Honorary Fellowship Nominations 2017

20th September 2016

The following message is sent on behalf of Andrew Jarvis, chair of the BSA’s Fellowship Committee.

The British Shakespeare Association endows two Honorary Fellowships each year. This year, 2016, the Fellowships were given to Emeritus Professor Ann Thompson and to Emeritus Director of the RSC John Barton – at a special Fellowship Event during our Conference at the University of Hull.

The BSA now needs to be thinking about who the recipients will be for 2017.

I would like to invite all current Members of the BSA to offer nominations for next year’s award.

The choice for nomination should fulfil the following criterion :

The title of ‘Honorary Fellow of the British Shakespeare Association’ should be reserved for those who, at whatever level, have made, or are making, a major contribution to the field of Shakespeare activities, whether it be Scholarship, Education more generally, or the Performance of the plays.

It is certainly permitted for Members to individually take soundings within the wider field of Shakespeare activities, but on the understanding that enquiries will need to be tactfully made, that information should remain strictly confidential, and that no candidate should be approached individually.

All proposals, from whichever area, should then be accompanied by TWO nominations  (a Proposer and a Seconder)  and a formal written proposal stating the case for nomination  (a short paragraph).

Once all Nominations have been received, the Fellowship Committee will then make a decision – via discussion and vote – on who the two candidates shall be. Those two names will then be presented and recommended to a meeting of the full Board of Trustees – a process which then requires the Board’s ratification.

Previous recipients of the Fellowships over the past few years have been : Cicely Berry, John Joughin, Reginald Foakes, Terence Hawkes, John Russell Brown, Janet Suzman and Chris Grace. As you know, this year, the two Fellowships were endowed on Emeritus Professor Ann Thompson and Emeritus Director of the RSC John Barton.

I really would welcome as many names as possible, from all the constituencies of the BSA. The closing date for Nominations is December 10^th.

Please send all nominations to the Chair of the Fellowship Committee – Andrew Jarvis – via e-mail to : jarvis-andrew@hotmail.com

Applications to host our 2018 Conference

13th September 2016

The BSA is pleased to invite proposals from members and member institutions to host the next BSA conference, which will take place in 2018. To apply, send a completed proposal form by 31 October 2016 to Alison Findlay (a.g.findlay@lancaster.ac.uk) and Susan Anderson (s.anderson@leedstrinity.ac.uk). Please feel free to contact Susan if you would like to discuss your proposal informally first.

Download the Proposal Form

The King’s Troupe at the Dell

12th September 2016

Download this Bulletin as a PDF

“Above all, our work is about widening participation, theatre-making in non-traditional ways in non-traditional venues nationally and internationally, through the wonderful medium of Shakespeare and his plays”. Mary & Richard Coaten

The King’s Troupe at the Dell (August 7^th 2016) – contributing to the RSC’s summer outdoor programme with an internationally flavoured performance of ‘As You Like It’ in Farsi, Romanian and English on the 2016 International Day of Friendship!

King’s Troupe on Facebook

‘Shakespeare without Borders’ – doing things differently – an exceptional year continues!

“The King’s Troupe arts and drama programme has been running for the past few months, and has provided a group of our Centre Users with a fantastic and rare opportunity to join together with a creative group who stand in solidarity with their struggles, make friends and build support networks outside of their communities, foster a strong group dynamic based on commonality and most importantly have an outlet for creative expression”.

Lora Evans, Support Programme Leader

St Augustine’s Centre, Halifax

www.staugustinescentrehalifax.org.uk

Rehearsals –finding common ground…

This is the last of our three blogs concerning our Dell performances and the musical, theatrical, multi-cultural and improvisatory exploration that has led up to them, beginning with our first meetings up at Swan Bank Centre in Cragg Vale beginning on the 7^th May. We talked, moved, ate and sang together getting to know each other through theatre games while also discovering our playful selves. A highlight in those early sessions was Hassan and John playing the warring Dukes, trading verbal and non-verbal insults with each other. In Hassan we discovered a real talent for comedy and hope to be able to encourage this in future. Musically, Somi and Hammed joined us a bit later on, and together with their singing and his guitar playing, gradually worked up a fine repertoire of about seven different songs, some of them finding their way to the final performances.

