The World Shakespeare Festival Launches Today!

PRESS RELEASE - 6 September 2011
The World Shakespeare Festival is launched today, supported by BP as Founding Presenting Partner

What is the World Shakespeare Festival?

A celebration of Shakespeare as the world’s playwright

Over 50 arts organisations

Thousands of UK and international artists

7200 amateur theatre makers and thousands of teachers and young people

70 productions and exhibitions, plus events and activities, right across the UK and online

One million tickets on sale from 10 October

Plus new research from the RSC and the British Council which shows 50% of the world’s school children study Shakespeare

The World Shakespeare Festival (WSF) is a celebration of Shakespeare as the world’s playwright, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, in an unprecedented collaboration with leading UK and international arts organisations, and with Globe to Globe, a major international programme produced by Shakespeare’s Globe. It runs from 23 April to November 2012 and forms part of London 2012 Festival, which is the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, bringing leading artists from all over the world together in a UK-wide festival in the summer of 2012.

Thousands of artists and over 50 arts organisations have come together to take part in the Festival, a collaboration of extraordinary scale and ambition. Over a million tickets go on public sale from 10 October for close to 70 productions, plus events and exhibitions across the UK, including London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Newcastle/Gateshead, Birmingham, Brighton, Wales and Scotland as well as online.

The Festival includes a major exhibition Shakespeare: staging the world - The BP Exhibition at the British Museum (in collaboration with the RSC and supported by BP) which will explore the world through the eyes of Shakespeare, his players and audiences in the changing world of the 17th century.

As well as showcasing the best of UK and international creative talent, the World Shakespeare Festival encourages the creativity of young people, emerging artists and amateur companies. Over 260 amateur groups involving 7200 people (aged from 6 to 90) are taking part in Open Stages, sharing skills and working with the RSC and nine partner theatres to perform their own interpretations of Shakespeare everywhere from castles, parks and village halls to pubs, churches and a coffin works. Some of the most exciting amateur companies will perform at the RSC’s Stratford-upon-Avon home as part of the World Shakespeare Festival in the summer of 2012.

Further programming, including free events, broadcasts and a major digital project allowing people all over the world to become involved, will be announced in the autumn and the new year. Stayed tuned for more information!