Some 400 years since his death in 1616 on his 52^nd birthday, festivals, exhibitions and performances all around the world in 2016 will celebrate the legacy of William Shakespeare, arguably the finest playwright and poet ever to write in the English language.

Here in the UK, all eyes will be on the Warwickshire town of Stratford-upon-Avon as an exciting programme of activities and events to commemorate its most famous son reaches its climax.  And where else could be better to celebrate Shakespeare’s legacy than the place he was born, went to school, married and raised a family, was inspired to write many of his most famous work and, after his death on 23^rd April 1616, was buried in the local church?

For Shakespeare’s Celebrations, a local initiative jointly led by Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Stratford on Avon District Council, 23rd April 2016 will bring a wonderful opportunity to focus on the Bard’s birthday and to celebrate his 400 year legacy with a unique ‘take’ on the traditional Annual Parade through the town, combining birthday and commemoration in a very special way.

Details are still under wraps, but Sarah Summers, Town Clerk and spokesperson for Shakespeare’s Celebrations is enthusiastic about this year’s event which she is busy organising. She says:

“This year Shakespeare’s Birthday Parade will be a spectacle like nothing we have seen before in the history of these precious, traditional celebrations which we want to preserve for future generations.

“We will, of course, see all the usual participants, among them civic dignitaries, VIPs and invited guests from the worlds of literature and theatre, students of Shakespeare’s school and characters in period dress, all accompanied by marching bands and many local schoolchildren making their way through the streets towards Holy Trinity Church.

“But beyond the customary ceremonies the truly international influence of William Shakespeare will be apparent in the exciting high point of our Parade – I can tell you that it will be full of music, colour and action, but we’d love you to come and see for yourselves exactly what that brings!

“Visitors from home and abroad, international and local media are warmly invited to join us to honour him and his legacy to us.”

The Birthday Celebrations extend to a whole week of events, culminating in a weekend of festivities and entertainment for all the family at venues throughout the town, many of them outdoors and most of them free of charge.

Elsewhere in Shakespeare’s beautiful home town, fascinating new attractions opening for visitors in this very significant year include a re-imagination by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust of the Bard’s final home, New Place, and the opening to the public of the room at King Edward’s School where he might first have put pen to paper as a boy scholar.  Both the Schoolroom and the historic Guildhall have been extensively renovated to bring a heritage project of international importance to fruition.

The Royal Shakespeare Company will house a major new exhibition at its Swan Theatre, celebrating the magic of Shakespeare on stage and 100 years of theatre-making in Stratford upon Avon and a discovery tour at The Other Place, RSC’s newly reopened research and development hub, will take visitors on a journey ‘From Page to Stage’ with a chance to look inside the RSC’s store of 30,000 costumes for the first time.

Sarah Summers continues: “William Shakespeare’s life and literary works are his legacy to everyone, but most especially to our Warwickshire town of Stratford-upon-Avon, where he spent so much of his life and where he is buried.  This 400-year legacy of its most famous son lies at the heart of cultural, economic and social life in the town and surrounding area today.

“The Shakespeare’s Celebrations initiative was established to ensure the traditional annual Birthday Celebrations, which are recognised around the world, continue for future generations to enjoy.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. For media enquiries about Shakespeare’s Celebrations, including media attendance in April 2016, please contact Amanda Wood at Syndicate Communications, mobile 07966 283259, tel 0333 011 8282 or email amanda.wood@syndicatecomms.co.uk
2. Shakespeare’s Celebrations is an initiative jointly led by Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Stratford on Avon District Council, working to safeguard the future of the traditional Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations. Key organisations in Stratford-upon-Avon including the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Stratforward Business Improvement Company are working with them to develop a major timetable of events for 2016 to celebrate the legacy of the Bard 400 years after his death in 1616.

PN Ref 15-01

Released on 23 March 2015

Stratford-upon-Avon will be full of festivities and entertainment from 23^rd – 26^th April, as the town celebrates the 451^st birthday of its most famous son, William Shakespeare.

Stratford’s tradition of the birthday celebrations dates back to 1827, bringing together residents and visitors with people from the worlds of diplomacy, theatre, literature and academia in a vibrant mix of pageantry and performance.

Festivities begin on 23^rd April at 11am – Shakespeare’s actual birthday, with Coffee, Cake and Sonnets at Holy Trinity Church. Enjoy a slice of birthday cake and a cuppa whilst listening to Shakespeare’s sonnets, performed by the church’s in-house theatre group, Trinity Players.