“The partnership is providing a lot of opportunities for learning: about Shakespeare’s work, English language development, geography of Calderdale as they travel to rehearsals in the nearby countryside, and of England when they travel to the performance…The King’s Troupe have prioritised the language and musical, theatrical and cultural traditions of the participants homelands and weaved these into the play’s development. I believe this innovative approach improves confidence and instils dignity, pride and self-esteem, much of which are wrecked during the journey to seek asylum.” Lora Evans…

Thoughts along the way – There were all sorts of challenges both logistic and creative. For example, why attempt a multi-lingual production when doing it in English might have been considerably easier? Mary our Director wanted to continue the linguistic explorations started in a Bucharest shopping centre (Blog 1) earlier this year, hearing Shakespeare in Romanian for the first time. It was really interesting to explore this, and thus including Farsi in this production, together with our Iranian and Afghani friends from St Augustine’s, in addition to our fledgling Romanian company from Bucharest seemed logical and important. In addition, the diversity of a multi-cultural exploration of a cut-down text, including the linguistic elements brought out lots of questions about meaning and intention and character development. The rehearsal process also involved a good few animated skype conversations with our Romanian company about the text, pronunciation, meaning and character. Also, Monica’s work on a beautiful old Romanian song called ‘Crazy Forest’, that she had discovered and learnt for the Dell was very special indeed. The song was about the forest singing for the love of a young woman that she should not leave it.

“It was one of the most beautiful days of my life because I defeated my fear of being in front of many people and I felt the confidence of being comfortable playing and acting in front of people…like a personal victory for me”. Maria, 13yrs.

 “It was very beautiful to play there and I was looking at those trees around and asking how it might be to do something similar at home”. Sinziana, 5yrs

Themes of exile and reconciliation were really important both in the rehearsal process and the performance itself, as Lora Evans echoed in her long and very supportive letter to us, “Regular rehearsals have provided a space outside of their ‘normal lives’ (that are typically, chaotic, stressful, limited in their scope of new experiences). We know the benefits of access to green spaces and new landscapes for individuals suffering from mental health problems, traumatic histories, social isolation and deprivation”. The archetypal themes of exile and reconciliation contained in this play are very real and lived experience for our friends from St Augustine’s. We have as a company embarked on a new journey for us, making new friends through theatre-making that bring us closer together and that we will continue to develop.

Legacy – what next?

As a result of our theatre work in this exceptional Shakespeare anniversary year 2016, we now have fledgling King’s Troupe companies in Romania and France, needing encouragement, support and skills-sharing to develop their own unique styles of theatre-making. We have begun a partnership with St Augustine’s Centre which we will continue, with a recently hatched plan to perform ‘As You Like It’ at the centre in the coming weeks.

This is a really exciting way of working which can be replicated in many countries and cultures; community theatre-making in a most accessible way with the genius of Shakespeare holding it together.

“The project has undeniably hugely broadened the horizons of those involved. We at St Augustine’s Centre are very proud of what has been achieved, and grateful to those who have brought it into fruition.” Lora Evans…

Many thanks to the British Shakespeare Association from all in the King’s Troupe for the financial support they have provided for enabling this production to take place, by supporting our Romanian friends to come from Bucharest. Also to the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nicola Salmon, Ian Wainwright and colleagues who have once again given us this very special opportunity to come and perform on their Dell stage, and who have over the past 4 years encouraged our theatre-making and growth as a company through the Open Stages programme.

“The most important thing for me was finding this common language in a very free, playful and relaxed way. I felt we were putting pieces of our souls together and the final picture was like a very beautiful tapestry with love, acceptance and the joy of being together”. Monica, Bucharest

Richard & Mary Coaten

August 16th 2016

For further information: marycoaten@hotmail.co.uk

Review: Inspired by Shakespeare

30th August 2016

We gave George Asbury (14) a sneak peek of the BSA’s Inspired by Shakespeare , a volume of creative writing edited and professionally designed by UCLan Publishing students which will be launched at the BSA Hull conference in September. From that point on, it will be available to all BSA members via the website. George is about to start Year 11 at St John Fisher School, Harrogate. He enjoys crime fiction, music, football and table tennis. He hopes to study English at university and to become a sports journalist. 

