PIKIRHSJ;MPPMEQ7LEOIWTIEVI
8EOIEXVMT[MXLYWXSEQEKMGEP
TPEGI7XVEXJSVHYTSR%ZSR
HIITMRXLILIEVXSJ)RKPERHW
green and pleasant land
Words: Helen Mears
Pictures: Helen Mears and Susan Braund
e could be in any small,

picturesque English
town, with its medieval
church, half-timbered
Tudor buildings, shops,
restaurants and delightful riverside walks.
But Stratford-upon-Avon is not just any
town. Its one of the best-known, mostvisited and probably most-loved locations in
England. Thats because its the birthplace of
William Shakespeare. Its also the place he
seems to have considered his home. After all,
Shakespeare grew up there, went to school
there, and spent his final days there.
So here is Shakespeare Magazines on-theground guide to Stratford-upon-Avon. Here
youll find hints and tips for first-time visitors
and returning aficionados alike. What to see,
the best ways to see it, where to stay, where to
eat, and how to get around while youre there.
Are you ready? Then lets start our tour
HOME
The Birthplace
Surely the must-visit spot for any selfrespecting Bardolator, this is where it all began
the six-roomed Merchants House on Henley
Street where in April 1564 Mary Shakespeare,
wife of glover John, gave birth to their famous
son, William. The house is approached
19
through the Shakespeare Centre on the lefthand side of the Birthplace. A short exhibition
shows you items such as a prized First Folio
and the foot of Stratfords Old Market Cross
from where glover John Shakespeare would
have sold his wares.
A walk through the gardens leads to
the house itself. You enter through the
self-contained annexe where William and
Anne Shakespeare spent the first years of
their married life, and where their children,
Susannah, Judith and Hamnet, were born. The
annexe was later occupied by Williams sister,
Joan. You can walk through the parlour and
the dining room to Johns workshop where he
produced gloves and other leather goods.
A staircase leads to two bedrooms, one
for the girls, one for the boys, and a loft space
The birth room
is visible, where the apprentices would have
at Shakespeares
slept. Finally you reach the birth room, the
main bedroom in which William and his seven Birthplace.
siblings were born.
Guides are on-hand in all rooms to tell you
their history and other gems of information.
Complete your visit by watching classic
Shakespearean speeches performed in the
garden by resident acting troupe Shakespeare
Aloud!, and then picking up some souvenirs in
the gift shop and excellent bookshop.
Molly from
Shakespeare Aloud!
in the Birthplace
garden.
20
The five house ticket is the best value, giving

you entry to all of the properties (Harvard
House is a current alternative to New Place)
and allowing you to view Shakespeares Grave
in Holy Trinity Church.
The Avon and Boat trips
A walk along the Avon is a must in any season.

The gentle stroll from the RSC to Holy Trinity
Church will take you past drooping willows,
smoothly sailing swans and green parkland.
For a different perspective on the town you can
take a boat trip along the river itself. Starting
from near the RSC Theatre, you cruise gently
down to the church where Shakespeare was
baptised and buried, before turning back and
heading past the theatre and under Clopton
Bridge. Its a bridge that William himself
would have known, built as it was around
1480. The Avon is very pretty, everywhere
you look are the incredible tame (and always
hungry) swans and picturesque houseboats.
The banks are lined with weeping willows that
just might have been the inspiration for poor
Ophelias watery end in Hamlet. If you would
rather take a slower, self-driven trip there are
rowing boats, canoes and small speedboats
for hire. Beware, though, these are not as
easy to control as they look and you may well
spend a good proportion of your allotted
time relearning how to row and avoiding
Stratford-upon-Avon
Holy Trinity
other hapless river traffic! Boat trips typically
Church, viewed
last for around 40 minutes and are especially
from the Avon.
pleasant in the late afternoon when the sun sets
slowly behind the church steeple. For added
luxury you can take a restaurant cruise where
afternoon tea or an evening meal are served on
board or, as a quicker, cheaper alternative, you
could take the chain ferry across the Avon. The
ferry dates from 1937 and is the last of its kind
in the UK.
Nash House and New Place
As well as the Henley Street property, the

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust care for four
other locations in and around Stratford, all
associated with Williams family. Nash House
and New Place were adjoining properties. The
former was the home of Judith Shakespeare
and her husband, while the latter was the
family home that William purchased in 1597,
at the time the second most expensive house
in the town. Sadly it was demolished by a
subsequent owner but the Trust are currently
undertaking a massive renovation of the site.
This means that the properties will not be open
to the public until 2016 to coincide with the
400th anniversary of Shakespeares death.
Halls Croft
A brief walk from New Place will take you

to Halls Croft, the home of Susannah
Shakespeare and her husband, the physician
John Hall. This is an interesting property in its
own right and is partly set up to show how a
practising physician would have worked at the
time. A special mention too must go The Arter,
the award winning independent craft shop
adjoining the building, and to the beautiful
garden in which open air performances of
Shakespeares plays are sometimes performed.
Nash House and

New Place.
21
Tudor farm, with costumed guides caring for
the buildings and the animals. Its a great place
for a family day out, with plenty to see and do
and numerous activities running. There are
daily falconry shows, archery, animals to feed
and games to play. You can even treat yourself
to a genuine Tudor meal in the cafe pottage
and home-baked breads are a speciality.
What if you dont have a car?
The town itself is fairly small and all the

main attractions are within walking distance.
However, the easiest way to get around, and to
enable a visit to Anne Hathaways Cottage and
Mary Ardens farm, is to the Hop On-Hop Off
City Sightseeing bus. This will take you to all
the main town locations, and also to Shottery
and Wilmcote. A day ticket will give you
unlimited access to the buses and allow you to
visit all of the Shakespeare properties. The bus
can be picked up by the statue of Touchstone
the jester at the top end of Henley Street.
Anne Hathaways Cottage
A short distance from Stratford is Shottery

where you can find the beautiful cottage
which was the home of the Hathaway family.
Set in yet another lovely garden, this is the
house in which Anne Hathaway grew up
and was courted by the young William. John
Shakespeare served with Anne Hathaways
father on the town council so their children
probably knew each other from a young age.
The family remained associated with the
cottage for several centuries and have spun
many a yarn about the young lovers, the
veracity of which are highly questionable.
However, the stone floor of the kitchen is
original and we know that William must have
walked those stones many, many times.
Anne Hathaways
Cottage.
Mary Ardens Farm
The last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary

Ardens Farm. Shakespeares mother lived here,
and its where she probably took the infant
William when plague broke out in Stratford
shortly after his birth. Open from March to
November only, the farm is run as a working
22
Mary Ardens Farm.
Walking Tours
Another excellent way to see the main sites of

