Bristol Shakespeare Festival 2018 Programme

6 JUNE - 29 JULY

2018

30 June - 31 July

Is proud to work with

www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

Accessibility We continue to work towards making The Bristol Shakespeare Festival accessible for all. If you have any access requirements or suggestions, we would love to hear from you; we will try our best to accommodate your needs.

Throughout this brochure we have, where possible, made notes on the accessibility at the venue for wheelchair users. Please note our accessibility grading system below.

For further information and detailed venue descriptions please visit our website, or email events@bristolshakespeare.org.uk

Wheelchair access

Please bring picnic blankets and picnics

Please email the festival for details

Performance involves walking around the venue

No wheelchair access

12

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Not suitable for those under the age of 12

WELCOME

Hello and welcome to the Bristol Shakespeare Festival 2018!

We welcome the summer with our annual Shakespeare extravaganza. It has been fifteen short years since the Festival began, and we have been proudly volunteer-run since the very beginning.

We have a huge range of new and returning faces this year, from classical retellings to experimental shows, musicals and new writing, along with a selection of workshops for young and old, all joyously hosted in Bristol’s much loved spaces.

We continue our collaboration with Tickets Ignite after a successful partnership in 2017.

This ticketing platform places a portion of their administration fee into a funding pot, and their ethos matches our own in supporting opportunities for emerging talent.

Our venue partnership this year, The Shakespeare Pub, will act as a festival hub for post-show chatter (and maybe a tipple), and will host our launch event in June. Our Shakespeare Fringe also continues this year; just look out for the Shakespeare Fringe logo throughout the programme.

1599: A Year in the Life at the Stackpool Playhouse is the Festival’s second in-house production. From the team behind 2017’s sellout Shakespeare’s Worst, this production takes place in (arguably) Shakespeare’s most eventful year—1599. It is a riotous Elizabethan tale not to be missed. Excitingly, we are producing two performances this year, with the fabulous Hamlet the Musical heading up our fringe events.

This year we have also launched our new Education Programme, running drama workshops for secondary-age children in schools across Bristol. After a fantastic pilot phase, we’re now planning to roll it out longterm. To do this, we are crowdfunding on Fundsurfer, and would greatly appreciate your support—we have a whole host of rewards available for doing so, and you’ll become a Bristol Bard Buddy!

We are proud to continue our membership of Bristol Festivals, an organisation dedicated to supporting the myriad of festivals Bristol has to offer. Check out our website to book tickets and to enquire about any of our performances.

For instant updates about the festival, including our competitions, be sure to follow us on Twitter @BristolBardFest.

We look forward to spending another summer with you!

The Bristol Shakespeare Festival Team BristolShakespeareFestival @BristolBardFest @BristolBardFest

photo: JonCraig.co.uk

PRESENT 2 SHOWS THIS YEAR

ROMEO & JULIET

Windmill Hill City Farm Wednesday 6 Philip St Thursday 7 June Bristol 6.30pm BS3 4EA £16 Full Price; £13 Conc.

TWELFTH NIGHT

Windmill Hill City Farm Friday 8 Philip St Saturday 9 June Bristol 6.30pm BS3 4EA £16 Full Price; £13 Conc.

After touring the show around the world since 2016, the HandleBards are back with their hit production of Romeo and Juliet.

With songs that’ll stick in your head and plenty of belly-aching laughter, join them for a rollicking all-female production of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, in their seriously silly style.

The HandleBards are cycling 1,500 miles from London to Edinburgh, carrying everything necessary to perform Shakespeare’s famous comedy. Join their all-male troupe for this gloriously eccentric production, and expect riotous amounts of energy and a great deal of laughter!

to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

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1599 A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE The Stackpool Playhouse Tuesday 3 - Saturday 14 July St Thomas Mar Thoma Church 7.45pm Stackpool Rd £13 Full Price; Conc. £11 Bristol, BS3 1NW Under 16 years £5

In the year 1599, William Shakespeare is in trouble. The competition’s got stiffer, his theatre’s been dismantled, and everyone’s telling him what he should be writing. But when you’re in trouble, the best way out is to get in a bit deeper. Inspired by the best-selling book by James Shapiro, this journey through 1599 shows how a single year transformed Shakespeare’s fortunes; a year in which he wrote Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and Hamlet ... a year in which the theatre literally moved! This is the most fantastic, laugh-outloud funny, illumination of Shakespeare and his plays you’re ever likely to see!