Inspired by Shakespeare, an anthology of creativity inspired by Shakespeare’s works, does a wonderful job of inspiring young Shakespeare fans to go out and get writing. A combined effort from the British Shakespeare Association’s Teaching Shakespeare and UCLan Publishing this anthology celebrates Shakespeare and is a great resource for budding writers and artists.

This special edition anthology commemorates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with a collection of creative pieces – poems, prose and pictures – inspired by his works. The first half presents work from winners of the Inspired by Shakespeare competition, open to all, and the second from student competition winners.

Although the quality of the creative work in this anthology is great throughout, for me one piece shone, A Sad Tale’s Best for Winter by Margaret Challender. Challender’s poem flows beautifully and tells its tale vividly.   Each of the four stanzas represents a month of winter and the emotions it evokes, from preparation for a long winter “Lay your head down here next to mine; And tell me a tale for winter” through to a time when we have grown accustomed to dark nights and are reluctant to move on “Keep talking.  Don’t spare my unwilling ears”.

If there is one criticism to be made it is that the Student Winners section lacked variety in terms of genre – maybe a missed opportunity to address in future competitions?  While the first half of the anthology benefited from prose and art as well as poetry, the student section had only poems.

Overall though, the anthology has been a great success. My special praise goes to Margaret Challender for her excellent work, and the British Shakespeare Association for creating this book.

The King’s Troupe in France

15th August 2016

The BSA-sponsored King’s Troupe has written a short article about their adventures in France. You can download it here as a PDF, with pictures.

[button link=”https://www.britishshakespeare.ws/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/KT-Blog-2-for-BSA.pdf”]Dowload Article[/button]

To find out more about The King’s Troupe, take a look at our ‘Meet the King’s Troupe’ post.

The King’s Troupe in rural France– rehearsing & performing for ‘Comme il vous plaira’ ‘As You Like It’…une pièce de théâtre de William Shakespeare; c’est une petite comédie écrite vers 1599, peu avant Hamlet. (25/7/16 to 3/8/16)

 (Link to our facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/The-Kings-Troupe-628461430515623/

 ‘Shakespeare without Borders’ – doing things differently – an exceptional year

The challenge – for individuals and families to have a good summer holiday while also creating an outdoor performance for public presentation in the garden of a beautiful house just outside Fresselines in a part of France known as Le Creuse. An audience of family and friends and locals had been invited for Saturday 31^st July at 6pm and most interesting of all, this would effectively be a new company, needing a new cut-down script and incorporating local French people as well. A set of some kind would be needed and all with no budget. Company members had been asked to bring scarves/material, and as luck would have it 2 other company members decided that, as they could not leave Meg their dog behind, they would have to come by van; so all kinds of things got stored in the back of their van – making a company total of 20 plus Meg who also featured in the performance (see below)!

Rehearsals in the garden at La Sagne, Fresselines

Thoughts along the way – what was really special for us as a company was making new friends, so much so that The King’s Troupe now has aspiring offshoots in Bucharest, Romania, in Fresselines, France and already for next year we have been offered accommodation for 2 weeks back in Fresselines for the whole company, or whoever can make it, to rehearse and perform a different play, again in the outdoors. Elly, ‘Jelly’ and Laurie who live there, not only loved what we did, and want to do more of it, they are the founding members of The King’s Troupe in Le Creuse! Yet again, the beauty of Shakespeare’s stories and our particularly joyous, playful and free approach to theatre-making resonate as much with children as they do with adults, and can be taken on many different levels. We are making new friends internationally, we are sowing new seeds for theatre-making with Shakespeare adaptations in different languages, and we are also laying the foundations for visits to the UK by the friends we make now and into the future.  What is also exciting about this work is its inclusivity and adaptability. We seek to respond to the environment, and those in it, wherever that may be. What is central in this process is the genius of Shakespeare’s universality. The themes are archetypal and together with people from different cultures and languages, the piece is made, and in its wake comes friendship, more understanding about differing languages and culture and a desire to do and make more wherever we go.