Stratford and to learn some of the historical
tales of the town is to take a walking tour.
Stratford-upon-Avon
There are several options depending on the

type of tour youd like. The town guides run
historical tours of the town every day (yes,
every day) of the year. For those who like to be
a bit more daring there are evening ghost walks
led by costumed guides who will tell you some
of the spooky tales of Stratford. Both of these
tours start from the Swan Water Fountain on
the riverside.
Or if you like the idea of being guided
by Shakespeare himself, on a Saturday (and
Monday to Saturday through the summer
holidays) there are town walks led by the man
himself (or someone who looks an awful lot
like him!). These run from Tudor World on
Sheep Street, an interesting museum in the
house that belonged to the man who was,
allegedly, the model for Sir John Falstaff.
Holy Trinity Church
Another must-see is the towns 13th century

church with its distinctive spire that dominates
the view from the river. Remember that if you
have a ticket to the Birthplace properties your
visit to the grave is free. The church is famous
for being where William Shakespeare was
baptised on 26 April 1564. The old font that
The Guildhall
was used for the baptism is displayed in the
chancel, along with copies of both the register Doom Painting.
of baptism for April 1564 and the register of
burials for April 1616 where Shakespeares
name can be clearly seen. Also in the chancel,
in front of the altar, are the Shakespeare family
graves. Williams bears its infamous curse:
GOOD FRIEND FOR JESUS
SAKE FOREBEAR,
TO DIGG THE DVST
ENCLOSED HERE.
BLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARES
THESE STONES,
AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVES
MY BONES.
On the wall above the grave is the effigy of
Shakespeare. Its one of the few images which
was produced within the lifetime of Anne
Shakespeare, and probably one of the most
authentic likenesses of her husband.
The Guildhall and King Edwards

School
Directly opposite the site of New Place stand

the Guildhall and the towns old grammar
school. Both of these places have links to the
Shakespeare family. King Edwards School
is where the young William is believed to
have studied, and its probably where he
first encountered the classical texts which so
inspired him. As the son of a town councillor
he would have been entitled to a place. The
old school is sometimes open to visitors at
weekends or during the holidays but the
school has just won a lottery grant which
should enable them to open it as a permanent
attraction. The Guildhall was sometimes host
to groups of travelling players, and so it could
be the site where young William first saw
theatrical performances. It is widely believed
that John Shakespeare, owing to his role as
town bailiff, was responsible for supervising the
whitewashing of the medieval Doom Painting.
23
in 2010 with both theatres having been
converted to boast thrust stages and curved
galleries, similar in shape to the original
Elizabethan playhouses. The world renowned
Royal Shakespeare Company performs
here throughout the year, staging plays by
Shakespeare and his contemporaries as well as
by newer authors. They also run an education
programme, exhibitions, family activities
during the school holidays, and theatre tours.
To see Stratford from an entirely different
angle, take the lift up the 36 metre high tower
for spectacular views across the town.
Where to eat and drink?
This has been recovered and is now once again

visible above the chancel arch.
The Royal Shakespeare Company

Theatre and the riverside
The riverside park is home to several interesting

sights. It is from here that you can get a view of
the Clopton Bridge, pick up a river cruise, feed
the swans and admire the Gower Memorial.
The memorial was presented to the town in
1888 and features a statue of Shakespeare,
seated upon a plinth, overlooking statues of
four of his best known characters. These are
Hamlet, Prince Hal, Sir John Falstaff and Lady
Macbeth, who represent Comedy, History,
Philosophy and Tragedy. Closer to the theatre
is the beautiful Swan Water Fountain, unveiled
in 1996. If you see the water frothing, fear not,
it seems to be a sport amongst local youngsters
to fill the fountain with washing up liquid on a
regular basis!
The Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre
was built in 1932 but has recently undergone
a complete refurbishment in both the main
and the Swan theatres. The building reopened
24
The Gower
Memorial:Will and
Prince Hal.
Stratford has an excellent range of eateries

to suit all tastes and budgets. There is pub
grub, afternoon teas, world cuisine, fine
dining, pizza, pasta, and fish and chips. Many
restaurants offer pre-theatre menus and, if
youve been on a town walk, you may find that
you can get discount vouchers for your food.
There are many pubs in Stratford including the
Garrick Inn, the oldest pub in the town, where
you can taste the Shakesbeer, specially brewed
to celebrate Shakespeares 450th Birthday in
2014. If you want to spot RSC cast members
relaxing after their shows, The Dirty Duck on
Waterside is the place to drink.
Where to stay?
Again, Stratford-upon-Avon has a good variety

of hotels, bed and breakfasts and holiday
homes. All the main chains have hotels in
the town, from budget brands to the luxury
names. There is an excellent choice of bed
and breakfast establishments in and around
the town; again, these will suit all tastes and
budgets. Airbnb also has an interesting range
of rooms, flats and houses to rent in Stratford.
However, be sure to book early, especially for
the prime summer months.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust:

www.shakespeare.org.uk
Stratford, Ontario
MEANWHILE,
IN CANADA...
Theres more than just one Stratford, you know.
And the one in Ontario, Canada has a world-renowned
Shakespeare Festival. %RHVI[&VIX^ gives us a tour.
any places around the world

have been named after
Stratford-upon-Avon, the
birthplace and home of William
Shakespeare. And many of those Stratfords
are home to theatre festivals of varying sizes.
Stratford in the state of Victoria in Australia
has an annual Shakespeare festival still going
every year, while Stratford in Connecticut in
the USA had a major theatre from the mid
1950s to the mid 1980s. Stratford, Ontario
in Canada, however, stands out among these
towns and festivals not merely in scope, but in
international reputation and prestige.
In 1950, Canada had no home-grown
tradition of classical theatre. Certainly,
Shakespeare was performed, but there had
been a strong anti-theatrical movement in
Canada throughout the 19th century whose
effects still lingered throughout the first half of
the 20th. As a cultural icon, Shakespeare was
edifying, to be sure, but certainly not to be
performed. The Stratford Festival changed all
of that for Canada.
In the late 1940s, the local newspapers and
government of the town conceived of the idea
of revitalising Stratfords sagging economy by
capitalising on the name of the town and its
From the first performance,

the Festival worked to
create a new aesthetic of
Shakespearean performance
long association with the Bard. They banded

together and, under the leadership of Tom
Patterson, they brought over Tyrone Guthrie
and Alec Guinness for the first season in
1953. Guthrie had famously directed Gielgud
in Hamlet at Elsinore Castle in Denmark,
and had been the manager of the Old Vic in
London. He wanted to create an acting space
that echoed the original Globe theatre, where
actors were surrounded by the audience, in
contrast to the proscenium arch theatres that
dominated the London and New York scenes.
From the first performance, which took
place inside a giant circus-style tent on the
banks of the Avon River, the festival worked
to create a new aesthetic of Shakespearean
performance. The thrust stage of the Festival
Theatre, designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch,
has been recognised as one of the great
innovations in stage design of the 20th century.
Generations of actors have had to learn how
to address an audience on three sides of them,
sometimes only an arms length away.
The festival has been central to the careers
of Canadian actors such as Christopher
Plummer, Martha Henry, and even William
Shatner. Actors from the US and UK have
sought to play the festival as well, including
Peter Ustinov, Christopher Walken and Jessica
Tandy. Indeed, these international stars not
only lend credibility, but have indelibly marked
the festival. For instance, Maggie Smiths
performance as Rosalind in As You Like It in
the 1977 and 1978 seasons is legendary in the
company and the town.
Today, the festival has expanded to include
multiple performance spaces, a theatre school,
university accredited courses, and the largest
theatrical costume shop in North America.
It has started countless careers, inspired
companies such as Torontos Soulpepper
Theatre, and helped shape the Canadian
theatre landscape for over 50 years.
Stratford Festival Ontario, Canada:

www.stratfordfestival.ca
25
Planning to perform
a short selection
from Shakespeare?
The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Anthology contains 18 abridged
scenes, including monologues, from
18 of Shakespeares best-known plays.
Every scene features interpretive stage
directions and detailed performance
and monologue notes, all road tested
at the Folger Shakespeare Librarys
annual Student Shakespeare Festival.
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology

includes one scene with monologue
from each of these plays:
02!)3% &/2 4(% -).54% 3(!+%30%!2% 3%2)%3

