RSC to Celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday with Concert, Family Events

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will celebrate Shakespeare's 451st birthday with a special Birthday Bash musical concert on Sunday 26 April. The day before, Saturday 25 April, as part of Stratford-upon-Avon's annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations, the RSC will also offer a range of free activities for the family.

Birthday Bash, Sunday 26 April, 4pm

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.

Around twenty of the RSC's musicians, along with guest instrumentalists and vocalists, will treat the audience to music from - amongst others - the following past productions: Henry V (1951, composer Leslie Bridgewater) which featured Richard Burton in the title role; Othello (1999, composer George Fenton, and 1948, composer Ann Carbutt); The Merchant of Venice (1987, composer Guy Woolfenden) and Henry IV (2014/15, composer Paul Englishby). Rufus Wainwright's setting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 will also be part of the programme.

The winning entry from the RSC's current Shakespeare's Birthday Song Competition will gets 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. The competition closes on 23 March.

The Bash will by directed by Ryan McBryde, whose previous work for the RSC includes the 50th anniversary musicals concert and Workshop director for Matilda The Musical.

Tickets are £16-£35 and are available from www.rsc.org.uk or 0844 800 1110.

Activities around the RSC's theatres on Saturday 25 April

As part of the Birthday Celebrations on Saturday 25 April the RSC will offer a range of free activities for the whole family, including live music, storytelling sessions, stage fighting workshops and the chance to discover how fake scars and bruises are created.

Geraldine Collinge, Director of Events and Exhibitions at the RSC said: "There's always a palpable excitement in Stratford during the annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations. Last year was Shakespeare's 450th birthday, and 2016 will mark the 400th anniversary of his death. At this midway moment between the two anniversary years I'm delighted that on Sunday 26 April we're hosting the Birthday Bash, a fantastic concert bringing together a host of actors and musicians to perform extracts from some of Shakespeare's most celebrated works. And I can't wait to hear which song will be crowned the winner of the Birthday Song Competition. On Saturday 25 April there's a free programme of events and activities for the whole family, so do make sure you visit Stratford during this special time - it's definitely the place to be."

ACTIVITIES TAKING PLACE IN AND AROUND THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE ON SATURDAY 25 APRIL

LIVE MUSIC
From 11.15am-1pm, 4.20-5pm and 6.45-7.20pm - FREE, foyers of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Including the beautiful sound of the West African kora, klezmer and English folk.

FAMILY CRAFT ACTIVITIES ON THE BANCROFT TERRACE, IN FRONT OF THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE
From 11.30am-4.15pm - FREE
Simple arts activities for under 10's. You can sign our giant birthday card for Billy, design your own sword and shield and become one of Henry V's knights, or create a traditional pinwheel to spin in the breeze.

THEATRE SKILLS WORKSHOPS FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN IN THE MARQUEE IN THE BANCROFT GARDENS
All of the sessions below are free, last approximately 45 minutes and tickets are available on the day, 15 minutes before the start time on a first come, first served basis. Suitable for those aged 4+

Blood, Guts and Gore
12-12.45pm
Join former RSC Head of Wigs and Makeup, Brenda Leedham, as she shows you the tricks of creating bruises, cuts and scars in this demonstration needing willing participants.

Theatre games
1-1.45pm
An energetic session that will introduce you to some simple games and exercises actors use to warm up.

Introducing Shakespeare

2-2.45pm

A fun and lively session that will introduce some of Shakespeare's most famous characters, and have you quoting Shakespeare like a pro!

Active storytelling, Henry V
3-3.45pm
Become an actor and tell the story of Shakespeare's Henry V. Everyone gets involved, so be prepared to make music, dress up and join in with the fun.

THEATRE SKILLS WORKSHOPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS IN THE CLORE LEARNING CENTRE
All of the sessions below are free, last approximately 45-60 minutes and tickets are available on the day, 15 minutes before the start time on a first come, first served basis. Suitable for those aged 10+

Stage Fighting
12noon-1 pm
Learn how to pull a punch in this active workshop and demonstration of stage fighting techniques.

Voice
1.15-2pm
Take part in a simple warm up and have a go at bringing Shakespeare's text to life in a fun and energetic session with one of our voice practitioners.

Working with text
2.15-3pm
Join Voice Coach Michael Corbidge and discover some simple practical exercises to use with Shakespeare's speeches.

Stage Fighting
3.15-4.15pm
Learn how to pull a punch in this active workshop and demonstration of stage fighting techniques.

OUTDOOR STAGE FIGHTING DEMONSTRATION
There will be a stage fighting demonstration on the Bancroft Terrace at 2pm.

STORYTELLING SESSIONS
Storyteller Debs Newbold effortlessly brings together the ancient and the urban, the poetic and the irreverent, the epic and the everyday. For the Birthday Celebrations she will tell stories for families and for adults based on old English folk tales. Each session will include two stories:

Two Tales from a Stranger
12-12.30pm and 1.30-2pm, Weston Square Marquee. Suitable for families.

Wild Edric and The Giant Onion
What happens when you break a promise, and the true value of a giant onion.

Two from Way Out There
6-6.30pm, Upper Circle Bar, Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Suitable for adults.

Wild Edric and Mona and the Apple Tree

A husband who breaks his promises, and the oldest, cider-making landlady of Warwickshire.

These sessions are unticketed. We will admit the audience on a first come, first served basis

PUPPET STREET THEATRE
12.45-1.30pm and 3.30-4.15pm. Outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. FREE.
Beautiful and funny, this extraordinary walkabout puppet act has captured the hearts of audiences the world over. Hodman Dodmanott and Sally Forth are two tiny adventurers with a lot on their minds and even more on their backs. Join these elderly amblers as they set out to unfathom the modern world. Presented by The Flying Buttresses.

SONNETS FROM THE TOWER
1.30-4.30pm, The Tower, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Look out over Shakespeare's hometown whilst listening to his wonderful words spoken by RSC actors. Free: tickets allocated on a first come, first served basis.

SEA-MARKING EXHIBITION
12.30-2pm and 3-4pm, PACCAR Room, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Visit our new exhibition by Susan Stockwell exploring themes of money, trade and identity. Susan will be with us for the day to talk to visitors about her work and practice.

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