This was published 8 years ago
Shakespeare 400th anniversary of death: Events and celebrations in Britain
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This year marks 400 years since William Shakespeare's death and across Britain, events are being held to commemorate this landmark anniversary. Here are six of the best places to celebrate the Bard, in destinations that were highly influenced by the legendary playwright.
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
More than 5.5 million tourists visit this small Warwickshire market town annually, with most making a beeline for Shakespeare's timber-framed birthplace on Henley Street (expect restored Tudor rooms and cheerful costumed guides). Pilgrims also flock to the Holy Trinity Church, where the playwright was buried aged 52 (his tombstone is carved with the epitaph: "cvrst be he yt moves my bones"; he apparently wrote it himself to scare off grave robbers). Every other building in Stratford seems to have a Shakespeare link, including New Place, a restoration of the Bard's last home (shakespeare.org.uk). It reopens in July after a major revamp and promises to display never-before-seen Shakespearean artefacts. Try to catch a show by the Royal Shakespeare Company (rsc.org.uk). Lawrence Olivier, Helen Mirren and Patrick Stewart are among the thesps to have dazzled by the banks of the River Avon, and this year's big productions include Hamlet (March 12-August 13) and King Lear (August 20-October 15). Book tickets well in advance. Opening in June, the RSC's immersive new Play's The Thing attraction will tell the secrets and stories behind the company's iconic productions. Peruse costumes, props and set designs. and learn how magical and gory stage and sound effects are made.
SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND
Fanning out from Stratford, 'Shakespeare's England' (shakespeares-england.co.uk) is best enjoyed on a self-drive (or cycle) itinerary. Admire the period furniture and gorgeous gardens of Anne Hathaway's Cottage, a thatched farmhouse where Shakespeare courted his wife (the couple married when William was 18, Anne 26). Chance your hand at geese herding and archery, and watch blacksmith demonstrations and falconry displays, at Mary Arden's Farm, where Shakespeare's mother grew up. Further afield are two notable medieval castles name-checked by Shakespeare (Warwick and Kenilworth). The latter is particularly atmospheric. Fashionable with royalty in Shakespeare's day - Queen Elizabeth I stayed several times - it was destroyed in the English Civil War. Don't be surprised to see visitors rambling around the ruins dressed as King Henry V. In real life, and in Shakespeare's eponymous play, the young monarch was at Kenilworth when he received a set of tennis balls by the French. Perceived as an insult - and an attempt to mock his youth - the gift is said to have spurred Henry to battle the French at Agincourt.
LONDON
Shakespeare's legacy is all over the capital. Join a Bard-themed walking tour with Declan McHugh, who recites Shakespearean speeches as he points out the playwright's 'hidden' old London haunts (shakespeareguide.com). Visit the Globe (shakespearesglobe.com), a reconstruction of the theatre where many of Shakespeare's immortal lines were first uttered (the original building burned down in 1613 during a performance). Savour backstage Globe tours, exhibitions and drama workshops - and al fresco shows (this year's star turn is Jonathan Pryce, who's playing Shylock in the Merchant of Venice, October 4-15). For a really intimate experience, be a 'groundling' (the nickname given to standing spectators in the uncovered 'yard' by the stage, a tradition dating back to Elizabethan times). Standing tickets are priced £5. Elsewhere, the Barbican's "Shakespeare Woz Here" season (barbican.org.uk) includes talks and poetry readings, concerts by the London Symphony Orchestra and modern twists on classics (think: King Lear transported to northern Australia).
SCOTLAND
Interest in Scotland's "Macbeth trail" was revived after last year's bloody, muddy cinematic adaptation starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard (and directed by Australian Justin Kurzel). Scenes were shot on the mesmerising Isle of Skye (including Banquo's assassination, amid the rocky Cuilin mountain range). Track down the locations with the help of Macbeth– The Man, Myth & Legend (visitscotland.com/macbeth), a self-guided route showcasing 20 Scottish places associated with Macbeth (both the fictional one and the true-to-life 11th century warrior-king). Stops include Dingwall (the highland town where the real Macbeth was born around AD1005), Cawdor Castle (where Macbeth is given the title of Thane of Cawdor in the play) and Forres, home of King Duncan's castle (it's near the "blasted heath" where Macbeth had his prophetic encounter with the witches).
CORNWALL
There's no more dramatic place to take in Shakespeare than the Minack Theatre (minack.com). Built into granite cliffs on the south Cornish coast, this open-air marvel was created by the late Rowena Cade, who, in the 1930s, hosted an adaptation of The Tempest at the bottom of her garden. The Minack gradually morphed into a world-renowned 750-capacity venue - a transformation charted in the on-site museum - but its rustic spirit endures. This summer, As You Like It, A Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream will seduce Minack audiences. Matinee shows are held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, but it's spellbinding to watch a play under moonlight (with a picnic and bottle of wine). Bring a blanket, wet-weather gear and a cushion, too. The seats - allocated on a first come, first served basis - are made of stone.
OXFORD
Visit Oxford in term time and you'll see English literature students buzzing around the city with Shakespeare texts tucked under their arms (and leafing through them in pubs and cafes). In the summer holidays, you'll witness a feast of al fresco Shakespearean theatre. The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet are among the exuberant productions to have graced the gardens of Wadham College in recent years. They're put on by the Oxford Shakespeare Company (oxfordshakespearecompany.co.uk). In the grounds of Oxford Castle, the 2016 Oxford Shakespeare Festival will feature performances of The Taming of The Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing and several others (June 20-August 13,oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk). The Story Museum, which celebrates Oxford's rich literary heritage - JRR Tolkien, Lewis Carroll and CS Lewis are just some of the authors to have studied and taught here - is running a host of Shakespeare-inspired activities (storymuseum.org.uk).
This article brought to you by Visit Britain.
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