Lays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical
experience, guided by a sagacious, knowledgeable, and intuitive
educator. Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning
Shakespeare through performance. Library Journal
!S 9OU ,IKE )T s 4HE #OMEDY OF %RRORS

(AMLET s (ENRY )6 0ART ) s *ULIUS #AESAR
+ING ,EAR s ,OVES ,ABORS ,OST
-ACBETH s 4HE -ERCHANT OF 6ENICE
4HE -ERRY 7IVES OF 7INDSOR
! -IDSUMMER .IGHTS $REAM
-UCH !DO !BOUT .OTHING s /THELLO
2OMEO AND *ULIET s 4HE 4AMING OF THE
3HREW s 4HE 4EMPEST s 4WELFTH .IGHT
4HE 4WO 'ENTLEMEN OF 6ERONA
THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty of
Shakespeares language intact. The scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students in
mind, providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance, audition, or competition.
NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years. Since 1996, he has
conducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailers
and as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespeare.com.
Assembled for the first time

in a single volume,
this poster collection is an IDEAL GIFT
for any theatre buff or
designer seeking inspiration!
1,100 posters of Shakespeares plays,

designed by an international roster
of artists representing 55 countries,
featuring posters from the 1800s
to present day
Presenting Shakespeare:
1,100 Posters from Around
the World
PUBLISHED BY
by Mirko Ilic and Steven Heller

Preface by Julie Taymor
Abrams & Chronicle Books
$50.00 30.00
Hardcover 320 pages
ISBN 978-1-61689-292-0
October 2015
Amazon and your local

bookstores
Princeton Architectural Press

DISTRIBUTED IN EUROPE BY
AVAILABLE FROM
! Roaslind Lyons
28
Rosalind Lyons
Left:The
Roaring Boys
PAINTING
SHAKESPEARE
For UK artist Rosalind Lyons, the Bard is a

constant presence in her creative life. She tells
us how Shakespeare inspired the haunting and
dreamlike works that adorn these pages.
Words and paintings by Rosalind Lyons
hakespeare has long been at the heart of

my work, sometimes directly and obviously
in the subjects, and often in the titles.
But always, Shakespeares words, characters
and stories are there in my head when I
am painting a perpetual conscious and
unconscious presence.
My style echoes that of the Renaissance
painters and Elizabethan portraits, and
these influences, combined with a lifelong love of Shakespeare, made my first
visit to Shakespeares Globe pivotal. I
experienced a powerful sense of connection
and recognition. Here, suddenly, ideas
and themes with which I had been so long
preoccupied were brought to life.
I subsequently gained access to the
Globe to draw, and later spent some time
29
! Roaslind Lyons
Right: No More
Yielding But A
Dream
as Artist in Residence there. That experience

prompted more in-depth exploration not
only of Shakespeare and painting, but of the
relationship between painting and theatre.
There are, of course, the strong visual
connections both are spaces for spectacle
and illusion. But also compelling ideas of
transformation, imagination, storytelling and
identity. And, overall, the theme of ambiguity.
The blurring of boundaries between reality
and fiction, male and female, light and
shadow, past and present. I am fascinated by
how we respond to history, how we re-present
and re-imagine the past. And the figures in
my paintings are imagined as belonging to
both now and then flitting back and forth
across the threshold between past and present,
between Shakespeares time and our own
modern world.
I have painted some specific characters
from Shakespeare, but many subjects of
my paintings are anonymous. The figures
are unknown; their place, purpose, role is a
mystery. This anonymity is unsettling. There
are clues in the setting, in the costumes or
perhaps I should just say in the clothes they
are wearing but the context is not obvious.
I am fascinated by the dramatic convention of
cross-dressing and particularly the inherent
confusion, as with Rosalind (As You Like It)
and Viola (Twelfth Night), in the idea of a
boy playing a girl playing a boy. Many of the
characters I invent are androgynous, their
gender and age uncertain. This ambiguity
of identity interests me in the context of
visual illusion and theatrical transformation;
the idea of inbetween-ness and something
unresolved.
Like theatre, my paintings are concerned
with inventing characters and the creation
30
Rosalind Lyons
of an imaginary world, and I am particularly

attracted to the fools, fairies and witches.
In A Midsummer Nights Dream, the fairies
actions may seem malevolent or benign, or
just mischievous, but there is definitely a dark
side, an underlying sense of threat.
The Fool too is intriguing. Shakespeares
fools frequently describe themselves,
or are referred to, as a nobody, but are
unquestionably much more. The fool is an
outsider, concerned with but at the same time
separate from the story. He or sometimes
she doesnt quite belong anywhere, but
seems to exist on the boundary between the
familiar and the uncanny.
I am attracted to the strange, to mystery
and shadows, and try to express through my
images a strong feeling that it could be that,
or maybe something else. As Orsino says at
the conclusion of Twelfth Night: A natural
perspective, that is and is not. While making
a painting, and even when it is finished, I
dont know really who my characters are
they remain elusive. But I like not knowing,
and ultimately meanings always change, and
depend on individual perceptions.
My experience at the Globe led to a
particular fascination with the ambiguous and
protean quality of the theatrical performer;
how their identity transforms and fluctuates.
I was attracted by this when watching
!
Above: A Midwinter
Nights Dream
Right:Three Fools
Far right: Following
Darkness
31
! Roaslind Lyons
rehearsals, observing actors shift between self
and impersonation, between different realities
and identities. When they are not acting they
metaphorically and often literally melt
into the shadows. I am interested too in the
physical and symbolic threshold between on
and off-stage, the transformation inherent
in an actor moving from the wings onto the
stage, assuming another self and another
identity. Particularly evocative is the fact that
actors were colloquially known as shadows
in the Elizabethan playhouses suggesting
something unknowable and insubstantial.
In the Prologue to Henry V, Shakespeare has
the Chorus describe the players as ciphers,
implying deception and secrecy.
Artists in the past who have tackled
Shakespeare have generally produced images
that directly illustrate the text, or represent
famous actors or scenes from a particular
performance. Today, as well as on the stage,
Shakespeares plays are frequently re-imagined
Above:These Two Creatures
in very successful film and TV adaptations,
but I have struggled to find more than a
handful of contemporary fine artists who
have engaged with Shakespeare on any level.
Perhaps Shakespeare as a subject is seen
by some as too traditional, too popular
or simply just too old. But in the theatre
and in literature, there is an ever-increasing
enthusiasm for innovative interpretations
of the plays, and for me Shakespeare is a
constant inspiration.
The Prologue of Henry V also urges the
audience to Piece out our imperfections with
your thoughts, to liberate the imagination
and create another kind of reality, to shape
our own fantasies within the wooden O of
the theatre. In my paintings, I endeavour to
do the same.
Explore the work of Rosalind Lyons at