The Bristol Shakespeare Festival offers fresh, exciting and accessible ways into Shakespeare.

From its in-house production last year, Shakespeare’s Worst, bringing The Simpsons to Shakespeare, to platforming the very best local and national companies, BSF is a volunteer-led celebration of work in unusual spaces across Bristol and beyond. Using local talent and creatives for productions, as well as running its own workshops and educational events, BSF makes work that gives both its audiences and participants entertaining and enriching contact with Shakespeare.

HEARTBREAK PRODUCTIONS

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Brandon Hill Bowling Green Great George Street Bristol BS1 5QD

Hear tbreak wants you… to join them at Elsie’s Garden Par ty in aid of The British Red Cross!

The Great War may be over, but the Red Cross needs your support more than ever. Come along and relax in the charming gardens, meet our heroes, and be enter tained by our debut performance of Much Ado About Nothing. For Hero and Claudio it’s love at first sight, while Benedick and Beatrice carry on a charade of witty insults that hides their true feelings.

Hear ts will be won, lost, and won again as war makes way for masked balls, gossip, deception and true love.

Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 July 7pm £17 Full Price; £12 Conc £50 Family

Unique Outdoor Theatre. Heartbreak Productions are returning to Bristol this year during their 27th year of touring theatre across the UK and Ireland. Using their unique framing and style, Heartbreak Productions promise a night of theatre you’ll never forget.

to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

LIBRARIAN THEATRE

HENRY V £8 Full Price £5 Conc.

Tuesday 10 - Friday 20 July 8pm

“Cheerly to sea; the signs of war advance: No king of England, if not king of France...”

JULY DATES & VENUES 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20

Emersons Green Library Bradley Stoke Library Junction 3 Library The Old Library, Eastville Shirehampton Public Hall Southmead Library Bedminster Library Fishponds Library Whitchurch Library Bristol Central Library

Let Librarian Theatre ‘on your imaginary forces work’, as the dynamic duo bring the legendary Siege of Harfleur and Battle of Agincourt to life in their own unique way this summer : with a rapid retelling amongst the bookshelves of your local library.

Currently, 17 of Bristol’s 26 branch libraries are under threat of closure from government cuts. By pioneering outside the traditional stage environment and into local communities, Librarian Theatre aims to inspire new audiences whilst broadening support for essential public services.

FRINGE EVENT

PRESENTS 2 SHOWS THIS YEAR The Room Above Bristol, BS2 8BS

& Waterstones Bristol, BS1 3XD

Thursday 12 Sunday 15 July Times Vary

By Donation

CORDELIA/FOOL

This piece takes words from the original King Lear play, presenting them in a fresh and thought-provoking way to give a unique insight into the mind of the disturbed King Lear. This is King Lear from the inside-out: a powerful retelling of the classic Shakespeare story.

AN AUDIENCE WITH SIR JOHN FALSTAFF

Falstaff regales us for an hour with his true-life story - and his never-before-seen relationship with William Shakespeare. The fat knight is here in the flesh to answer the questions that audiences across the world, and throughout time, have long sought to ask.

FRINGE EVENT

BARD BUSKING THE BARD BUSKERS Find Us! City Centre Bristol

Friday 13 - Sunday 15 July Times Vary So will the reactions!

The Bard Buskers bring Shakespeare to the streets, performing a selection of the best of the Bard. “Brings Shakespeare to life, see it if you can”.

The Bard Buskers are a performance company that began with recitations of Shakespeare on the street. They have since developed their own shows – The Seven Ages of Shakespeare and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Keep an eye on Twitter for news of where they will be.

FRINGE EVENT

to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

DEATH, LOVE & THE SONNETS THE SHAKESPEARE HEPTET The Anglican Chapel

Saturday 14 July 7.30pm Bath Rd, Bristol BS4 3EW £13 Arnos Vale Cemetery

Think Shakespeare’s sonnets are all about love? Think again! Experience the extraordinary passion of Shakespeare’s darker-themed sonnets in this atmospheric venue. The Shakespeare Heptet explore through their hauntingly gorgeous music the Bard’s preoccupation with death and the glorious agony of love.

Alluring and wholly contemporar y TSH provide a stunning soundtrack to the sonnets. Their influences are diverse, from tango to folk-blues. Beautiful vocal harmonies, compelling rhythms and the sounds of 12 and 6 string guitars underscore Shakespeare’s exquisite poetr y.

