The Everyman theatre will host a fun and informative festival to celebrate all things Shakespeare from 2nd-9th March.
The Brilliant Bard festival brings together key organisations from across the region to discuss and debate Shakespeare’s work, including Liverpool John Moores University, Edge Hill University, the University of Liverpool, Shakespeare North and the Everyman & Playhouse.
Representatives from each organisation will showcase the Bard’s work in an exciting and interesting way, giving people to opportunity to further explore plays by the nation’s greatest ever writer.
A range of classes and sessions will be available to book throughout the week, all based at the Everyman theatre. These include workshops for young children, talks with leading academics and specially tailored sessions for school groups.
The festival opens with a Speaking Shakespeare session on Saturday 2nd March encouraging young people to debunk the language of Shakespeare’s plays with Everyman & Playhouse Associate Director Nick Bagnall.
For people wanting to learn more about Shakespeare’s work and its relationship the silver screen, a Shakespeare in Film workshop will take place on 5th March. Discussing four key plays, attendees will hear the thoughts of leading academics on a number of film interpretations. There will also be a screening of Frank Cotterell-Boyce’s short film A Winter’s Tale.
On Thursday 7th March, auteur Ken McMullen will explore the philosophy surrounding Hamlet presenting new work from his ongoing feature film The Philosopher’s Hamlet.
A keynote symposium headlines the festival on Friday 8th March featuring some of the region’s most prominent Shakespeare academics looking at four main topics. Curated by Esme Miskimmin from the University of Liverpool, Here is My Space includes a keynote speech from Shakespeare North’s leading academic Elspeth Graham and an introduction from Ian Tabbron, chief executive of Shakespeare North.
Closing the week on Saturday 9th March is an exciting workshop for children aged 5+ with the aim of making Shakespeare fun for young children. The Magic of Storytelling will explore the world of Macbeth and the weird and wonderful stories that lie within. Through props, costumes and support from theatre practitioners, children will transform into lords, ladies, witches and warriors to learn more about the Scottish play.
Sessions to help young people studying Shakespeare are also planned throughout the week, including a storytelling session for primary schools (4th March) and revision sessions for GCSE and A-level students (6th March). An opportunity for further learning for primary teachers will take place on Monday 4th March.
Allan Williams, learning manager at Everyman & Playhouse, said: “I am so pleased that we are offering a wide variety of activities and events that focus on the amazing body of work produced by Shakespeare and that will appeal to young and old alike. Our Theatre is committed to producing plays that challenge and delight our audiences and now we are looking to engage with our audiences in sharing and discovering more about his work”.
For a full list of sessions, a timetable of events or to book tickets, visit: www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on/the-brilliant-bard or call Box Office on 0151 706 4776. Discounts are available for education groups.