Shakespeare 400: What’s on – Shakespeare edition

A rundown of the best Shakespeare themed events.

A rundown of the best Shakespeare themed events.

 

“All the world’s a stage”: so why not join in the Shakespeare fun yourself? Here are the best events across London to help you celebrate 400 years since the death of the Bard. 

Download our PDF calendar by using the link below, or see our full listings and video interviews underneath. 

Calendar of Shakespeare related events in London

Listings

Event Shoreditch: The Earliest London Theatreland Talk with Julian Bowsher

Date               Thur 31 March, 6.15pm

Address        St. Botolph’s Hall, Bishopgate, EC2M 3TL

Station           Liverpool Street

Price              £5

MOLA archaeologist and Shakespearean expert Julian Bowsher discusses the theatrical landscape in London from the 1550s to the 1570s.          

 

Event Shakespeare’s London Archaeological Archive Tour

Date               Sat 2 and 16 April, 11am and 1.30pm   

Address        Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf, N1 7ED

Station           Hoxton

Price              £9

Handle bones, stage props and other 400 year-old artefacts that will transport you back to the earliest Shakespearean performances.

 

Event Henry V, the Curtain, Shakespeare and the Manipulation of history

Date               Mon 18 April, 6.15pm

Address        Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, N1 7ED

Station           Hoxton

Price              £5

A comparative discussion on the Agincourt campaign of 1415 and one of Shakespeare’s most politically explosive plays.

 

Event Shakespeare in Shoreditch Festival

Date               Wed 20 – Sat 30 April, various times

Address        Various, festival hub at BL-NK, 27 Curtain Rd, EC2A 3LT

Station           Shoreditch High Street

Price              £15.50          

Celebrating the Bard’s historic connection to Shoreditch on the 400th anniversary of his death, the festival brings together four original new plays to the streets of Shoreditch alongside a series of workshops, film screenings and talks.

 

Event Shoreditch: a Shakespearean suburb? Walk with Julian Boswher

Date               Sat 23 April, 12.15pm

Address        The Stage Archaeology Space, Hewett Street, EC2A 3NN

Station           Shoreditch High Street

Price              £5

Take a walk with MOLA archaeologist and Shakespearean expert Julian Bowsher around one of London’s most colourful suburbs, which has a long and interesting relationship with the English bard.

 

Event              Playing the Curtain: a talk with Dr Lucy Munro  

Date               Fri 13 May, 12.15pm

Address        Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, N1 7ED

Station           Hoxton

Price              £5

The Curtain theatre was one of the first theatres outside London’s city walls, and Shakespeare’s earliest plays were often performed at there. Reader at King’s College London Dr Lucy Munro discusses how the site can help us understand Shakespeare the man today.

 

BEST OF THE REST

 

Event By Me, William Shakespeare: A Life In Writing

Date               until Thur 29 May, Tues – Sun 10am – 6pm, until 8pm Thurs

Address        Inigo Rooms, Somerset House East Wing, WC2R 1LA

Station           Temple

Price              £8 – £10

The only place to see Shakespeare’s handwriting will, Somerset House’s tribute to William Shakespeare is a remarkable exhibition of his life and work.


Event Henry V

Date               Sat 26 March – Wed 6 April, Mon – Sat 7.30pm, Sat matinees 3pm

Address        Middle Temple Hall, Middle Temple Lane, EC4Y 9AT

Station           Blackfriars

Price              £10 – £40

See Shakespeare’s Henry V against the backdrop of the First World War performed by the award-winning theatre company Antic Disposition.

 

Event Shakespeare on Film

Date               Fri 1 April – Tue 31 May,

Address        BFI Southbank, South Block, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XT

Station           Waterloo

Price              Various

From Max Reinhardt’s Midsummer Night’s Dream to Roman Polanski’s Macbeth join the BFI Southbank as they celebrate Shakespeare in film.

 

Event Inspired by Shakespeare, the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Date               Sat 9 April, 6pm

Address        Royal Festival Hall, SE1 8XX

Station           Waterloo

Price              Free

Young musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra alongside dancers from the Rambert’s dance company will peform a collaborative piece inspired by the works of William Shakespeare.

 

Event Shakespeare in Ten Acts

Date               Fri 15 April – Tue 6 September

Address        96 Euston Road, Kings Cross, NW1 2DB

Station           Kings Cross

Price              Free – £12

A showcase of over 200 rare items, including Shakespeare’s only surviving play script at the British Library’s landmark exhibition.

 

Event Visscher Redrawn: 1616 – 2016 

Date               until Sun 20 November 2016

Address        Guildhall Art Gallery, EC2V 5AE

Station           Bank

Price              Free

Take a look at the work of artist Claes Jansz Visscher, whose works shine a light on London’s topographical setting before the Great Fire of 1666. Enjoy a rare view of Shakespeare’s London.

Reporting Team: Alex Jackson, Ginger Jefferies, Emmanuella Kwenortey, Isabel Togoh

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