As Time marches unpityingly on, love’s flower is revealed to be ever more beautiful.

FRINGE EVENT

SHAKESPEARE’S ROSE MATCHES BRISTOL’S OLD VIC Evidence Historians Tried to Ban MARK A. HOWELL

This inspiring performance explains why Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre (1587) & Bristol’s Old Vic (1766) performance spaces feel the same (despite being ver y different buildings). Controversially dismissed by Bristol’s theatre historians in the 1980s, Mark Howell’s fascinating evidence looks at these amazing spaces and disputes other historians views of women history in theatre.

“A fascinating ver y well researched book…”

BBC Bristol’s Steve Yabsley on Mark A. Howell’s Imaginative Genius

1-2pm White Bear 3-4pm Easton Community 5-6pm Llandoger Trow

Saturday 7 & Saturday 14 July

By Donation

Theatrical historian Mark Howell believes drawings show that James Saunders, the 18th-century carpenter who built the theatre for architect William Paty, intended spectators to sit in boxes on the side of the stage floor. The plans show the same dimensions as the Rose Theatre of 1587, used by Shakespeare, Howell argues. They also share the same number of boxes and the same size stage, yet these similarities have been ignored in the past simply because the theatre was in Bristol, not London.

AS YOU LIKE IT

FRINGE EVENT St George Park 15 Park Cresent

Bristol BS5 7AT

SUN & MOON THEATRE

Saturday 14 July 12pm & 3pm

By Donation

‘I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it’ Escape the tech-obsessed cour t and join us in the bohemian forest of Arden! Fuelled by wit, love, liber ty and live music, this jubilant open-air comedy will remind you to do what you love and remember how to live.

Sun & Moon Theatre delight their audiences with joyous and thought-provoking theatre, specialising in Shakespeare, intensive solo work, ensemble practice, and working with First Folio scripts and Globe techniques. The company was founded by Year Out Drama and University of Exeter alumni in 2013.

FRINGE EVENT

BEING ROMEO AND JULIET SOUTH WEST DANCE THEATRE

With no characters per se, this is a unique Romeo and Juliet. South West Dance Theatre dance out moods and emotions as the story unfolds, while Breathing Fire play back some of your own encounters, so that you truly experience how it feels to be the star-crossed lovers.

South West Dance Theatre blends styles including ballet, tap, contemporary and capoeira to promote dance and dancers throughout the South West while suppor ting local communities. Breathing Fire is the UK’s only all black female group for playback theatre, which uses improvised theatre to immediately recreate stories their audiences share.

Trinity Centre Trinity Road Bristol, BS2 0NW

Sunday 22 July 7pm

By Donation

to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

QUANTUM THEATRE

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Brandon Hill Bowling Green Great George Street Bristol BS1 5QD

Shakespeare’s most enduringly popular comedy of love and intrigue, magic and mayhem, is brought to life by family favourites Quantum Theatre in their wonderfully funny and exuberant production of the Shakespeare classic.

Set on that most dangerous of nights when fairies are abroad and nothing is as it seems, four young, unsuspecting lovers become entangled in their magical affray and soon no mortals are safe in those bewitched and bewitching woods outside Athens…

Quantum Theatre’s stylish and whimsical production presents a magical flight of fancy for all the family. “I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was…”

Tuesday 24 July 7pm £16 Full Price; £11 Conc £49 Family

Quantum Theatre was founded in 1990

by Michael Whitmore and Jessica Selous to produce high quality, accessible and entertaining new work, adaptations of classic texts and Shakespeare plays for schools, outdoor venues and theatres, and the company tours nationally across the UK. Michael has developed the company’s unique style of fast paced, direct and often comic delivery to create work that breathes new life and a sprinkling of magic into old favourites for old and young alike.

EDWARD DAY

SUPER HAMLET 64 Alma Tavern 18-20 Alma Vale Road Clifton Bristol, BS8 2HY

Wednesday 25 - Saturday 28 July 7.30pm £13 Full Price £11 Conc.

What if you woke up one morning and realised that your life was actually a computer game? Your dad just died and your uncle’s married your mum - and he’s hellbent on world domination. Inspired by films like Scott Pilgrim Vs The World and full of retro animation, spoken word, and comedy songs, Super Hamlet 64 is fast-paced retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous play.

“Day never ceased to impress... the best original play I have seen.”