On Friday, 24^th April, Dame Harriet Walter will give the Shakespeare Birthday Lecture at the Shakespeare Centre on Henley Street. The event starts at 4pm and is produced by the Shakespeare Institute, the University of Birmingham and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Tickets for the lecture are £10/£8 concession, and can be reserved by calling the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on 01789 204016.

Building on the 2014 launch of Singing Shakespeare – a three year global project to inspire choirs from all over the world to perform new and existing musical settings of Shakespeare, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust presents the Birthday Celebrations Concert at Stratford Artshouse on Friday, 24^th April at 7pm. Shakespeare’s works are being celebrated with a young people’s concert, presenting new material by acclaimed composer, Toby Young and performed by local primary schoolchildren. Tickets are £6 adults/£3 children and available at www.stratfordartshouse.co.uk or call 01789 207100.

On Saturday, 25^th April, the 123^rd annual parade will once again be led by students and staff of King Edward VI School. This grand birthday procession will start from the Town Hall at 10.30am, parading through the historic spine of Stratford to symbolise Shakespeare’s life journey from cradle to grave. The parade’s route is being extended this year to include Wood Street, Windsor Street and Henley Street, passing by Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street and his schoolroom on Church Street, culminating with the laying of flowers by Shakespeare’s grave at Holy Trinity Church.

The procession makes a memorable spectacle as it reaches Bridge Street for the ‘Unfurling of the Flags of Nations’ ceremony and the ‘Quill Pageant’. This is where costumed character William Shakespeare will ceremoniously hand over ‘The Quill’ to the head boy at King Edward VI School, signaling the ceremony to unfurl the many international flags that line the parade route.

And what good is a birthday party without cake? Shakespeare’s enormous horse-drawn birthday cake, freshly decorated by pupils from the Willows Primary School with the help of artist Barbara Fidoe and Escape Community Arts, will also be parading through town. The ‘icing’ design is inspired by the 600^th anniversary of the battle of Agincourt. Everyone will have a chance to enjoy free birthday cake; either by taking part in the shop window cupcake trail or by visiting Stratford College’s stall on Waterside where students will be handing out cupcakes (while stocks last).

As well as the birthday parade, residents and visitors can enjoy a fabulous day of free events and entertainment throughout the town centre, jointly organised by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Royal Shakespeare Company. From Samba and Bollywood dancing, to live music, street theatre and acting workshops – there’s plenty of fun for the whole family!

Here’s a flavour of what’s in store:

• 10am: Bancroft Gardens – Schools country dancing with Shakespeare Morris
• 1-2pm: Hall’s Croft Gardens, Old Town – The annual Knights & Nymphs toddler party. Free entry to Hall’s Croft gardens for all families with children under 5. Bring a picnic and enjoy a fun day out with face painting, crafts and lots of fairy fun!
• Traditional Morris dancing workshops across the town centre, in preparation for the Great Morris Slam at 4.30pm on the Bancroft Gardens. All visiting Morris sides will join forces and dance together. Those tempted to show off their Morris dancing skills can join in the flashmob.
• 30pm: The Guild Chapel – Singing Shakespeare Concert. London-based choir Khymerikal is presenting a concert of works by British composers, with song settings of Shakespeare’s text, poetry and music inspired by Hamlet and The Tempest. Tickets are £10/£8 concession and can be reserved by calling the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on 01789 204016.

Stratford-upon-Avon residents (CV37 – proof of residency required) can enjoy free entry to all four Shakespeare family homes and gardens, and Harvard House on Saturday, 25^th April. In addition to free birthday cake and balloons at all houses, families can enjoy a day of fun activities, including storytelling and Tudor tales at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, or pop in at Harvard House and make a special birthday card for William.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will offer a range of free activities for the whole family in and around its theatres on Saturday, 25^th April, including live music, storytelling sessions, stage fighting workshops and the chance to discover how fake scars and bruises are created.

On Sunday, 26^th April, the annual Shakespeare Service at Holy Trinity Church will commence at 11am with a special sermon given by The Very Revd Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Bristol Cathedral, and includes music and verse from Shakespeare’s plays, performed by members of the RSC.

