‘Why Shakespeare?’ Launching the BSA’s Performance and Media Branch

16th June 2018

In collaboration with the Actor’s Centre, the British Shakespeare Association is proud to present:

Why Shakespeare?

13 October 2018

The Actors Centre, 1A Tower St, London WC2H 9NP

Why do we keep producing and performing Shakespeare on stage, screen and film? What incentives and difficulties does Shakespeare present to you as an independent practitioner or member of a company, small or large? In your specialist role as a performer, designer, stage manager, fight director, dancer, director, producer, company manager, maker of film, television or screen games, does Shakespeare offer unique opportunities and challenges? Do you want to be in the room where Shakespeare happens? If so, why?

‘Why Shakespeare?’ is a free event combining practical workshops and interactive discussions to celebrate the launch of a new performance and media branch of the British Shakespeare Association. By exploring some of these questions, we aim to learn how the British Shakespeare Association might best support the community of performance practitioners, to whom we are offering free membership of the BSA.

Finally, longer term aim: to conduct a national survey of all the Shakespeare being produced in theatres / by touring companies across the country and to apply for funding to compile this information as an archive and go and interview practitioners as they are in production or rehearsing. Such an archive would then be of use to theatre historians as well as practitioners seeking advice / inspiration / caution!

More details will be published shortly…