Performance at ‘La Sagne’, Fresselines 6pm 30^th July

On a wonderfully sunny evening in rural France 20 of us performed the play creating our own Forest of Arden in a garden in the French countryside. Along the way some French children joined us to create a French and English production of the play, including music, dancing, song and a further example of making theatre wherever and whenever we can.

The King’s Troupe

Founded in 2010 and based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, we specialise in the performance of Shakespeare. Our work is open to all and we are an amateur inter-generational company. Of 30 current members our youngest member is 2 years old and the youngest at heart is 65+. We have no audition process as all are welcome. We do not charge people to attend and we have to date self-funded all our projects. We work together collaboratively to make each piece and for the past four years have been mentored by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the ‘Open Stages’ project. We are passionate about theatre-making and as part of our development of Troilus & Cressida in 2014 we went to Athens and Istanbul to research Trojan and Greek mythology, including a visit to the Troy exhibition at the archaeological museum in Istanbul. This resulted in a production that was a site-specific theatrical festival that lasted a weekend involving camps of Trojan and Greek warriors. BBC Radio Leeds did an outside broadcast from the festival and representatives of the RSC came to watch in the evening. This together with our other productions and theatre training from the RSC has enabled us to grow and our ambitions have increased, especially since visiting Bucharest this year.

Above all, our work is about widening participation, theatre-making in non-traditional ways in non-traditional venues nationally and internationally, through the wonderful medium of Shakespeare and his works.

Richard & Mary Coaten

August 13th 2016

For further information: marycoaten@hotmail.co.uk

Shakespeare Now

17th June 2016

Members of the BSA may be interested by the following event, which is part of the Books Unbound festival in Hammersmith on 25th and 26th June 2016.

Shakespeare Now

Saturday 25 June, 4pm

Join Dr Pamela Bickley and Dr Jenny Stevens in a lively interactive session as they discuss questions such as: What does it means to study Shakespeare today? What is the significance of Shakespeare 400? What does it mean to ‘adapt’ Shakespeare? The co-authors of two texts on Shakespeare have led the English Association’s ongoing involvement with university transition issues and lecture and publish on a range of literary topics.

Tickets for individual talks are just £10. A day pass is £25 (and a full weekend pass £40).

FURTHER DETAILS

Knighthood for Stanley Wells

11th June 2016

The British Shakespeare Association congratulates Sir Stanley Wells on receiving his well-deserved knighthood. Sir Stanley is one of the most distinguished Shakespeareans in the country and it is only fitting that he should received this honour during the year of Shakespeare’s quarter-centenary. Sir Stanley has been a supporter of the BSA since its inception and in 2013 he became one of our Honorary Fellows.

Applications invited for the Position of Chair

9th June 2016

The Board of the British Shakespeare Association is looking to appoint a new leadership team from September 2016 onwards. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the Board of the BSA during the year of Shakespeare’s quarter-centenary and help take the BSA forward.

We are committed to equality of opportunity for everyone and welcome applications from individuals regardless of their background.

About the BSA

The BSA was founded in 2002 with a mission to bring together academics, teachers, theatre practitioners and other people who work with Shakespeare’s texts into a professional association. In 2007, the BSA was incorporated as a charitable company limited by guarantee with a commitment to educate the general public about Shakespeare and his works. The BSA typically has around 300 paid up members and over 1000 members on its database. Members pay an annual subscription fee of £25 although there are also concessionary rates and since 2014 all Schools-based members have been given free membership. The BSA’s flagship event is its Biennial Conference, which brings together Shakespeareans from all of its communities to discuss latest research and the most recent insights into teaching and performance. Between conferences, the BSA runs a number of other events, most notably an annual Honorary Fellows event. We appoint two Honorary Fellows a year  – past Fellows include Stanley Wells, Chris Grace, Janet Suzman, Cicely Berry and John Russell Brown. The BSA is also associated with two publications: Teaching Shakespeare, a journal edited by Sarah Olive and published through the BSA; and Shakespeare: the Journal of the British Shakespeare Association, which is published by Routledge and is considered to be one of the best academic journals on Shakespeare in the world. The BSA also has a website, www.britishshakespeare.ws, through which news relating to Shakespeare and the BSA is disseminated.