www.rosalindlyons.com
32
Below:Theres Magic In Thy Majesty
([KLELWLRQ
6SHFLDOHYHQWV
7DONV
3HUIRUPDQFHV
(GXFDWLRQ
6KDNHVSHDUHLQWKHWKFHQWXU\
-RKQVRQ*DUULFNDQGIULHQGV
!"#$%&%'(!)*#+,-./0.1
DERYHDOOZULWHUVWKHSRHWRIQDWXUH
&HOHEUDWHWKHWKDQQLYHUVDU\RI-RKQVRQVFULWLFDO
HGLWLRQRI6KDNHVSHDUHEHJXQKHUHLQ*RXJK
6TXDUHDQGGLVFRYHUWKHUHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQWZR
RIWKHJUHDWHVWZRUGVPLWKVLQWKH(QJOLVKODQJXDJH
'U-RKQVRQV+RXVH
ZZZGUMRKQVRQVKRXVHRUJ
#GUMRKQVRQVKRXVH
! Aidan OReilly
Looking for
Richard: Aidan
OReilly is playing
Shakespeares
baddest monarch.
34
Killing
Aidan OReilly is an actor with an

inspiring story. Legally blind since he
was six months old, he forged a passion
for drama at an early age. Aidan went
on to gain a BA with honours from
Londons Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art, before touring for three years with
the American Shakespeare Center.
In 2012, Aidan was diagnosed with
sarcoma, a rare cancer. He bounced
back in 2014 after intensive treatment,
and is now cancer-free. We spoke to
Aidan as he prepared to play the title
role in Richard III for Californias Marin
Shakespeare Company. We asked him
to share his story, and to give us his
take on one of Shakespeares most
fascinating characters.
Interview by Jen Richardson
Aidan OReilly
the
King
You are legally blind, having been

diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an
infant. How did this impact on your
acting aspirations and early career?
My parents did a good job raising me. I

never grew up thinking of it as a handicap, or
thinking it could hold me back from what I
wanted to do. I couldnt play sports at all, so
I think my parents were grateful that I had
something that I was passionate about from a
very young age.
I went to a public elementary school
with a program designed for the blind, so it
felt very natural for me to be the way that I
was. And acting has always been part of that.
You went to RADA in London. Was

there a reason why you wanted to
train in England and not in the US?
Its always been an ambition of mine to

travel as far and wide as possible. Also, my
hero growing up was Peter OToole I
read his autobiography in high school and
learned he had gone to RADA, and decided I
wanted to go there too. So I auditioned there,
not knowing that RADA is arguably the
best drama school in the English-speaking
world. Consequently, I was quite relaxed at
the audition which is probably why I got
in. My ignorance can sometimes serve me
well. Going to RADA was a life-changing
35
! Aidan OReilly
Peter OToole was
my hero. He went to
RADA so I wanted to
go there too
Three years ago, you were diagnosed
with sarcoma. How did you
overcome this enormous challenge
and return to the stage in 2014?
The only reason Im still alive is because of

my mother, Lily, and my wife, Jocelynn. Also,
I was fortunate that we caught it before it had
spread and it was on my leg and away from
any major organs.
I am very grateful for my team of doctors
at UCSF who did an incredible job in my
treatment and follow-up care. Im glad to be
back to work.
Youre now due to play Richard III
with Marin Shakespeare Company.
Hows it going so far?
experience. I was lucky enough to have

contact with brilliant professors, and Im still
in awe of the students I went to school with.
I wouldnt trade that experience for anything.
After graduating from RADA, you
went on the road with the American
Shakespeare Center. Tell us a bit
about that.
That was one of the happiest times of my

life. In many ways, I got spoiled. I was a
working actor 11 months out of the year,
touring nationally, seeing parts of the US
I had never been to before, doing plays I
loved and working with directors who were
vehemently faithful and respectful to the text.
When I wasnt on the road, I was in residence
at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton,
Virginia with many extraordinary actors.
I was very lucky to be there.
36
Aidan believes
that Richard IIIs
obsession with
control is what
causes his downfall.
At this point, Im in the paperwork stage

of things. A lot of reading, the Henry
VIs, biographies of Richard, as well as
performance history of the play itself. Im
doing a fair amount of limping around my
apartment as well. I cant wait to get into
rehearsals next week.
Tell us about Marin Shakespeare
Company and what appealed to you
about working with them.
Robert and Lesley [Currier, MSCs Artistic

Director and Managing Director] are
fascinating people. Their intelligence and
humour is contagious. Without question,
there is a lot to be learned from them.
Richard IIIs remains were discovered

in 2012, and reburied this year. Is all
the new information about Richard
influencing your portrayal?
Yes and no. My job isnt to play the historical

Richard, but the Richard that Shakespeare has
Aidan OReilly
created. Its helpful to know the facts of the
situation in order to gain insight into what
has been changed in Shakespeares version
of events.
I met with a friend of mine who is a
retired surgeon who walked me through the
medical information that has come to light
on Richards body, and I will certainly use
that to inform my physical choices.
For as horrible as Richard is, its amazing to

see how audiences relate and respond to him.
Which other important themes do
you feel Shakespeare deals with in
the play?
The history plays are full of extraordinary

people who waste their lives and intelligence,
who sacrifice their humanity in pursuit of the
crown. Its still happening today. What is the
attraction of power? Richard never pauses to
think of why he wants the crown, or if hed
be any good as king. Turns out hes not, but
its this bizarre obsession with control that
propels him to kill everyone off thats in his
way. Its also fascinating that the one character
that is consistently kind to Richard is his
father, York.
I think an argument can be made that
Richard, in his warped way, is trying to live
up to the image he has of his father. Of
course, York is dead and gone by the time
Richard III begins, but you can glean a lot
about Richards inner workings in the way he
speaks about his father. Of course, its foolish
to try to answer questions that Shakespeare
doesnt, and Im not trying to say this solves
a mystery, but I think its interesting. Its only
an element, its not the answer.
Unlike many actors, youre the right

age to play the historical Richard III.
Do you feel Richards relative youth
has been overlooked?
I do. Richard is a young man who believes

he is hardened by the experiences he and
his family endured during the War of the
Roses, and believes himself to be beyond
human emotions and the restrictions of a
conscience. He isnt. He pays the bill for the
horrible things he does. That lack of selfknowledge is not exclusive to youth, but I feel
it makes him more sympathetic and relatable
to an audience.
Some people think Richard III shows
Shakespeare delivering a highly
effective piece of Tudor propaganda.
Where do you stand on that?
I think Shakespeare has a soft spot for

outsiders and underdogs. Although his plays
sometimes work within the confines of the
biases of Elizabethan society, he cant help but
make his villains fascinating human beings.
Crowning glory:
Aidan with Marin
Shakespeares
Robert Currier.
Richard III is listed as a historical

play in the First Folio, but in the
quarto edition it is termed a tragedy.
Which category would you put the
play in, and why?
I think of the history plays from Richard II

to Richard III as one vast play, an epic that
encompasses all the categories. I think if you
look at Richards progression through those
plays, you see a great mind warped by the
War of the Roses and that certainly adds to
the tragic element. I think of Richard III as
the final chapter of a great epic.
Aidan OReilly stars in Marin Shakespeare