The Birthday Celebrations will come to an end with a special musical concert on Sunday 26 April at 4pm, organised by the RSC.  The Birthday Bash will feature music written for previous RSC productions and the forthcoming summer season, interspersed with speeches and extracts from Shakespeare performed by actors who have a close association with the Company.  The winning entry from the RSC’s current Shakespeare’s Birthday Song Competition will get its first public performance at the Bash. Open to professional and amateur composers aged 18+, the RSC is asking for a new musical composition, setting the words from one of Shakespeare’s much loved songs to music.  Tickets for the Bash are £16-£35 and available from www.rsc.org.uk or 0844 800 1110.

For more information and updates on what’s on during Shakespeare’s birthday weekend, visit www.shakespearescelebrations.com.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Henley Street, High Street, Sheep Street and Waterside will remain closed to traffic until 5pm on Saturday, 25^th April.

 Press release jointly issued by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council), King Edward VI School and Holy Trinity Church.

For media enquiries, please contact the following PR representatives:

For Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations:

Rebecca Murphy at Syndicate Communications

07805 691831 / 0333 011 8282 or email rebecca.murphy@syndicatecomms.co.uk

For Shakespeare Birthplace Trust:

Alisan Cole, PR & Public Affairs Executive

01789 207132 / 07824 137638 or email alisan.cole@shakespeare.org.uk

For Royal Shakespeare Company:

Dean Asker, Press and Communications Officer

01789 412660 / 0778 9937759 or email dean.asker@rsc.org.uk

 For King Edward VI School:

Sarah Jervis-Hill, Office Manager

01789 203132 or email smj@kes.net

For Holy Trinity Church:

Carolyn Smith, Head Verger and Parish Administrator

01789 266316 or email carolyns@stratford-upon-avon.org

News Release  24 February 2015

Dame Judi Dench and Sir Patrick Stewart OBE have joined fellow world famous actors David Bradley and Dame Janet Suzman as Patrons of the Friends of the Shakespeare’s Celebrations.

And the number of Friends of the Shakespeare’s Celebrations continues to grow.

The Patrons also now include world renowned Shakespeare Scholar Sir Stanley Wells CBE.

Dame Judi Dench, famous for her work in theatre, television and film, has maintained her connection with the Stratford District and the Royal Shakespeare Company since she made her Stratford debut in 1962 as Isabella in Measure for Measure.

Dame Judi Dench said:” I am absolutely thrilled to have been asked to be a Patron of the Shakespeare’s Celebrations. Stratford-Upon–Avon is very close to my heart, so what more could one ask than to be associated with the Town and Shakespeare.”

Sir Patrick Stewart OBE is most widely known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: the Next Generation, its successor films and his numerous major roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Sir Patrick Stewart said: “I am delighted to accept the invitation to become a Patron. Shakespeare and Stratford have a very important place in my life and heart.”

Professor Sir Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, is the author of many books about Shakespeare and has a new book, Great Shakespeare Actors, to be published on Shakespeare’s Birthday this year.

Professor Wells said: “I have been taking part in the Shakespeare Celebrations for over half a century and am delighted to become a Patron.”

Val Harris, Development Manager for the Shakespeare’s Celebrations said:” The response from our Patrons has been very exciting and the numbers of applications to become local Friends is continuing to grow. They will all receive special lapel pins and be invited to a reception at the Town Hall on the eve of the birthday parade.”

To become Friend of the Shakespeare’s Celebrations visit- www.shakespearescelebrations.com, where you can join online or call

01789 260645.

End

For further details contact:

Sarah Summers

Town Clerk

Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council

Town Hall

Sheep Street

Stratford-upon-Avon

CV37 6EF

Tel: 01789 269332

Email:  sarah.summers@stratford-tc.gov.uk

Actor, David Bradley, gave a rousing speech at a Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall reception at last week’s Friends of Shakespeare’s Celebrations Launch Reception (30 October), when he urged guests to consider the importance of William Shakespeare in their lives.

The distinguished, BAFTA winning actor, who is popularly known for his role as Argus Filch in the Harry Potter series of films, spoke to a packed Town hall of guests from across the Stratford-on-Avon District’s community, business and cultural communities.  The high profile event launched The Friends of Shakespeare’s Celebrations, a recently formed initiative, established by Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council, co-hosting the event, to ensure the future of Stratford’s Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations.