Theatre Bath

Edward Day is a trans/non-binary spoken word ar tist, animator and theatre maker from Swindon. He trained at Lecoq and Alra has worked as an actor for over 12 years, performing in a wealth of Shakespeare and physical theatre with notable roles including Bottom, Malvolio, Queen Elizabeth, Hamlet, Prospero and King Lear. He’s a crowd favourite at Suffolk’s yearly open air Shakespeare, Theatre In The Forest and this year he’s also touring Too Pretty To Punch, a one person show about transphobia.

to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

THE NATURAL THEATRE COMPANY

SHAKESPEARE UNDONE! SS Great Britain Great Western Dockyard Bristol BS1 6TY

Brunel was a big fan of boats. And the Bard.

Stored away amongst his memorabilia, the hilarious Natural Theatre Company has (ahem…) ‘unear thed’ an early work, written when Will was just a young whippersnapper.

This unpublished play features early sketches of his most iconic characters, first drafts of famous scenes… and just a little bit of nonsense. Shakespeare Undone! takes you on a theatrical journey through the nooks and crannies of the SS Great Britain, where the best bits of Shakespeare will come to life around you!

Wednesday 25 Sunday 29 July 6.30pm, 7.30pm & 8.30pm £16 Full Price

The Natural Theatre Company have been making people laugh for over 45 years. An award-winning street theatre company, they produce delightfully comic, charmingly absurd performances guaranteed to bring a smile to everyone’s face.

The Naturals have been a favourite at many established events including; Glastonbury Festival, Ascot, and the Olympic and Paralympic games, as well as regularly performing across the globe in Venice, Australia, Paris and at the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Wednesday 6 June

ROMEO & JULIET

6.30pm

THE HANDLEBARDS Thursday 7 June

WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM

ROMEO & JULIET

6.30pm

THE HANDLEBARDS Friday 8 June

WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM

TWELFTH NIGHT

6.30pm

THE HANDLEBARDS Saturday 9 June

WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM

THE HANDLEBARDS Sunday 1 July

WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM

TWELFTH NIGHT

6.30pm

FREE INTRO TO PLAYING SHAKESPEARE

9am-12pm, 1pm-4pm

BRISTOL IMPROV THEATRE

ICAT

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Wednesday 4 July

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING HEARTBREAK PRODUCTIONS

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Thursday 5 July

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING HEARTBREAK PRODUCTIONS

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

4pm-6pm

BRISTOL IMPROV THEATRE

7.45pm

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

7pm

BRANDON HILL BOWLING GREEN

7.45pm

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

7.30pm

BRANDON HILL BOWLING GREEN

7.45pm

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Friday 6 July

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Saturday 7 July

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

7.45pm

SHAKESPEARE’S ROSE MATCHES 1pm-2pm White Bear BRISTOL’S OLD VIC 3pm-4pm Easton Community Centre MARK A. HOWELL

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

5pm-6pm Llandoger Trow

2.30pm & 7.45pm

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Sunday 8 July

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

HENRY V

7.45pm

7.45pm

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

8pm

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Wednesday 11 July

EMERSONS GREEN LIBRARY

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE HENRY V

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Thursday 12 July

SIR JOHN FALSTAFF INAMOMENT

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

FREE SHAKESPEARE AUDITION ACTOR TRAINING

ICAT Tuesday 3 July

Tuesday 10 July

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

HENRY V

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Friday 13 July

BARD BUSKING

THE BARD BUSKERS

CORDELIA/FOOL INAMOMENT

SIR JOHN FALSTAFF INAMOMENT

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

HENRY V

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Saturday 14 July

BARD BUSKING

THE BARD BUSKERS

7.45pm

8pm

BRADLEY STOKE LIBRARY

7pm

WATERSTONES

7.45pm

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

8pm

JUNCTION 3 LIBRARY

Keep an eye out for us

BRISTOL CITY CENTRE

3pm

THE ROOM ABOVE

7pm

WATERSTONES

7.45pm

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

8pm

THE OLD LIBRARY, EASTVILLE

Keep an eye out for us

BRISTOL CITY CENTRE

SHAKESPEARE’S ROSE MATCHES 1pm-2pm White Bear BRISTOL’S OLD VIC 3pm-4pm Easton Community Centre MARK A. HOWELL