Companys Richard III from 4-27 September
37
Scotland Shakes
Bonnie
Prince
Brian Ferguson
as Hamlet in the
Citizens Theatre
production. Photo
by Tim Morozzo.
Billy
William Shakespeare is undoubtedly Englands
Bard. But how is he viewed north of the border?
Our Caledonian correspondent surveys the state
of Shakespeare in Scotland, and meets esteemed
outdoor theatre company Bard in the Botanics.
Words: Paul F Cockburn
owards the end of May this

year, a BBC Scotland afternoon
news bulletin surprisingly
turned its attention to a
forthcoming production of
one of William Shakespeares best loved
plays A Midsummer Nights Dream.
However, this particular production wasnt
considered newsworthy because it came from
an amateur group based in Dumfries and
Galloway. Not even that the Crossmichael
Drama Club were one of just seven amateur
Scottish groups taking part in the Royal
Shakespeare Companys Open Stages project,

which aims to help amateur companies
extend their repertoires.
No, the hook was how this new
production was Shakespeare, but no as
you micht ken it. Because it had been
reimagined, in Scots, as A Midsimmer
Nichts Dreme.
As it happens, writer John Burns says
that his principle reason for translating A
Midsimmer Nichts Dreme was simply the
intuition that it being in Scots would work
to the benefit of the production. Its not
39
! Scotland Shakes
so much that 16th century English cant do

certain things, more that using Scots brings it
closer to a Scottish audience, and to audiences
who might think Shakespeare too fancy, he
says. I feel too that Scots can catch the sheer
physical power of Shakespeares language. He
writes lines you really feel physically when
you say them out loud. My intention was to
use Scots to produce a text that was actable,
and which would be accessible and enjoyable
for the audience, and the Scots was a major
part of that.
Arguably, translating Shakespeare into
Scots viewed by many as a distinct language
from English is just one way of finding the
continued relevancies of Shakespeares writing
with the here and now. Certainly, John Burns
was keen to see if Scots could match the way
Shakespeare switches tone from broad, at
times bawdy, humour to moments that are
more serious or even sinister.
Yet there is a wider perspective, whether
were discussing translation into Scots or
saying Shakespeares words with a Scottish
accent. Willy Maley and Andrew Murphy,
in their introduction to Shakespeare and
Scotland (published by Manchester University
Press in 2004), go as far as describing the
translation of Shakespeares Macbeth into
40
A tartan-clad
Antipholus and
Dromio in Bard in
the Botanics The
Comedy of Errors.
Brian Fergusons
Hamlet, Citizens
Theatre production.
Photo by Tim
Morozzo.
Scots as a patriotic act, not least because

of the political commitment implicit in
translating from English to Scots, reversing
the dominant dubbing practice in films.
Glasgow-based novelist and playwright
Alan Bissett who actively campaigned for
a Yes vote during last years Independence
Referendum has since written about how,
since the 1970s, Scottish theatre had a
deep engagement with the shifting beast
of Scottish politics. Although Bissett was
focusing primarily on original works by
Scottish playwrights and directors, its worth
pointing out that Shakespeare despite there
being absolutely no evidence to prove he ever
travelled north of Carlisle has played his
own part in this.
As Maley and Murphy point out:
Scotland never had precisely the same
relationship with the Bard as England has,
but has experienced a fraught process of
appropriation, incorporation, and resistance.
In part, this is because Shakespeare in his
latter career was among the first British
writers. Many of his later plays Cymbeline,
King Lear, even Hamlet were produced
Scotland Shakes
under the patronage of Scotlands King James

VI (aka James I of England). Each, in their
own way, can be said to touch on the matter
of Britain, the complex relationship between
the constituent elements of Jamess new
united kingdom, which the Stuart monarch
was determined to see joined into one.
That never quite happened, of course.
Even after the 1707 Act of Union,
Scotland retained its own legal, educational
and religious systems, along with an
accompanying sense of Scottish identity
which survived even the height of the British
empire. Yet from the 1970s on, there have
been notable changes in how Shakespeare
is treated by Scotlands producing theatre
companies. Several years ago, Glasgows
Citizens Theatre delivered a powerful Romeo
and Juliet in part because of their decision to
set the action in a present-day, sectarian West
of Scotland with accents to match.
English-accented Shakespeare carries
a specific resonance in Scotland, one that
directors usually choose to avoid, points
out Mark Fisher, a freelance journalist, critic
and author of the forthcoming book How to
Write About Theatre.
Im not sure exactly when attitudes
started to change, but Id say the argument
in favour of Scottish-accented productions
had been pretty much won by the 1990s.
By that time, companies such as Raindog
and directors such as Hamish Glen had
been making a point of casting very Scottish
productions of Shakespeare.
One example of how things had
progressed, even by 1992, was the late Kenny
Irelands production of A Midsummer
Nights Dream, his first as Artistic Director
at Edinburghs Royal Lyceum. He cast
the mechanicals with Scottish accents and
everyone else with English accents, Mark
Fisher explains. This, I said in my review, was
a fundamental error or some such phrase.
The message it sent out was that people with
Scottish accents were foolish figures of fun,
whereas people with English accents were
serious figures of respect.
Ireland reacted furiously to my review
Owen Whitehaw
as the Fool and
David Hayman as
Lear in Citizens
Theatres King Lear.
Photo by Tim
Morozzo.
and made the case that he had based the

casting of the mechanicals around (the actor)
Andy Gray, who has a Scottish accent. In
other words, the meaning I inferred had
not been deliberate. I think its true to say,
however, that Ireland never cast a Shakespeare
like that again.
Gordon Barr is Artistic Director of
Glasgow-based Bard in the Botanics,
Scotlands only professional Shakespeare
company (see following pages).
Weve never gone out of our way to
make Scottish versions of these texts, nor
have we gone out of our way to have classical
traditional voices, he says. Most of our core
actors have made their careers up here, so we
think of them as Scottish actors.
That is important to us, to not overly
look outwards for the acting company. As
much as possible, we work with people
who are based in Scotland. Were regularly
producing Shakespeare here, and we want to
be a part of the training to ensure that there is
a range of strong classical actors here.
Citizens Theatre
www.citz.co.uk
41
! Scotland Shakes
Out
of the
Garden
This year has seen Glasgows Bard in the Botanics

do something completely unexpected.They went
out on a tour of whisper it! indoor venues
ouring is something that

we have wanted to do for
years, but was something
that we could not afford
to do without funding, says Gordon Barr,
Artistic Director of Scotlands only professional
outdoor Shakespeare festival, Bard in the
Botanics. If theres any irony attached to
the companys first major tour of Scotland,
which took place in early 2015, its that the
performances of their acclaimed Romeo and
Juliet featuring a cast of five were played
exclusively indoors.
Nobody is touring classical theatre in
Scotland at the minute, so its important
to us, Barr adds. Our work is so much
about accessibility. One of the joys of being
outdoors is that people come to see the work
who wouldnt buy a ticket for a theatre. If
you can bring a picnic, sit out on the grass
while watching the show, it feels easier, more
accessible. But people cant come from Thurso
to Glasgow for a night just to see a production
of Shakespeare. They should be able to see it
in Thurso. So that is kind of where the urge to
tour came from.
Bard in the Botanics has presented outdoor
Shakespeare within the grounds of Glasgows
Botanic Gardens since 2003. This years
Unlikely Wonders season presented new
productions of Loves Labours Lost,
The Merchant of Venice, Richard II and
A Midsummer Nights Dream in rep between
24 June and 1 August.
The companys founder Scott Palmer,
Barr explains, had done a lot of his training at
the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the
42
Bard in the
Botanics As You Like
It takes Rosalind and
Orlando into the
open air.
biggest in North America. With the kind

of drive and enthusiasm that only Americans
have, he managed to convince the entire city
of Glasgow that outdoor Shakespeare would
work, and that the weather wasnt going to be
a problem!
Two years later, Palmer moved on and Barr
originally involved as a director succeeded
him as Artistic Director. If anyone then had
said that I would end up spending 12 years
running an outdoor Shakespeare festival, I
wouldnt have believed them, he says, in his
office hidden behind some of the Botanics
gardening sheds. I very quickly fell in love
with it once I started working here. Despite
all the trials and tribulations that outdoor
theatre in Scotland brings with it, theres just
something magical and special about it. Its a
very close-knit company, and thats sort of kept
us all here as long as we have been.
While the annual summer season of
Shakespeare plays in the Botanics will remain
at the centre of what the company does
Otherwise, Bard in the Botanics becomes
a rather strange name Barr is very much
Scotland Shakes
focused on building on the touring side.