About the Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees (which is also a Board of Directors) is made up of: 4 Officers, 6 elected Trustees, and 3 ex officio Trustees representing the Shakespeare Institute, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Routledge Journal. Three committees also report directly to the Board: the Events Committee, the Fellowship Committee and the Education Committee. The Chairs of these Committees are appointed by the Board and are entitled to attend Board meetings, but can only vote if they are also Trustees. The Board meets three times a year, usually in Stratford-upon-Avon, and holds one Annual General Meeting. As well as overseeing the various activities of the BSA, the Board is responsible for ensuring good governance and for ensuring compliance with auditing requirements for Companies House and the Charity Commission. The Board’s work is governed by three documents: its Articles of Association, the Rules of the BSA, and the Financial Procedures of the BSA. Meetings typically last 2-hours and currently follow a standing agenda.

Chair

The Chair of the British Shakespeare Association is also the Head of the British Shakespeare Association. The main duty of the Chair is to ensure that the charitable object of the BSA, to educate the general public about Shakespeare’s works, is being fulfilled by its activities. The Chair is responsible for the day-to-day management of the BSA and for working with the Board to set its strategic priorities. This person chairs meetings of the Board and reports to it. The Chair also manages the Officers of the Board (the Treasurer, the Membership Officer and the Web and Communications Officer) and the Chairs of the Board’s Committees to ensure that they are working effectively towards furthering the BSA’s charitable objects. The Chair also chairs the Annual General Meeting.

The Board is looking for someone who is committed to the BSA’s vision and is able to work across its different communities in ways that bring them together into a positive and dynamic association.

Essential Criteria

1. A natural negotiator and diplomat who is able to collaborate with other members of the Board and make the most of their talents
2. A good strategic thinker who is able to balance risk and opportunity to help the BSA grow
3. An effective leader with good communication skills and the ability to articulate a clear achievable vision for the BSA
4. Experience of chairing meetings and effectively following up agreed actions
5. Willing and able to act as the public face of the BSA
6. Either a long-standing member of the BSA who has demonstrated a commitment to its values or substantial equivalent experience of a cognate charity
7. IT-literate

Desirable

8. An experienced Chair and/or a Trustee of a charity
9. Pro-active in using modern technology to engage members

As Chair, you will also be a trustee and consequently cannot stand for the Board if you are disqualified from being a trustee either by law or under the constitution of the BSA. For more details on eligibility criteria for trustees, please see this document.

This is a volunteer position but reasonable expenses will be paid.

How to Apply

The deadline for applications is 15^th July 2016.

Shortlisted candidates for the Chair will be invited to an informal meeting with the current Board followed by an interview with a panel. This will be held in Stratford-upon-Avon during the second week of August.

To apply, please send a letter of application, a CV and the names of two referees to britishshakespeareassociation@gmail.com by the appropriate deadline.

For an informal discussion about any of these roles please contact Stuart Hampton-Reeves, the outgoing Chair of the Board, by emailing shampton-reeves@uclan.ac.uk.

Meet the King’s Troupe

7th June 2016

The following is a guest post by Richard and Mary Coaten, whose BSA-sponsored production of As You Like it will be taking place in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer.
For further details, contact marycoaten@hotmail.co.uk or visit their Facebook page.

‘Shakespeare without Borders’ – doing things differently

In February this year 20 members of the company went to Bucharest, and together with several local families in a variety of different languages, created a very shortened version of Romeo and Juliet in ‘Magazinul Cocor’ – a city centre shopping centre.  It was so revealing to us all about how cross-culturally playing with the text, the imagery, the meaning and the movement, brings out completely different and unexpected results. These give us new insights into how, through improvisatory theatre-games and movement exercises, we can engage children and adults completely new to the stories and to the making of theatre in non-traditional ways in non-traditional venues. This had us hooked, we wanted more of this, and applied to and were given funds by the British Shakespeare Association, to help us bring over our new fledgling King’s Troupe Company in Romania to perform with us at the Dell in August this year (see below for more details).