5pm-6pm Llandoger Trow

AS YOU LIKE IT

12pm & 3.30pm

SUN & MOON

SIR JOHN FALSTAFF

ST GEORGE PARK

3pm

INAMOMENT

THE ROOM ABOVE

INAMOMENT

WATERSTONES

CORDELIA/FOOL

7pm

DEATH, LOVE & THE SONNETS

7.30pm

THE SHAKESPEARE HEPTET

ARNOS VALE CEMETERY

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

7.45pm

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

HENRY V

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Sunday 15 July

THE STACKPOOL PLAYHOUSE

8pm

SHIREHAMPTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

BARD BUSKING

Keep an eye out for us

THE BARD BUSKERS

BRISTOL CITY CENTRE

CORDELIA/FOOL

7.30pm

INAMOMENT

THE ROOM ABOVE

WORKSHOP

TBC

SUN & MOON Monday 16 July

HENRY V

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Tuesday 17 July LIBRARIAN THEATRE Wednesday 18 July

FISHPONDS LIBRARY

HENRY V

8pm

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Friday 20 July

WHITCHURCH LIBRARY

HENRY V

8pm

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Sunday 22 July

BRISTOL CENTRAL LIBRARY

BEING ROMEO & JULIET

7pm

SOUTH WEST DANCE THEATRE Tuesday 24 July

TRINITY CENTRE

QUANTUM THEATRE Wednesday 25 July

BRANDON HILL BOWLING GREEN

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM CHILDREN’S WORKSHOP

7pm

9.30am

ACTING OUT SUMMER SCHOOL

CHILDREN’S SCRAPSTORE

SHAKESPEARE UNDONE!

6.30pm, 7.30pm & 8.30pm

THE NATURAL THEATRE COMPANY

SUPER HAMLET 64 EDWARD DAY

6.30pm, 7.30pm & 8.30pm

THE NATURAL THEATRE COMPANY

HAMLET THE MUSICAL

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

SUPER HAMLET 64 EDWARD DAY

IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE Friday 27 July

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST

8pm

LIBRARIAN THEATRE Thursday 19 July

SHAKESPEARE UNDONE!

8pm

BEDMINSTER LIBRARY

HENRY V

SOUTHVILLE CENTRE

SHAKESPEARE UNDONE!

8pm

SS GREAT BRITAIN

7.30pm

ALMA TAVERN

9am

ACTING OUT SUMMER SCHOOL

TBC

SOUTHMEAD LIBRARY

HENRY V

Thursday 26 July

CHILDREN’S WORKSHOP

THE NATURAL THEATRE COMPANY FOLKSY

THE TEMPEST

SS GREAT BRITAIN

7.30pm

THE ROOM ABOVE

7.30pm

ALMA TAVERN

8pm

THE WARDROBE THEATRE

6.30pm, 7.30pm & 8.30pm

SS GREAT BRITAIN

7pm

BOILING WELLS AMPHITHEATRE

7.30pm

THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MEN BRANDON HILL BOWLING GREEN

HAMLET THE MUSICAL

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

SUPER HAMLET 64 EDWARD DAY

IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE Saturday 28 July

HAMLET THE MUSICAL

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST FOLKSY

SUPER HAMLET 64 EDWARD DAY

Sunday 29 July

MAKING IT UP!

IMPROMPTU WORKSHOP

SHAKESPEARE UNDONE!

THE NATURAL THEATRE COMPANY

HAMLET THE MUSICAL

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

7.30pm

THE ROOM ABOVE

7.30pm

ALMA TAVERN

8pm & 9.30pm

THE WARDROBE THEATRE

3pm & 7.30pm

THE ROOM ABOVE

7pm

BOILING WELLS AMPHITHEATRE

7.30pm

ALMA TAVERN

11am

THE WARDROBE THEATRE

6.30pm, 7.30pm & 8.30pm

SS GREAT BRITAIN

7.30pm

THE ROOM ABOVE

IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE

IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE The Wardrobe Theatre Thursday 26 - Friday 27 July The Old Market Assembly Thursday 8pm 25 West Street, Old Market Friday 8pm & 9.30pm Bristol, BS2 0DF £11 Full Price; £9 Conc.

Impromptu Shakespeare create a new Shakespeare play, improvised on the spot and inspired by audience suggestions.

Bursting with love, poetry, comedy, tragedy, mistaken identity, the supernatural and everything in between – this show will delight Shakespeare nerds and novices alike.