Because it was our first ever tour, we
did end up taking Romeo and Juliet to the
established Scottish touring circuit, he adds.
It takes a while to build up relationships
with the smaller venues; thats going to be
an ongoing process for us. Even so, we were
taking Romeo and Juliet to places like Mull
and Stranraer communities and venues that
havent had a lot of classical theatre coming
through them.
The choice of play was deliberate too. It
was a production that was ready to go, which
had received five star reviews and sold out its
extended run in the Botanics in 2012. So we
knew that the work was good, but theres no
doubt that, for a first tour, we wanted to make
it easier for the venues to sell it. Most venues
know they can find an audience for Romeo and
Juliet.
In time, he hopes that audiences around
the rest of Scotland will come to trust the Bard
in the Botanics name sufficiently to take on the
less familiar plays.
You just dont know how quickly a
community is going to turn out for Henry IV
yet, he says. Hopefully, three or four tours
down the line, theyre going to turn out for
Bard in the Botanics and if it happens to be
Rosalind and Audrey

in the forest: Bard
in the Botanics
As You Like It.
Henry IV, well, thats great.

Given their reimagining of A Midsummer
Nights Dream as a 1920s burlesque musical,
is there a particular Bard in the Botanics
approach to Shakespeare?
Our kind of unofficial motto is: Be Bold,
Be Brave, Barr says. If were continuing
to stage these plays around 400 years after
Shakespeares death, I think theres an urgency
to ask Why? It is important to question
What is the story that we want to tell? I want
to see how these plays intersect with history
and todays society, not to present museum
pieces.
Its always with an eye to try to release
something thats within the text, Barr
insists. Were not remotely interested in
innovation for innovations sake. The plays
are masterpieces, thats essentially why were
still doing them 400 years later. But to reveal
something thats unexpected or new, thats
important to us.
Bard in the Botanics

www.bardinthebotanics.co.uk
43
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory stf 2016 Season

co-production with Tobacco Factory Theatres
ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 31 March Sat 23 April 2016
In repertoire with Hamlet
Thu 28 Fri 29 April; Sat 30 April
A young woman, using skills bequeathed her

by her father, saves the French Kings life and
is rewarded with the right to choose her own
husband. But what if the chosen one wont play
the game? How can she get him into bed? How
can she make him love her?
Dorothea Myer
Bennett in Richard III
HAMLET
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Hilton
Main run Thu 11 February Sat 26 March 2016
In repertoire with Alls Well That Ends Well
Mon 25 Wed 27 April; Sat 30 April 2016
... There is something approaching real

magic here. The Arts Desk on The School for Scandal
The most famous play in world drama, Hamlet

turns a new face to every decade. So many
elements - political, madness, sex, murder all
brought together in a drama that is both a thriller
and the profoundest meditation on our human
condition.
Thrilling work The Guardian on Romeo & Juliet
Bullseye WhatsOnStage on Romeo & Juliet
Benjamin Whitrow
and Julia Hills in The
School For Scandal
Photos: Mark Douet
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Friends Priority Booking opens Wed 23 September 10am
www.stf-theatre.org.uk
Tobacco Factory Theatres Members Priority Booking opens Wed 16 September 10am
www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com
Public Booking opens Wed 30 September 10am
Tobacco Factory Box Office: 0117 902 0344
For the apparel

oft proclaims the man.
Polonius (Hamlet)
At Scribbelicious we are all about the words!

Wear your love for literature on your sleeve and
close to your heart.
Made in our studio at the bottom of Hope Mountain in North Wales,

each of the real page fragment pendants is unique, made from salvaged old
books, many over a century old. The beautiful old paper is sealed under
glass and placed inside silver-plated, bronze or sterling silver settings.
We also turn Shakespeares words into eye-catching designs, which are
printed onto specialist paper and sealed under glass.
Our Shakespeare jewellery can be found at the Royal Shakespeare
Company gift shop in Stratford-upon-Avon and at Shakespeares Globe in
London, as well as online at www.scribbelicious.com.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss a custom order.
Email: info@scribbelicious.com
! Shakespeare video games

Having conquered
Hollywood and vanquished
the global entertainment
industry, video games now
I\IVXEQEWWMZIMRYIRGI
on our culture. So where
does the Bard stand in all of
this? We sent a Shakespeare
scholar to investigate
Words: Andrew Bretz
Silent Hill is one

big-name game
which includes
Shakespeare
references.
46
The
Games
Afoot!
Shakespeare video games
hen you walk into

the wood panelled
Victorian Gothicism
of the Gail Kern Paster
Reading Room at the
Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington
DC, video games are probably the last
thing on your mind. Buried deep within
the archives, however, are a set of fragile
cardboard figures printed in Germany in the
early 1800s representing each of the main
characters of Macbeth.
Nineteenth century German children
would play with these figures on small
cardboard stages, no bigger than a dollhouse.
They could replicate the story as it was told
in Shakespeare, or use their imagination to
change the ending, letting Lady Macbeth
survive and bringing Duncan back from the
dead, if they so chose. The limits of the game
were the limits of their imagination.
Today, the gamification of Shakespeare
is a big business, from Ryan Norths chooseyour-own-adventure edition of Hamlet,
To Be Or Not To Be, to IDW Gamess
upcoming Kill Shakespeare board game,
based on the comic of the same name.
Gamifying Shakespeare is filtering into
schools, libraries, and the theatrical world
as well, with the University of California at
Davis, the Stratford Festival in Ontario, the
Globe Theatre in London and the London
Metropolitan Archives all experimenting with
video game elements in exhibits, productions
and research.
Why video games? In a sense, this is the
logical next step in the media development of
Shakespeare. Hes everywhere in other media:
books, movies, merchandise. But video
games? The answer for that depends on who
you ask...
Storytelling
Occasionally, individuals or publishing

houses develop video games that try to tell
the story of, say, Hamlet, yet this is relatively
rare. One example would be Elsinore, a timelooping narrative adventure game set in the
world of the play. Players play the game as
German cardboard
TPE]KYVISJ0EH]
Macbeth dating
from the early1800s.
Hamlet reimagined:
Ryan Norths To Be
Or Not To Be.
Ophelia, who wakes up knowing that in four