Mr Bradley gave an inspiring and amusing account of how he was first introduced to Shakespeare, through a youth drama group and the way in which the poet, “not of an age, but for all time,”* has played such a significant role in his own life and career.  His speech led guests to consider the importance of Shakespeare to all Stratfordians and the need to sustain and develop Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations, a globally significant keystone in the town’s heritage.

*Ben Jonson

The purpose of the event was to promote newly created opportunities for local people, businesses and  organisations to get involved and be appropriately recognised for their support.  Businesses, Community and Educational organisations can display their logo or message on promotional flags and pedestrian rail banners, which will be lining Stratford’s streets during the traditional Shakespeare’s Birthday Parade.  Businesses are also being invited to support particular elements as Corporate Partners, including the Shakespeare’s Giant Birthday Cake, which played such a prominent part in this year’s procession.

Meanwhile, loyal residents and visitors are being invited to become a Friend of Shakespeare’s Celebrations, by contributing financially or volunteering to be Stewards, Marshals or Playmakers, who were introduced this year to welcome and give information to people attending the festival.

“The evening was memorable,” said Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, Cllr. Ian Fradgley, “It was a privilege to hear David Bradley address the event with such a personal tribute to Shakespeare.   David has also accepted our invitation to become a Patron Artist of Shakespeare’s Celebrations and we are delighted to announce that acclaimed Shakespearean actress, Dame Janet Suzman has also accepted our invitation to join him in this role.  We are hoping to announce a further eminent Patron Artist, over the coming weeks.”

Goodwill from community figureheads was in abundance, during the evening. Stratford-upon-Avon Town Clerk, Sarah Summers declared the need to preserve Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations “a no brainer” and pledged her immediate Friend of Shakespeare’s Celebrations membership, while Rev. Dr. Paul Edmondson, Head of Knowledge and Research at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, who wasunable to attend the event, sent a goodwill message, confirming that he, too, has become one of the initiative’s first Friends.**

**To become a Friend please visit www.shakespearescelebrations.com

The informative evening was set against a programme of music, from the distinguished and locally based ensemble, English Serenata, directed by flautist, Gabrielle Byam-Grounds and Stratford-upon-Avon School students who entertained guests with a selection of guitar-accompanied duets.

“We do believe that our guests left the launch, entirely committed to the idea that our community must do everything it can to help with plans to fund and secure Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations for the future,” added Cllr. Maurice Howse, Stratford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Enterprise, Housing and Revenues.  “It’s no exaggeration to say that anyone who lives and works in Stratford benefits directly or indirectly from the town and District’s connection with William Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations reminds the world each year of this unique selling point.”

Meanwhile, organisers are counting down the days, from the launch event to next year’s Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations Parade on 25 April, 2015.

Shakespeare Celebrations Partners:

Holy Trinity Church
Stratford-on-Avon District Council
Stratford Town Trust
King Edward VI School
Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council
Royal Shakespeare Company
Shakespeare Birthday Company
Stratforward
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

 

Shakespeare’s Celebrations is a recent initiative, between Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council.  It is dedicated to leading the world in celebrating William Shakespeare’s life, through developing the traditional and globally recognised Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Shakespeare’s Celebrations and its partners are committed to ensuring that the Celebrations will continue to take place from next year and beyond, so that Stratford’s unique heritage will benefit the town and district’s communities and economy for many years to come.  If this is to happen, it is essential that the festival  becomes sustainable and  independent of public subsidy.

The traditional Birthday Celebrations, which date back to 1824, are always held in Stratford over the weekend closest to the Bard’s birthday on 23 April (also believed to be the date of his death).

The Birthday Parade is a spectacle of worldwide and local dignitaries, community groups and schools, alongside prominent figures and well-known faces from the worlds of theatre, academia and culture.  Ceremonies include the unfurling of more than a hundred flags in Stratford’s town centre, followed by a procession into Holy Trinity Church to see Shakespeare’s grave, adorned with flowers.

                       

 

 

Contact details

For further details contact

Val Harris
Development Manager
Shakespeare’s Celebrations

Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council,

Elizabeth House,
Church Street,
Stratford-upon-Avon
Warwickshire CV37 6HX

Tel: 01789 260645

Mobile: 07969 323313
email: val.harris@shakespearescelebrations.com

web: www.shakespearescelebrations.com

 ‘TALL TALES’ AS 20ft GODIVA GATHERS STORIES IN STRATFORD

TO MARK BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Coventry’s famous daughter meets Stratford’s most celebrated son and

leads The People’s Celebration of Shakespeare’s 450^th Birthday – 25^th and 26^th April 2014.

