2016: the year of Shakespeare400
2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and with it a host of performances, films, books, concerts, and other events to celebrate England's 'national poet'.
'Shakespeare400' - a consortium coordinated by King's College London - will celebrate with 'a connected series of public performances, programmes, exhibitions and creative activities in the capital and beyond'.
The World Shakespeare Congress will take place in London and Stratford-upon-Avon from July-August, and is hosted by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the University of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Institute, Shakespeare’s Globe and the London Shakespeare Centre, King’s College London.
Shakespeare's Globe will produce 'The Complete Walk', a 2.5 mile route between Westminster and Tower Bridge which will feature 37 screens showing 37 specially-made short films. Each film contains scenes from Shakespeare's plays shot in the locations he imagined, from Egypt to Venice to Elsinore.
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will launch a national tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream, featuring both professional and amateur actors.
Shakespeare's histories, comedies and tragedies will also feature on England's £2 coins.
For more information on recent and upcoming books - featuring authors including Andrew Dickson, Emma Smith, Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells, and James Shapiro - read Jerry Brotton's piece in The Financial Times.
You can find out about a range of events through this Guardian article, from new literary retellings of Shakespeare's plays, to a gala concert hosted by Simon Callow. BBC is even launching a live TV event, The Shakespeare Show, with David Tennant. This article from The Telegraph includes further details, including the next installment of BBC2's The Hollow Crown. You can also read an opinion piece by RSC director Gregory Doran on how Shakespeare became a 'national pastime'.
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