days the entire court will be dead and she
must do something to stop it. The problem
is that she is stuck in a time loop, reliving the
same four days over and over again.
That said, Shakespeares presence in the
video game industry tends to be focused on
citation rather than adaptation of the plays.
That is, video games for Xbox, Playstation,
and other popular gaming systems often
just cite Shakespeares plays as a part of a
common cultural heritage. These games dont
restage, say, Hamlet, but they quote the play.
In these cases, Shakespeare is used to establish
a point of identification for the audience. His
writing tells the audience something about
the character or the situation.
Given that audiences are supposed
to be able to identify the quotations as
Shakespearean, it is unsurprising that Hamlet
is the most popular text for game designers to
cite. In The Elder Scrolls Online, for instance,
a merchant NPC (non-player character)
quotes Polonius when players interact, saying
Neither a borrower nor a lender be. The
words establish the NPCs role as a merchant,
while fitting the medieval world of the
game. In the game LA Noire, upon picking
up a fake shrunken head at a crime scene, a
detective leaps into high melodrama with,
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him Horatio. The
quotation and the clever voice acting establish
47

example, Daniel Fischlin at the University
of Guelph in Ontario, Canada led a team
that created a Flash game called Speare. Its
a scrolling arcade-style game suggesting the
80s hit Galaga, which sees players identifying
and navigating through a series of enemies
who turn into words upon being destroyed.
The player progresses through the levels
by collecting the correct words to create
Shakespearean quotes, learning Shakespearean
trivia along the way.
the characters strait-laced, yet macabre, sense
of humour.
Sometimes citing Shakespeare is a part
of a critique of a larger theme. In the game
Mass Effect, the Elcor are a race of elephantine
aliens who preface all statements with a
description of the emotion they are feeling
and who speak in a slow, monotonous drone.
As players interact with the expansive world
they can discover a number of advertisements
for an all-Elcor Hamlet. The idea of the
Elcor actor the ultimate in a flat, wooden
performer having to preface To be or not
to be with morose rumination goes beyond
the simple humour of a bad Shakespeare
performance. It subtly asks what it is about
acting (and especially voice acting) that is
valuable.
Shakespeare can appear in video games,
not merely as a marker or contextualisation
tool, but as a part of a puzzle. For example, in
the game Silent Hill 3, players must arrange a
set of Shakespeare anthologies on a bookshelf
in an abandoned shopping mall in order to
proceed in the game. At the hardest level,
the puzzle clue takes the form of a poem
that references all the major tragedies: Romeo
and Juliet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello and,
of course, Hamlet. The bloody nature of the
tragedies fits with the bloody nature of the
Silent Hill series of games, which fall into the
survival horror genre.
Popular video games have also served
as the inspiration for games that engage
with Shakespeare in a more direct way. For
48
Four days to save

the Danish court:
Elsinore.
Another Hamlet
reference, this time
in LA Noire.
Immersion
One of the most exciting aspects of video

games is the ability to immerse the player in
the world of the game in a way that other
media simply cannot do. Being able to walk
around Prosperos cell, Juliets balcony, or
to stand before the ghost of Hamlets father
as he cries out List, list, O list! these
experiences are made possible through video
game technology.
Students of Scenic Arts at the University
of Hildesheim in Germany created Projekt
ARIEL or SturmMOD in 2008, using a mod
(or modification) to the engine that runs
the game Far Cry 1. The performance art
project allowed users to experience Prosperos
island, interacting with certain parts and
exploring others. Players could walk around
an imaginative rendition of Prosperos cell and
witness or interact with elements of the play
including different characters like Caliban,
Prospero and Miranda.
Shakespeare video games
Silent Hill 3: Brush up

your Shakespeare if
you want to survive.
Gina Bloom at the University of California

at Davis is presently spearheading a project
that will be demonstrated in the lobby of the
Stratford Festival theatre in Ontario, Canada
this summer. The project, Play the Knave: A
Shakespeare Performance Videogame, lets users
design a virtual performance space and then
perform a scene from a Shakespeare play,
inhabiting this constructed space with an
avatar. As a Davis insider explains: We use a
kinect motion capture camera to capture the
users skeletal data so that players use their
entire bodies to control their avatars gestures
onscreen, all the while reciting the lines from
Shakespeares scene. This literally immerses
the players in the scene.
Shakespeares Globe Theatre in London
took another tactic regarding immersion
in the production of the game Hemmings
Play Company. Hosted on the Playground
portion of the Globes website, and thus
aimed at an audience of children, the game
has players taking on the role of Hemmings,
an Elizabethan bear, who leads a troupe of
theatrical animals such as Kit the Cat, Dekker
the Dog, and Slye the Fox.
The turn-based game leads players through
the vagaries of Elizabethan theatre practice,
from patronage to lost props and the plague.
By the end of the game, players must earn
enough money to rebuild the Globe after it
burns down during a performance of Henry
VIII.
Also from Shakespeares Globe are two
innovative video experiences created for
children aged five to 11. The first, Exploring
Hemmings Play
Company from
Shakespeares
Globe.
Shakespeare, features two boys on a tour of

the Globe theatre who sneak off to explore
backstage. The video illustrates four plays
using short animations that are keyed
to things the boys find backstage. The
technology combines live action film and
animation to create an interactive, touchable
game. Filled with mini-games, quizzes and
interesting facts about Shakespeare, the game
allows players to click through the narrative
or to stop and learn more as they go along.
The second video, called Staging It, uses
the same technology as the first film, but this
time is for the 11-16 age group. In this game,
The Globe has filmed two actors performing
famous duologues from A Midsummer
Nights Dream and Macbeth on the Globe
stage. Rather than shoot it once, the actors
have performed their lines in different ways
(happy, flirtatious, defensive and so on),
creating several different clips per line.
Players can watch each of the clips and add
their choice to a dynamic storyboard to
build up their final scene. Impressively, the
platform allows for up to 1,000,000 different
combinations of clips.
Apps and Mini-Games
Its when you start to look outside of the

realm of popular video game platforms
like Xbox or Playstation, that Shakespeare
49

really starts to pop up wherever you look.
The ubiquity of Shakespeare is especially
noticeable when you start to look at apps and
mini-games designed for phones and tablets.
In 2012, Big Fish Games released an
iPhone and iPad game called Hamlet!
that featured all the main characters of
Shakespeares play, but transposed them into
a save-the-princess narrative puzzle game.
A time traveller lands in Denmark and
accidentally kills Hamlet, and so players must
complete his journey for him, saving Ophelia
and killing Claudius. The Shakespearean
content is minimal and heavily adapted, and
yet it fits with the puzzle format in which
Shakespeare tends to be found in video
games.
The Chronicles of Shakespeare: Romeo &
Juliet and The Chronicles of Shakespeare: A
Midsummer Nights Dream are lusciouslyillustrated puzzle games for the PC. In them,
players act as one of the characters from the
plays, gathering items and clues through a
Shakespearean environment.
Among the literally thousands of apps
related to Shakespeare that can be found for
the iPad or Android tablet are:
" The Shakespearean Insult Creator,
which generates invectives drawn from a
wholly Shakespearean vocabulary. So, next
time you want to call someone a jerk, try
something more like Thou fusty, follyfallen,
fustilarian!
" The Shakespeare Translator, which
translates normal English words and phrases
into the words of Shakespeare himself.
" The Shakespeare Fortune Cookie,
which provides short quotes from the plays
and a small trivia game.
" Shakespeare or Die, a game that
scrambles the words of famous quotations
from the plays and asks you to identify the
play and character who spoke the line. If you
make a mistake, however, beware the witches!
These apps are either explicitly games or
they are coming out of a game-like impulse to
make Shakespeare more accessible to everyone
with an internet connection.
50
Hamlet! is a
Shakespearethemed puzzle from
Big Fish Games.
Speare is a scrolling
arcade-style
game with added
Shakespeare trivia.
Brave New Worlds?
In a world where Shakespeare is an industry