The town that gave the world William Shakespeare is celebrating his 450^th birthday with a special guest appearance from a ‘larger than life’ representation of another famous historical Midlands figure – Lady Godiva.

To coincide with the birthday celebrations, Stratford-upon-Avon will give sanctuary to Coventry’s most famous daughter in the form of an extraordinary six-metre tall moving marionette.

The giant feat of engineering, created by Imagineer Productions for The Cultural Olympiad in 2012, will start a weekend of local community celebrations arriving in Stratford to launch her own Regional Odyssey on 25^th April.

According to legend, Godiva was an 11^th Century noblewoman who rode naked through the streets of Coventry as a protest over the high taxes imposed by her husband, the Earl of Mercia.

Supported by Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), the fully-clothed Godiva will spend a night at the home of Stratford’s famous son in Henley Street before leading the biggest ever community celebration the town has seen – The Peoples Pageant – on 26^th April – as part of Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations.

The People’s Pageant complements the flag unfurling ceremony and main birthday ‘cradle to grave’ procession through the town of Brass bands, civic dignitaries, foreign diplomats and pupils from local schools, each carrying their floral tribute to lay on Shakespeare’s grave in Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare in buried.

Godiva represented the creative heart of the country during the 2012 Cultural Olympiad and Imagineer Productions has spent the last 18 months working on a series of appearances throughout the Midlands in 2014.

Her visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, Godiva’s first outing on this tour, centres around her collecting stories of Shakespeare and in particular the women in his life and in his works.

“There is a natural symbiosis between Godiva’s Odyssey and Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations – both were famous historic characters from the Midlands whose legends live on in our imaginations,” said Marion Morgan of Stratford Birthplace Trust and co-ordinator of the People’s Pageant.

“Godiva was a strong and principled character, the kind that Shakespeare wrote about, and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s five properties – Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Nash’s House, Halls Croft, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage & Gardens and Mary Arden’s Farm – all have strong associations with the women in his life,” she added.

The RSC has recently launched The Roaring Girls – a series of productions led by Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, including two rarely performed Jacobethan plays which reveal some of the great parts written for and about women. The first play in the series, The Roaring Girl, previews from 9 April in the Swan Theatre.

Geraldine Collinge, RSC Director of Events and Exhibitions, said: “I’m delighted Godiva will be making the trip from Coventry to Stratford to help us all celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday.  She’s an amazing sight, and an exciting addition to the People’s Pageant.  In the afternoon I can’t wait to see Imagineer’s latest creation, The Humming Bird, take flight!  It promises to be a spectacular event.”

Entertainers from around the country and overseas will perform throughout the day, filling the streets of Stratford and drawing visitors to the town from all over the world.

Godiva will spend the afternoon in Bancroft Gardens, forming the focal point for the day-long celebrations. Here Godiva will meet her future lifelong companion, The Humming Bird, for the first time. This exquisite mechanical bird, capable of flying one and a half kilometres, will appear and make its inaugural flight in a premier outdoor performance created by Imagineer.

Local people are invited to be a tourist in their own town and visit the Shakespeare Family Homes where they can get free entrance with proof of a CV37 address to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

Free performances in the town centre throughout the day include an American choir singing in the gardens of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, live theatre, the Poetry Doctor, renaissance dance troups, traditional dance and music, student performers from the USA, Russia, Spain and around the UK and family activities at all five Shakespeare Birthplace Trust properties and at the RSC.

Ends

For more information, contact Newsline PR on 01926 888308 or email john@newsline-pr.co.uk

SBC104

THOUSANDS EXPECTED IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON FOR

SHAKESPEARE’S 450^TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

The birth of William Shakespeare 450 years ago will be celebrated in style in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon in April – and across the world.

 

Many thousands of visitors from around the globe are expected in Stratford for the bumper weekend of family fun on April 26/27, which will also include plenty of pageantry, pomp and performance.

 

Jubilant flag-waving crowds will line the streets of the Elizabethan market town as actors, foreign diplomats and civic dignitaries join a 1,000-strong grand Birthday Procession through the streets on Saturday April 26 as the town – and the world – pays tribute to Britain’s most famous playwright and poet.

 

This will be followed by a community parade where locals and spectators can join the throng of costumed players, musicians and creative groups celebrating this milestone anniversary.

