A Review of a great new Graphic Novel – Kill Shakespeare!

I was asked recently to put some ‘unfettered’ thoughts together about the first edition of a new graphic novel, Kill Shakespeare!

First off, I think it’s *beautifully* drawn. Reminds me of Hellboy, particularly the ghosts and witches. It looks great, has a good pace, and is exciting to read. I like the story too: it’s a nice twist – one I’d been toying with for a while – and it left me wanting to read more.

Click here to read the review in full – though you will have to read past another’s vitriol to get to my thoughts.

Congrats to Anthony & Conor, and all else responsible…

British Psychological Society, Stamford Shakespeare Society, & Rebel Shakespeare Company!

Apologies for the lateness in this post, but last week was somewhat frenetic.

Following on from the great gig at Peter Parker’s Rock’n'Roll Club last Monday, I had been kindly invited to give the after-dinner speech at the British Psychological Society’s 2010 Conference in the ever-beautiful Stratford-upon-Avon. A terrific evening, with much fascinating post-dinner in-depth analysis of Life, the Universe and Everything Shakespeare with some of the delegates.

Then on Friday I whisked myself over to Tolethorpe Hall – a beautiful manor near Stamford, with a wonderful open-air theatre where the Stamford Shakespeare Society perform, to speak at the Cambridge Welland Valley branch of the English Speaking Union for their annual Shakespeare Literary Lunch!

Last, but by no means least, a wonderful day in London’s Regent’s Park yesterday, running a workshop on Acting Shakespeare for a terrific bunch of young American actors, all members of the Rebel Shakespeare Company, from Salem, MA.

Phew!

To Hell With The Lighthouse – 8pm tonight!

Speaking tonight at Peter Parker’s Rock’n'Roll Club, 4 Denmark Street, with David Whitehouse, Joe Stretch & Dockers MC…

More details here…

BBC Blast – Othello Retold

A clip from BBC Blast’s film about the Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company’s production of Othello Retold, which I worked on last year…

My review of James Shapiro’s Contested Will, Independent on Sunday

My review of James Shapiro’s Contested Will, and Doug Stewart’s The Boy Who Would Be Shakespeare, in today’s Independent on Sunday:

For so long, I had not wanted to get drawn in to this unanswerable debate. No more. Now I’m out and proud. Shapiro’s is an important book, which goes a long way towards putting an end to the authorship question once and for all. Bring on the conspiracy theorists, I have met their nemesis, and its name shall be Contested Will.

So it was with eagerness that I turned to Doug Stewart’s The Boy Who Would Be Shakespeare, keen to delve deeper into one of the stories that Shapiro thrillingly covers in a dozen pages: the story of the forger William Henry Ireland.

Click here to read the review in full…

Oxfam Bookshop, Bloomsbury — Thursday 25th March

This Thursday, 6.30pm…

Readings from Ben Crystal, Anne-Marie Fyffe, and Owen Sheers,
compered by Rakesh Bhanot, Shop Events Manager. The shop will be open from 18:30. Event starts at 18:45. Limited refreshments will be served.

OXFAM BOOKSHOP
12 Bloomsbury Street
WC1B 3QA

The shop can accommodate a maximum of 60 guests (30 seated and 30 standing) so early booking is advised. Please telephone or email to book:

t 020 7637 4610
e oxfambloomsbury@hotmail.co.uk
w www.oxfambloomsburybooks.wordpress.com

Oundle Festival of Literature, and Oxfam Bloomsbury

Two talks up-coming over the next couple of weeks…

15th, 7.30pm — St. Peter’s Church, Oundle, Oundle Festival of Literature
25th, 6.30pm — Bloomsbury Oxfam, with the poets Owen Sheers & Anne-Marie Fyfe

Come one, come all…!

Terrific news: “Pupils will act to learn Shakespeare”

This is wonderful news:

Schoolchildren are to learn Shakespeare by acting out the plays instead of reading them at their desks… Written and oral assessments developed alongside the lessons will show how well students have understood the works.

Full article here…

New talk – Bath Literature Festival – Sunday 28th Feb, 6.15pm

Delivering a brand new talk at the Bath Literature Festival this Sunday:

Shakespeare – Love, Sex & Comedy

Diving through Shakespeare’s writings of love, sex and comedy, Ben Crystal (’the Jamie Oliver of Shakespeare’ BBC Radio 5), rediscovers the Bard as master dramatist: a true man of the theatre, who had a terrific sense of what makes a captivating play.

The theatres Shakespeare wrote for were two-way, dynamic – a shared experience with the audience, an afternoon’s journey of love, betrayal, death, lust, comedy and, sometimes, the odd song.

Back by popular demand, this year the author of Shakespeare on Toast tackles Shakespeare’s attitude to love, sex and comedy, and finds a lot more tragedy than comedy, more betrayal than love, and more mystery than sex…

Click here to book tickets…

This talk is sponsored by Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights (the Independent Bookshop of the Year 2008)

India, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Bath Lit Fest

India was terrific, and many thanks indeed to the British Council, and all the wonderful actors I worked with in Kolkata and Pune.

There’ll be videos uploaded soon of the workshops.

Since I’ve been back, I’ve given a workshop to a terrific group of 120 students at Queen’s School in Chester, a talk to a terrific audience of the Fellows of the RSA last night at Shakespeare’s Globe, and am now gearing to give my new talk on Shakespeare: Love, Sex & Comedy at the Bath Literature Festival on the 28th February at 6.15pm.

All this has meant the very popular London workshop, planned for the end of February, has had to be postponed. I’ve been in touch with those of you who had hoped to come, and there’ll be news of a rescheduled workshop up soon…