counted in the millions of dollars per year,
it is so easy to forget that Shakespeares plays
are just that plays. There is a sense of joy
and fun and happiness embedded in the
experience of watching them. Games are one
of the ways that people over the centuries
have tried to recapture that elusive sense of
playfulness within Shakespeare. So it makes
perfect sense that now, with the advent of
digital technologies, Shakespeare is moving
into the digital world with a vengeance.
From big studio games like The Elder
Scrolls to small apps that can be downloaded
for free, from talking bears to immersive
performance experiences, Shakespeare is
everywhere in video games. Rather than being
an undiscovered country into which the Bard
is only just beginning to emerge, games have
in fact engaged with Shakespeare and his
works for hundreds of years. And they will
probably continue to do so for hundreds of
years to come.
The Folger Shakespeare Library is the worlds largest repository of Shakespeareana

and English Renaissance books, manuscripts, and objets dart. Nobody alive knows
XLIPMFVEV]FIXXIVXLER7TIGMEP4SPMGI3JGIV0X2SVQER&PEPSGOLIWFIIRKYEVHMRK
it for 25 years.Thats why he is the perfect candidate to pull off an inside job and
heist from the librarys underground bank vault a priceless artifact that can rock the
foundation of English Literature...
Petersons novel is a lush tale of noir

fiction in the spirit of the appealing
thief utilizing all his wits against
almost insurmountable odds.
Literary Fiction Book Review
Published in the USA by Ram Press
Available in paperback, Kindle, Audible Audio, and iTunes Editions
On sale at Amazon.com, B&N, Books-A-Million, Indie Bound, et al
! Contributors
Helen Mears fell into bardolatry
Paul F Cockburn is an Edinburgh-
Rosalind Lyons is a painter who
during her teenage years and has

based freelance magazine journalist
has exhibited widely in both mixed
never recovered. She is a volunteer
who specialises in writing about
and solo shows, with work in UK
steward at Shakespeares Globe,
arts and culture, equality issues and
and international private collections.
which ensures a regular diet of the
popular science. Hes sufficiently
A life-long love of Shakespeare is
Bard. She teaches English, Film and grey-haired for his English Literature
reflected in many of her paintings,
Media at Suffolk New College and is
training to have sort of overlapped
and a particular recent focus is
a specialist in teaching Shakespeare with The BBC Television Shakespeare Shakespeares Globe theatre where she
using active methods. Her favourite
project, saving at least some of the
spent a period as artist-in-residence.
Shakespearean actor is Jamie Parker
plays from death by academia.
She is currently studying for a PhD
and her favourite plays are the Second Find him on Twitter @paulfcockburn
in Painting and Shakespearean
History Tetralogy. She hopes to
Theatre at Anglia Ruskin University
finish her Masters in the Advanced
in Cambridge.
Teaching of Shakespeare very soon.
Find her on Twitter @roslyons
Find her on Twitter @hipster_hels
Meet thy makers...
Just some of the contributors to this issue of Shakespeare Magazine
Jen Richardson first fell in love with
Shakespeare as a 15-year-old schoolgirl:

He got under my skin, and hes still there
today. After training with a Manchesterbased drama tutor, she went on to pursue
an acting career. Drama remains a great
interest, but her focus is now on sharing
her passion for Shakespeare through
her writing. In her spare time, Jen is
generally down in Stratford-upon-Avon,
sitting on her favourite bench behind
Holy Trinity Church.
Find her on Twitter @The_JenJen
52
Andrew Bretz is a sessional instructor
of English Literature and Drama,

specialising in early modern drama.
He has taught at Wilfrid Laurier
University, the University of Guelph,
Brock University and McMaster
University. For the past two years he
has taught a special summer intensive
at Ontarios Stratford Festival. His PhD
dissertation was on the representation
of sexual violence on the early modern
stage. Find him on Twitter
@AndrewBretz001
Next issue
Be bloody, bold,
and resolute...
MACBETH
Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard

MRXLI7LEOIWTIEVIPQIZIRXSJ
LOVE, SEX &

SHAKESPEARE...
We will always be haunted by the question

What inspired Shakespeares greatest poetry?
In her captivating debut novel, Andrea Chapin
offers a brilliant solution...
James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare
Published in the UK by Penguin on 26 March, 7.99
PASSION IN PRACTICE
FRESH APPROACHES
TO ACTING SHAKESPEARE
Original Pronunciation
Cue-scripts
Physical training
Workshops and Consultancy
www.passioninpractice.com
@passionpractice

Shakespeare Magazine 08

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Shakespeare Magazine 08

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

At last!

A magazine with all the Will in the world

At last! A magazine with all the Will in the world

Photo: David Hammonds

Shakespeare is our greatest, most discussed, most studied, most

So its great for us when Shakespeare becomes headline news

At last! A magazine with all the Will in the world

Shakespeares hottest ticket:

Its the Shakespeare event

Back to where it all began:

Founder & Editor

Magical, haunting and dreamlike: the Shakespeare art of

Actor Aidan OReilly tells us

You havent heard Shakespeare

Could the dizzying digital

Matthew Jenkinsons careful alterations of some of Shakespeares

Order now from

Lyndsey Turners 2015

Perhaps the quintessentially English actor,

enedict Cumberbatchs professional

and Romeo and Juliet, playing Orlando and

You wouldnt look twice at Richard. Hes a

Benedict with Martin

at Londons Barbican that is arguably the

Hamlet runs at the Barbican Theatre,

For a generation of Cumberbatch fans, Benedict at the Barbican is the

Battle of the Hamlets

f early reviews were to be believed, the Barbicans

floor, listening to Nat King Coles Nature Boy, before

O Hamlet, speak no more!

a round of applause to the talented set designers,

see him in a Shakespearean comedy role, Much Ados

And yet to me what

Sale! 99! through September 30 for iOS and Android!

All you need to know

Release date: August 1, 2014 / Category: Education

Even more than London, there

e could be in any small,

The five house ticket is the best value, giving

The Avon and Boat trips

A walk along the Avon is a must in any season.

Nash House and New Place

As well as the Henley Street property, the

A brief walk from New Place will take you

Nash House and

What if you dont have a car?

The town itself is fairly small and all the

Anne Hathaways Cottage

A short distance from Stratford is Shottery

Mary Ardens Farm

The last of the Shakespeare properties is Mary

Mary Ardens Farm.

Another excellent way to see the main sites of

There are several options depending on the

Holy Trinity Church

Another must-see is the towns 13th century

The Guildhall and King Edwards

Directly opposite the site of New Place stand

Where to eat and drink?

This has been recovered and is now once again

The Royal Shakespeare Company

The riverside park is home to several interesting

Stratford has an excellent range of eateries

Again, Stratford-upon-Avon has a good variety

02!)3% &/2 4(% -).54% 3(!+%30%!2% 3%2)%3