Bucharest May 27^th to June 3^rd 2016

Five of the company went again to Romania to meet and rehearse with five members of the new Romanian branch. We were all hosted by the Gaitanaru family, and this great hospitality will be returned when they come in August to perform with us at the Dell, staying in Stratford and then travelling north to stay with us in West Yorkshire, performing again in our home town of Hebden Bridge the following week.

What a time we had, which included a day-trip courtesy of our hosts to the Carpathian Mountains north of the city, where we did some rehearsing in an old royal castle at Peles. The ‘seven ages of man’ speech by Jacques was fun to have explored in the gardens of the castle, surrounded by a great and ancient forest; teeming with wildlife including bears and wolves, which could indeed have been the Forest of Arden as it was in the 16^th century! We were also very fortunate for our trip to coincide with the Romanian National Theatre’s production of Furtuna (The Tempest), directed by the renowned Bulgarian Director Alexander Morfov. It was wonderful for us, and the young people in our group, to see such an imaginative production, full of physicality, humour, music and magic, all in Romanian of course!

At Peles Castle, Romania

Adventures at Swan Bank Farm, Cragg Vale, nr Hebden Bridge

As part of our commitment to doing things differently we have been putting into practice what we have learnt from our partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, who have given us confidence over the years to explore, to take risks and do our theatre-making more full of movement, vibrancy and play than ever before. We have been inspired by the RSC’s work in China and Greg Doran’s description of it in the recent 2016 BBC Richard Dimbleby Lecture he gave on the subject.

Over the last several months, a number of refugees from Iran and Afghanistan have expressed interest in taking part, together with the kind support and encouragement of our local refugee centre. We have since April had three meetings up at the farm, where one of our company live, about a five-mile drive from the centre of Halifax. We have got to know each other through shared game playing, food, song, music and dance. Gradually, interest has grown and we now have a small core of people joining us in theatre-making, as we explore Shakespeare’s text and songs in Farsi and Romanian. The following words, spoken by one of our members from Iran, playing Duke senior, are all the more poignant given the circumstances our new members find themselves in, and testimony to the universality of the theme of exile and reconciliation in Shakespeare’s work.

Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile
Hath not old custom made this life more sweet
Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods
More free from peril than the envious court?
As you Like It, Act 2, Scene 1.

‘As You Like It’ August 7^th 12pm & 3pm

Our first meet at Swan Bank Farm April 2016

The King’s Troupe return for their 5^th time to the Dell and in this 400^th anniversary year will bring an extra-ordinary performance of As You Like It.  We have helped establish a new Romanian inter-generational theatre group based in Bucharest, and they will be joining us, together with actors from our local centre for refugees here in Halifax. Our theme for the production is ‘Shakespeare without Borders’, where the Forest of Arden will become a vibrant mix of cultures and languages including Romanian, Iranian, Kurdish, Syrian and African.  Charles the wrestler will have his own circus company, and the London Taiko drum-school will again be with us. It promises to be a very special extravaganza, and for the first time this year we are delighted to have the support of the British Shakespeare Association, who have enabled the Romanians to join us.

The King’s Troupe

Founded in 2010 and based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, we specialise in the performance of Shakespeare. Our work is open to all and we are an amateur inter-generational company. Of 30 current members our youngest member is 2 years old and the youngest at heart is 65+. We have no audition process as all are welcome. We do not charge people to attend and we have to date self-funded all our projects. We work together collaboratively to make each piece and for the past four years have been mentored by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the ‘Open Stages’ project. We are passionate about theatre-making and as part of our development of Troilus and Cressida in 2014 we went to Athens and Istanbul to research Trojan and Greek mythology, including a visit to the Troy exhibition at the archaeological museum in Istanbul. This resulted in a production that was a site-specific theatrical festival that lasted a weekend involving camps of Trojan and Greek warriors. BBC Radio Leeds did an outside broadcast from the festival and representatives of the RSC came to watch in the evening. This together with our other productions and theatre training from the RSC has enabled us to grow and our ambitions have increased, especially since visiting Bucharest this year.

