In order to create an archive of the Shakespeare 400 activities that took place across all the partner organisations in 2016, a team of students at King's College London, from various disciplines and levels of study, reviewed as many of the events as possible.
Below are all of the reviews. Use the search box to find reviews
of a particular event.
Review by Jenna Byers, PhD candidate in History. The season explores the inspirational influence of our greatest playwright on filmmakers across the world, featuring films from the silent era, award-winning adaptations and contemporary interpretations of the Bard’s work. Read more...
Review by Ingrid Penzhorn, MSc Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) For the weekend of 23 and 24 April, Shakespeare’s Globe has transformed London’s Southbank into a Shakespeare showcase with 37 screens erected along the riverbank from Westminster to Tower Bridge. The outdoor screens feature short film depictions of all Shakespeare’s plays with each having been shot in the authentic mise en scène the Bard had in mind. Read more...
Review by Jenna Byers, PhD candidate, History. ‘Othello’ is one of Shakespeare’s more thought-provoking plays, in that it very clearly demonstrates an attitude which modern society deems entirely inappropriate, but which would have been perfectly acceptable to Shakespeare’s contemporaries in the fifteenth century. Read more...
Review by Toonika Guha, MA, Culture and Creative Industries, King’s College London. To celebrate the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, the British Library hosted a night of festivities with music, dance, recitations, a panel discussion, and even karaoke. Read more...
Nicholas Hytner, former Director of the National Theatre talks to Abigail Rokison-Woodall about his enormous contribution to the history of Shakespeare at the National Theatre. Read more...
Review by Georgia Clarke, MA Classical Art and Archaeology The National Theatre’s ‘5 Hamlets’ exhibition documents five of its productions of ‘Hamlet’, spanning five decades. The exhibition shows the play’s adaptability and combines audio material with set models, costumes, and props to compare the five productions. Read more...
Review by Rebecca Watson, MA Shakespeare Studies Just last year, the RSC staged what they called the 'Kings and Country' history cycle of Shakespeare’s history plays, covering the deposition of Richard II to the rise and success of Henry V. Now Ivo van Hove’s dazzling four-and-a-half hour Dutch production, Kings of War, covers the next generation of rulers Read more...
Review by Colleen M Curran, PhD Candidate in Palaeography & Manuscript Studies As soon as you enter Senate House the enthusiasm of the team behind the Metamorphosis exhibition is evident. A mural of Shakespeare covers the grand staircase and excerpts from some of his plays are arranged in bright, colourful displays in the elevators where motion-activated audio recordings are also played. Read more...
Review by Ruth Sherrington, PhD candidate, Classics The third in a series of three talks about Shakespeare at the National Theatre, held to coincide with the 400th anniversary of his death, this talk centred particularly on the theme of Family, following on from Old Age and Migration. Read more...
Review by Shweta A. Joshi The majestic Chancellor's Hall at the Senate House Library, London, received the honour of hosting the keynote lecture of 'Shakespeare: Metamorphosis', an exhibition commemorating the 400th anniversary of the legendary bard's death. Based on the 'Seven Stages of Man' soliloquy in the play 'As You Like It', the exhibition explores the evolution of Shakespeare's art until the present and projects the metamorphosis of his works in the future. Read more...
