T e Royal Shakespeare Company will announce its full summer season of plays commemorating the 400th anniversary of T e Bard’s death in September 2015
we’ll be putting the spotlight on his work with world-class performances that highlight how his plays remain hugely relevant today.” In addition to a unique RSC performance
broadcast live on BBC2 and hosted by David Tennant on 23 April (the date of Shakespeare’s death), the RSC will off er a number of ongoing attractions for 2016. Most notably, it will open a major new exhibition in its soon-to-be-restored Swan Wing, featuring previously unseen trea- sures from the RSC’s archive including costumes, set designs, props, photographs, paintings, drawings, audio and video recordings. Aside from the attractions and cultural
aspects of the anniversary celebrations, hos- pitality businesses are also getting in on the action. T e beautiful Tudor-fronted Mercure Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Hotel – seen as the go-to guesthouse for tourists on the Shakespeare tourism trail – has launched a new initiative to help guests uncover the hid- den side of the Bard’s history. T e hotel has teamed up with Blue Badge Tourist Guides to identify the town’s Local Secrets, with hotel staff off ering insights into the most interesting, historical and entertaining attractions that vis- itors might not fi nd on the typical tourist trail. T e expected infl ux of Shakespeare fans is also
© CYBERTREK 2015
T e Royal Shakespeare Company T eatre will play a key role in next year’s celebrations
likely to provide a boon for the town’s numerous tour guides. John Hogg, who has been leading tourists around the sights for over a decade on his Stratford Town Walk, believes the 400th anniversary could be the chance to reach new markets for the region’s tourism industry. “T e bulk of visitors are from the UK, but
we’re increasingly getting more and more people from across the world coming on our tours,” he says outside of the house where Shakespeare is believed to have been born. “One of the biggest goals for next year will be to ensure young people understand the
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significance of Shakespeare. Literally every moral and emotional situation you can imagine is dealt with in his work, so I hope next year will encourage more young people to explore the life of William Shakespeare and come to his plays.” With a packed programme of events for
2016 and strategy planning – overseen by Shakespeare’s England – already well underway, Stratford-upon-Avon is well-placed to capital- ise on this golden opportunity. And although the crowds seem certain to fl ock to the town next year, thankfully for Stratfordians, Reverend Francis Gastrell won’t be there to spoil the party.
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