Above all, our work is about widening participation, theatre-making in non-traditional ways in non-traditional venues nationally and internationally, through the wonderful medium of Shakespeare and his works. Last year, we managed to reach the second and final stage of the audition process for the RSC’s Dream 16 Project, but were pipped at the post by Leeds Arts Centre.

BSA Bulletin for June 2016

2nd June 2016

Registration for Hull 2016

The BSA’s 2016 conference, ‘Shakespearean Transformations: Death, Life, and Afterlives’, takes place 8-11 September 2016 at the University of Hull. Registration for the conference is now open. The early bird rate (before 1 July) is £180/£90 concession, and the conference dinner at The Deep aquarium will cost £40. All participants must be members of the BSA in good standing. 15 bursaries for postgraduate students will also be available, and details will be posted on the conference website shortly. Please visit the conference website for full details.

Report on the Irish Renaissance Seminar

As part of the Shakespeare celebrations in Northern Ireland and Ireland this year, the British Shakespeare Association was delighted to support the Irish Renaissance Seminar on Saturday 7 May at Queen’s University, Belfast. Mark Thornton Burnett’s report on a successful day, including pictures of the spectacular Shakespeare birthday cake, is now up at the BSA website.

Report on Disability and Shakespearean Theatre

The BSA was pleased to sponsor two events in April celebrating the 400^thanniversary of Shakespeare’s death: ‘Disability and Shakespearean Theatre’, a conference at the University of Glasgow on 20 April, and ‘Shakespeare 400: New Perspectives’, at the Chichester Festival Theatre on 23 April. A full report on the Glasgow conference by Jessi Parrot is now available on theBSA website.

BSA Journal – new articles

New articles from Shakespeare published online this month include Gemma Miller’s piece on ‘Changing Representations of the Child in Stage and Film Productions of Macbeth’ and Carol Mejia LaPerle’s article on ‘Shakespeare’s Cleopatra and the crimes of Early Modern Gypsies’. Current members can subscribe to the journal – including the physical volume and full online access – at the heavily discounted price of £15. ContactPeter.Kirwan@nottingham.ac.uk for details and missing volumes.

BSA Event Videos

Our website hosts video recordings of BSA events. Members can currently watch the inauguration of Chris Grace and Dame Janet Suzman as honorary fellows of the association, complete with their reflections on their work with Shakespeare. A taster of the recording is available to all on the website, and members in good standing for the current year have been emailed a password for the full recording.

Teaching Shakespeare issue 9 available now

Issue 9 of the BSA magazine Teaching Shakespeare issue includes a bumper noticeboard and royally ushers in the year with two articles on the Henry IVplays by Michael J. Collins and Howard Gold. Submissions for Issue 10 can be sent to the journal editor at sarah.olive@york.ac.uk . Issue 9 can be downloaded from the BSA website.

Bardolph’s Box: An Introduction to Shakespeare

In March and April the BSA supported Up the Road Theatre’s Bardolph’s Box, a theatre production designed by BSA member Nicola Pollard for children aged 8-12 and their families. For more information, please see the company website. To read Nicola’s report from the road, please see the post on our website.

THE BSA MEMBERS’ BULLETIN

We are pleased to advertise news and activities by our members and other Shakespeare associations. If you would like to advertise a Shakespeare-related activity, please email Peter.Kirwan@nottingham.ac.uk. Items below are not affiliated with or endorsed by the BSA – please use individual contact details for more information.

Metamorphosis at Senate House Library

Senate House Library is commemorating the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with a season of activities running from 14 April to 17 December, including a free exhibition, a programme of events and a website with digital content and research resources. Based loosely on the ‘seven ages of man’ speech from As You Like It, the season will reflect the changes in Shakespearean text and scholarship over four centuries. For full details, please visit the website.