Impromptu Shakespeare have tongues firmly in cheeks, and feet planted in the works of the Bard. Whether you know every play or none, this is the show for you. Join us for an hour of riotous fun as the cast buckle on the Bard’s britches to bring you the plays he never wrote.

Returning for a third time to the Bristol Shakespeare Festival, Impromptu Shakespeare features a cast of leading improv talent. They’ve performed four critically-acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh

Fringe, and were featured on BBC radio’s The Art of Improv. Other appearances: Stroud Theatre Festival, Oxford Comedy Festival, Birmingham & Bristol Improv Festivals, ImproFest London.

“Ingenious and very funny.”

Will Gompertz, BBC Arts Editor “Simply sublime, side-splittingly hilarious improvised comedy.”

Broadway Baby “Go and see this show. It’s intelligent, it’s funny, it’s all of the adjectives for brilliant. I’m still not sure how they did what they did.”

Pocket Size Theatre

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to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

HAMLET THE MUSICAL The Room Above Thursday 26 - Sunday 29 July The White Bear Thursday - Sunday 7.30pm 133 St Michael’s Hill Saturday 3pm & 7.30pm Bristol, BS2 8BS

By Donation

Experience Shakespeare’s most famous play in its purest, most ridiculous form!

The timeless story of Hamlet is retold with cheeky irreverence and boundless energy through genius rewrites of modern hits including classics by Queen, Britney Spears, ABBA, and Elvis Presley.

Whether you know the plot inside out, or have never seen any Shakespeare before, this is for you. Hold onto your ruffs as this show takes you on a tongue-in-cheek, whistlestop tour of the Danish tragedy, with a little help from Frank Sinatra, the Killers, and Kanye West (amongst others).

At last, after centuries of waiting, this iconic tale is finally being told properly - complete with skull puppets, rap numbers, and line dancing!

As the Bard himself (probably) once said “If music be the food of love, ROCK ON” As well as hosting local and national companies, Bristol Shakespeare Festival has a proud tradition of producing their own shows, drawing on their breadth of experience to create fresh new takes on the Bard’s life and works.

Contains mild innuendo.

THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MEN

THE TEMPEST Brandon Hill Bowling Green Great George Street Bristol BS1 5QD

12 years ago, Prospero, Duke of Milan, usurped and exiled by his brother, washes up on a distant and mystical island with his baby daughter, Miranda. Now his enemies - his brother Antonio, who supplanted him as Duke, and Alonso, King of Naples - are blown off course towards him while sailing home. Prospero raises a tempestuous storm that shipwrecks them. Scattered across the island, the boat’s passengers are tested and tormented as they are magically drawn towards their fate. Left to plot his revenge for years, Prospero finally has the chance to exact it. But will he?

Friday 27 July 7.30pm £15.50 Full Price £9.50 Child

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, the UK’s premier all male theatre company, invite you to join them this summer for Shakespeare’s spellbinding masterpiece, The Tempest.

Bring a chair and a picnic, and spend a glorious summer evening watching this enchanting, fast-paced production of one of Shakespeare’s finest plays. Performed in the open air, by an all male cast with Elizabethan costumes, music and dance. This is undoubtedly one of the hottest tickets of the summer ; book early to avoid missing out!

to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

FOLKSY THEATRE

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST Boiling Wells Amphitheatre Nr St Werburghs City Farm Watercress Road Bristol, BS2 9YJ

The King of Navarre and his lords swear off food, women, and sleep in order to study for three years. No sooner have they made their oath when the princess of France arrives on business with her ladies-in-waiting. How will the King and his lords’ resolve hold up? This is a wonderful Shakespeare comedy, filled with Folksy’s signature live music, audience interaction and downright silliness.

Friday 27 - Saturday 28 July 7pm £14.50 Full Price, £11 Conc. £9 Child; £39 Family

Folksy Theatre have been par t of BSF for the past 7 years. Their shows are filled with live music, bold performances and audience interaction to create wonderful familyfriendly shows suitable for all.

WORKSHOPS

IMPROMPTU WORKSHOP

MAKING IT UP! The Wardrobe Theatre The Old Market Assembly 25 West Street, Old Market Bristol, BS2 0DF

Get to grips with Shakespeare in a very different way – by making it up. Learn how to improvise using style, character and language techniques to create the scenes Shakespeare never wrote. Improvisers from the criticallyacclaimed Impromptu Shakespeare will guide your improv to uncover your inner Bard.

