In celebration of my forthcoming Springboard Shakespeare series:
A Shakespeare Verse Masterclass
with Ben Crystal & Company
Guest Sonneteer – Will SuttonTuesday 18th June, 2pm
Jackson’s Lane Theatre, Highgate
£10 on the door
First 10 places £0email us at Verse Masterclass
Delighted to announce that my new series of books – Springboard Shakespeare – publish June 20th, 2013.
Hamlet, Lear, Macbeth and Dream are the most studied and performed of Shakespeare’s plays. These accessible introduction soffers a springboard into each play, taking a hands-on, performance-based approach, exploring the challenges and the rewards it presents to actors, audiences and students.
Springboard Shakespeare has a three-part structure: whether you’re watching or reading, Ben Crystal takes you through exactly what you need to know Before, During and After the play. He combines a genuine passion and understanding of Shakespeare with his experience as an actor, giving the reader a clear route to thinking about, understanding and enjoying four of Shakespeare’s greatest works.
Head to www.springboardshakespeare.com for more…
Giving two Shakespeare talks on Saturday at The Old House, Milverton, near Taunton. A 15th century house with a 500 year old mural of Henry VIII staring out at the proceedings. Fun!
Date: Saturday March 9th, 2013
Times:
Matinee: 3pm
Evening Show: 8pm
Place:
The Old House
Parsonage Lane
Milverton, TA4 1LR
Price: £12.50, including refreshments
Copies of Shakespeare on Toast will be for sale, c/o Brendan Books
For more information on the talks, contact Helen on 01823 400 059 or Angie on 01823 401 047
For 23 hours and 59 minutes, Shakespeare on Toast is Amazon.co.uk’s Daily Kindle Deal:
If you thought Shakespeare was elitist and difficult to read, Ben Crystal will show you a new side, in his delightful, witty romp through the bard’s life and works. An actor at Shakespeare’s Globe, Crystal offers the reader a friendly masterclass with this entertaining introduction to Shakespeare’s most brilliant plays.
Get your slice o Toast on Kindle for £0.99 (81% off) until 23:59 on 24/1…
Unfortunately, due to family emergency, my talk in New York today has been postponed. More news on a new date to come anon.
THRILLED to announce that Shakespeare on Toast will be available in all good bookshops – and as an eBook – in the United States from October 16th, 2012, published by Icon Books.
In celebration, I’m joining forces with The Shakespeare Forum and will be giving a public talk at 8pm, Monday 12th November at the über cool and über central-Manhattan Hartley House, 413 West 46th St (b/w 9th & 10th Ave), NY 10036.
Shakespeare on Toast will be available at a discounted price, there’ll be wine, there’ll be cheese, there’ll be laughter, there’ll be tears…
Actor and author Ben Crystal makes sense of Shakespeare by putting him back into context.
First exploring what a trip to a Shakespearean Theatre in 1600 would be like…
…an incredibly quick master-class on the poetry style Shakespeare wrote in that you’ll be talking about for days…
…and a fascinating look at Original Pronunciation – the accent Shakespeare and his actors would have spoken in – and how it can shake loose a piece of Shakespeare…
This evening is for anyone from 8-80: for apprentice bard-o-holics experiencing the Bard for the first time, for the Will-haters, through to audience members who love Shakespeare and want to learn something new…
Head to The Shakespeare Forum or message their twitter feed for more.
To request a review copy of Shakespeare on Toast or discuss interview or features, please contact
Henry Lord, Publicity Manager at Icon Books
e henry.lord@iconbooks.co.uk / twitter @MrHenryLord
THRILLED to announce that Shakespeare on Toast will be available in all good bookshops – and as an eBook – in the United States from October 16th, 2012, published by Icon Books.
In celebration, I’m joining forces with The Shakespeare Forum and will be giving a talk open to the public, on the evening of Monday 12th November (venue in Manhattan TBC).
Further details of NYC-happenings will be posted shortly.
To request a review copy or discuss interview or features, please contact
Henry Lord, Publicity Manager at Icon Books
e henry.lord@iconbooks.co.uk / twitter @MrHenryLord
Very nice to hear, from Henry Volans at Faber & Faber:
Ben Crystal’s reading of Sonnet 141 in Original Pronunciation is one of the most-shared, most popular performances in the app…
More on Wired.com’s interview with the creators of the Shakespeare Sonnets iPad App here…
The DVD of the Shakespeare Sonnets App arrived today.
As close to the App as possible, it’s been lushly produced, and so for those of you who are iPad-less but want to explore the Sonnets in performance, in Quarto, and from a number of critical, theatrical, and academic points of view, you can snag the DVD here:
Shakespeare Sonnets on DVD from Amazon
Produced by Illuminations Media, Faber and Faber, Arden Shakespeare and Touch Press, and features Sir Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, Fiona Shaw, Kim Cattrell, Dominic West, scholars James Shapiro and Katherine Duncan-Jones, and the poet Don Paterson, amongst many others.
The Shakespeare Sonnets iPad App came out a couple of weeks ago, to great acclaim:
Ben Crystal’s reading of Sonnet 141 in Original Pronunciation is a treat – theverge.com
Ben Crystal’s reading of Sonnet 141, delivered in Original Pronunciation, is a salutary reminder of the warmth and unpretentiousness of our national poet – Poor Rude Lines
A digital delight – Ben Crystal gives his approximation of Shakespeare’s own pronunciation, rugged and lilting at once – The Independent
An extraordindary achievement – The Times
A wonderful app that will provide hours of enjoyment –
The TelegraphFaber’s app commissioner now wields as much power as the person who decides where to open a new Waitrose –
The GuardianJust a wonderful iPad App… An absolute star for classrooms – iPadinsight.com
The App is produced by Illuminations Media, Faber and Faber, Arden Shakespeare and Touch Press, and features Sir Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, Fiona Shaw, Kim Cattrell, Dominic West, scholars James Shapiro and Katherine Duncan-Jones, and the poet Don Paterson, amongst many others.
I act Sonnet 141 – In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes in Original Pronunciation – take a look at the video here:
And you can download the App now from iTunes UK or iTunes US