 

Shakespeare was both born (1564) and died (1616) in Stratford on the same date – April 23, the day the country also celebrates its patron saint, St George.

There will be music, street entertainers, acting and theatre make-up workshops, tours of the Shakespeare houses, children’s parties – and the chance to spot the occasional famous actor.

The parade

The town has been celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday since 1824; celebrations that always begin with the grand procession of VIPs, actors, scholars, characters in costume, bands, strolling players, and local schoolchildren and townspeople.

Since 1893, the boys of Shakespeare’s old grammar school King Edward VI School (K.E.S.) have led the procession to HolyTrinityChurch, and make a memorable spectacle as they parade through Bridge Street following the traditional unfurling of the flags of nations ceremony at 11.00am.

Once the procession is in position, the flag unfurling ceremony and the ‘Quill Pageant’ will take place. This is where costume character William Shakespeare ceremoniously hands over ‘The Quill’ to the head boy of K.E.S. who will use it to signal the start of the flag unfurling ceremony and will then carry it all the way to Holy Trinity Church, symbolising Shakespeare’s journey from the cradle to the grave.

Immediately following the main parade will be the Community Pageant and street entertainers, with the Stratford Morris Men bringing up the rear.  Local people and visitors are invited to walk with the Pageant through the town.

 

In addition, The Royal Shakespeare Company will be running a range of free activities for all the family in and around its theatres on Saturday 26 April, including storytelling sessions, stage fighting workshops and the chance to see how fake scars and bruises are created.  Visitors will also be able to enjoy music in the foyer areas, and, for 50p, cross the river on the ferry listening to RSC actors reading sonnets.

 

The RSC is also working with community artist Georgia Jacob and organisations based in Stratford-upon-Avon to produce an exciting addition to the community element of the Birthday procession. Each group will produce a puppet based on a character from Shakespeare which will be carried on the processional route. After the Birthday Celebrations the pieces will be hung in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for the summer season.  This has been enabled by funding from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s Reach Out And Help Partner Fund, and supported by Stratford Town Trust.

 

Further information and updates about the weekend can be found on www.shakespearescelebrations.com

Ends

31 January 2014                                                    Issued by Newsline PR: 01926 888308

Released on 8 January 2014

Stratford-on-Avon District Council together with Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council have appointed a new Project Manager to develop Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations as an internationally recognised event in Stratford-upon-Avon, the wider District and across the world.

Today, Wednesday 8 January, Val Harris has been appointed to this role.  Val will be looking to secure funding and sponsorship for the Birthday Celebrations to take the pressure off the public purse and develop the event for the future, continuing to work with partners.

Cllr Maurice Howse, Enterprise, Housing and Revenues Portfolio says: “The forthcoming Shakespeare celebrations are of worldwide significance and will put Stratford-upon-Avon firmly in the spotlight and as such need special attention.  This is a new approach with the opportunity to expand the Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration programme without burdening the local taxpayer, through generating sponsorship and other funding streams.”

Cllr Diane Walden, Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council says: “This is a new era moving forward for the Birthday Celebrations, looking to build on past success.”

One of the main duties of the role will be to create a ‘Friends of the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations’ scheme – to provide financial support and also volunteers with people getting involved to secure future Celebrations.

Contact details

For further details contact
Stratford-on-Avon District Council
Elizabeth House,
Church Street,
Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire,
CV37 6HX

Tel: 01789 267575

The following Luncheon Venues/Food outlets have been confirmed for the 2013 Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations:

• El Greco, Rother Street
• Munchies, Meer Street
• Henley Tea Rooms, Henley Street
• Jesters, Shrieves Walk
• New Bulls Head, Bull Street
• White Swan Hotel, Rother Street
• The Arden Hotel, Chapel Lane
• The Alveston Manor Hotel, Banbury Road
• Café Rouge, Sheep Street
• Edward Moons, Chapel Street
• The Creaky Cauldron, Henley Street
• Bamboodle, Union Street
• Falcon Hotel, Chapel Street
• Holiday Inn, Bridgeway
• Essence, Old Red Lion Court
• Mercure Shakespeare, Chapel Street
• RSC Rooftop Restaurant, Waterside
• The Lazy Cow, Bridgefoot
• Thespians, Sheep Street

Please note: This list may be subject to change.

Click here to download the timetable for the 20th April Birthday Celebrations

Blogging Shakespeare