OCR GCSE English Conference 2016

The GCSE English Conference 2016 will be held on 6 June at Shakespeare’s Globe. All teachers working with GCSE-level students are invited to attend a day of practical workshops, discussions and networking opportunities, including a keynote conversation with Kazuo Ishiguro. For more information, please visit the conference website.

Shakespeare in French Study Day

With Shakespeare’s works being regarded as ‘universal classics’, it is perhaps not surprising that they have so often been staged across the Channel. Shakespeare is, in fact, the writer whose works are most frequently performed in France. On 8 June, Senate House Library is hosting a free study day including a film screening, bilingual reading of Henry VI, talks, discussions and a wine reception. Places must be reserved here.

The Sam Wanamaker Fellowship Lecture

Gordon McMullan delivers this year’s Sam Wanamaker Fellowship lecture at Shakespeare’s Globe on Thursday 9 June. His talk will mark the Shakespeare Quatercentenary, addressing what it means to ‘remember’ Shakespeare in 2016 and reflecting on the ‘forgetting’ that is also required. Tickets (£15) can be booked here.

Shakespeare’s Sisters, 12 June

Curzon Cinemas are organising a special event on 12 June to celebrate women in Shakespearean film. Featuring two new short Shakespeare-inspired film directed by women and a panel discussion, the event will address the presence of women in front of and behind the camera in Shakespearean film. Read the article and book tickets here.

Shakespeare:Birmingham 

Shakespeare:Birmingham organises weekly gatherings / Shakespeare play readings at the Birmingham & Midland Institute in the centre of Birmingham (Tuesdays, 6.30-9.00pm), as well as workshops aimed at increasing enjoyment of Shakespeare through any means possible! We are currently reading King Lear, all are welcome to attend. Details of all our activities can be found at www.shakespearebirmingham.co.uk.

Birmingham Royal Ballet Shakespeare events in June

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Shakespeare celebrations continue in June with two major shows: The Taming of the Shrew and a triple-bill featuring Wink(based on five Shakespeare sonnets), The Moor’s Pavane (based on Othello) and The Shakespeare Suite. The programme also includes an open class and pre-show talks. For more information, please visit the BRB website.

Shakespeare in Europe and the Americas, 10 July
In association with the current ‘Shakespeare in Ten Acts’ exhibition, the British Library is holding a special event exploring Shakespeare’s cultural presence in Europe and the Americas. The day includes papers, round-table sessions and a closing wine reception. Tickets can be booked at the British Library website.

The Merchant of Venice in Venice, 27-28 July

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is organising a fundraising event in Venice to support its re-presentation of New Place. You are invited to attend a production of The Merchant of Venice in the Jewish ghetto (500 years old this year). Tickets (priced at £450) also include talks from Shakespeare experts and theatre practitioners, a three-course lunch at Locanda Cipriani, coffee and a drinks reception. For more information, or to reserve a place, please contact clare.sawdon@shakespeare.org.uk

Call for Papers:  ‘Shakespeare and his contemporaries’ Conference in Brazil

The ‘VI Jornada de Estudos Shakespeareanos: Shakespeare e seus contemporâneos’ will be held at Universidade de São Paulo (USP, São Paulo, 10-11 November 2016). Abstracts in English, Spanish or Portuguese are due 30 June 2016. For more information, please contactjornadashakespeare@gmail.com or jornadashakespeare.blogspot.com.

Shakespeare Documented online exhibition

Shakespeare Documented is a multi-institutional collaboration convened by the Folger Shakespeare Library to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. This free online exhibition constitutes the largest and most authoritative collection of primary-source materials documenting the life of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). It brings together images and descriptions of all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare, his works, and additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter.

BBC Shakespeare Archive now available to UK schools

The BBC has recently launched the BBC Shakespeare Archive Resource. This new online resource provides schools, colleges and universities across the UK with access to hundreds of BBC television and radio broadcasts of Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets and documentaries about Shakespeare. The material includes the first British televised adaptations of Othello and Henry V, classic interviews with key Shakespearean actors including John Gielgud, Judi Dench and Laurence Olivier, and more than 1000 photographs of Shakespeare productions.