Expect to improve your verbal dexterity, character range, and presence as well as your grasp of iambic pentameter and rich metaphor – useful for actors performing Shakespeare, and improvisers performing in his style. Some previous improvisation or acting training preferred.

Sunday 29 July 11am £35 Full Price £30 Conc.

Returning for a third time to the Bristol Shakespeare Festival, Impromptu Shakespeare features a cast of leading improv talent. They’ve performed four critically-acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, and were featured on BBC radio’s The Ar t of Improv. Other appearances: Stroud Theatre Festival, Oxford Comedy Festival, Birmingham & Bristol Improv Festivals, ImproFest London.

WORKSHOPS

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

MACBETH

Children’s Workshop

Children’s Workshop

25 July, 09:30 – 15:30

26 July, 09:30 – 15:30

Children’s Scrapstore Scrapstore House 21 Sevier Street Bristol BS2 9LB 4 - 11 Years £15 / £10 Children’s University (bring your own packed lunch)

Southville Centre Beauley Road Bristol BS3 1QG 4 - 11 Years £20 / £15 Children’s University (bring your own packed lunch)

Using imaginative play, improvisation, storytelling, craft and always a lot of fun. Acting Out will be enjoying learning together about A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

When shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain?

When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won.

Have you ever played a trick on someone?

Have you ever had a funny dream?

A Ghost, Witches and Murder... and one of the most thrilling stories

by Shakespeare.

With plenty of fairies, spirits and the usual Acting Out games we will be exploring the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Discover the story together with improvisation, imaginative play, storytelling, games and craft and all in the fun Acting Out way.

to book www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk

WORKSHOPS

SUN & MOON THEATRE

1-2-1 SHAKESPEARE MONOLOGUES Venue TBC Sunday 15 July ÂŁ20 Full Price; ÂŁ15 Conc.

Keen to improve your Shakespearean performance skills or considering Drama School?

Sign up for a one-to-one session tailored for you, working on a monologue of your choice - fun, intensive and rewarding!

Sun & Moon Theatre delight their audiences with joyous and thought-provoking theatre, specialising in Shakespeare, intensive solo work, ensemble practice, and working with First Folio scripts and Globe techniques. The company was founded by Year Out Drama and University of Exeter alumni in 2013.

To book please email: melissa.sunandmoontheatre@gmail.com

WORKSHOPS

INDEPENDENT CENTRE FOR ACTOR TRAINING (ICAT)

FREE WORKSHOPS WITH RSC ACTOR FREE INTRO TO PLAYING SHAKESPEARE

FREE SHAKESPEARE AUDITION ACTOR TRAINING

FREE 3 hr introduction to playing Shakespeare with award winning Royal Shakespeare Company actor, Simon Trinder The session is a high energy, super practical intro to approaching Shakespeare’s verse using RSC and Globe theatre practice.

You need never be nervous about Shakespeare again!

Age: 17 and over

A two hour FREE session on approaching auditions with Shakespeare’s soliloquies and speeches with award winning RSC actor, Simon Trinder. Ideal for those interested in developing bold connection with the audience and those heading to drama school.

Sunday 1 July 9am - 12am & 1pm - 4pm

Sunday 1 July 4pm - 6pm

Simon has worked extensively with the RSC since 2002 receiving the Clarence Derwent Award and a nomination for the Helen Hayes Award USA. He recently completed his 13th production with the company playing Trinculo in their groundbreaking production of The Tempest starring Simon Russell Beale.

Participants will get a brief group workout on playing Shakespeare followed by a speech clinic where individuals can work their pieces under Simon’s direction. There is as much to be learned by observing so those who don’t get on their feet can still grow!

“Simon Trinder is the RSC’s new secret weapon when it comes to comedy” Daily Mail

Bristol Improv Theatre 50 St Paul’s Rd,

Bristol BS8 1LP

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Why do we need your help now?

A focal point for last year’s festival was our first in-house production, and the launch of our new Education Programme. Now, we want to expand this development by offering more educational outreach and producing more inspiring, professional in-house productions – this year we bring to you 1599, a brand-new comedy written especially for the festival.

Now, we need your support – in return you will become a Bristol Bard Buddy, and will have your pick of a host of fantastic rewards including free tickets.

Please support us at https://www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/bristol-shakespeare-festival

68 Prince Street 11am - 11pm Bristol Weekends till 11.30pm BS1 4QD 0117 929 7695

FRIDAY 29 JUNE - SUNDAY 1 JULY SOUTHVILLE, BRISTOL Workshops and performances from

Helia Bandeh Robyn Friend Medea Mahdavi Book Now

www.footwork.org/medea medea@footwork.org 0117 963 3029

Persian dance class every Tuesday

SWITCH TO BRISTOL ENERGY AND WE’LL DONATE UP TO £30* TO FIGHT FUEL POVERTY Our Fuel Good Fund will help the 1 in 8 Bristol households in need. Switch to us using the code FUELGOOD and together we’ll make a difference. Now that’s positive energy.

Search Bristol Energy now or call us free on 0808 189 4072 and quote FUELGOOD. *Based on a dual fuel switch. Learn more at bristol-energy.co.uk/our-fuel-good-fund

ABOUT US BRINGING THE BARD TO BRISTOL’S UNUSUAL, ALFRESCO AND MUCHLOVED SPACES SINCE 2003.

The Bristol Shakespeare Festival was founded in 2003 and achieved Community Interest Company status in 2012. Every year, we promote Bristol’s outdoor and unusual spaces by programming national touring theatre companies and local events into an everexpanding festival, working closely with Bristol City Council and other local organisations.

Artistic Director Suzanne Booth Festival Manager Jacqui Ham Communications Coordinator Elinor Lower Executive Producer & Volunteer Coordinator Fabiola Mela Design Coordinator AfshinWalker Marketing Producer Justin Stathers Marketing Producer Maiwenn Le Mouee Events Coordinator Rachel Jemphrey Volunteer Manager Chloe Narey Volunteer Manager Cat Smith All-round Shakespearean Good Egg Richard Farrer Board of Directors Suzanne Booth, Jacqui Ham, Ed Viney, Tristan Hogg, Peter Wise and Chris Yapp Photographs JonCraig.co.uk and Elinor Lower With Special Thanks To Jon Craig, Judith Ogden, Emily Thommes, Oscar Wyatt, Dan Waters, Moncy Matthews and Lucy Whalley & the fabulous 2018 Bristol Shakespeare Festival summer volunteers – we couldn’t do this without you.

6 - 7 June

Windmill Hill City Farm

8 - 9 June

Windmill Hill City Farm

ROMEO & JULIET

THE HANDLEBARDS

TWELFTH NIGHT 1 July

THE HANDLEBARDS

FREE WORKSHOPS WITH RSC ACTOR 3 - 14 July

1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE 4 - 5 July

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 7 & 14 July

SHAKESPEARE’S ROSE MATCHES BRISTOL’S OLD VIC

Bristol Improv Theatre

ICAT

The Stackpool Playhouse

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Brandon Hill Bowling Green

HEARTBREAK PRODUCTIONS Various Locations

MARK A. HOWELL

10 - 20 July

Various Libraries in Bristol

12 - 15 July

The Room Above & Waterstones

13 - 15 July

Bristol City Centre

HENRY V

CORDELIA/FOOL SIR JOHN FALSTAFF BARD BUSKING 14 July

DEATH, LOVE & THE SONNETS 14 July

AS YOU LIKE IT 22 July

BEING ROMEO & JULIET 24 July

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

LIBRARIAN THEATRE INAMOMENT

THE BARD BUSKERS

Arnos Vale Chapel

THE SHAKESPEARE HEPTET

St George Park

SUN & MOON THEATRE Trinity Centre

SOUTH WEST DANCE THEATRE

Brandon Hill Bowling Green

QUANTUM THEATRE

25 - 26 July

Children’s Scrapstore/Southville Centre

25 - 28 July

Alma Tavern

25 - 29 July

SS Great Britain

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM MACBETH SUPER HAMLET 64 SHAKESPEARE UNDONE! 26 - 27 July

IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE 26 - 29 July

HAMLET THE MUSICAL 27 July

THE TEMPEST 27 - 28 July

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST 29 July

MAKING IT UP!

ACTING OUT SUMMER SCHOOL

EDWARD DAY

THE NATURAL THEATRE COMPANY

The Wardrobe Theatre

IMPROMPTU SHAKESPEARE The Room Above

BRISTOL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Brandon Hill Bowling Green

THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MEN Boiling Wells Amphitheatre

FOLKSY THEATRE

The Wardrobe Theatre

IMPROMPTU WORKSHOP

to book: www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk