The Bard Never Sleeps

There is always something Shakespearean going on somewhere in the world. At any hour of the day you may be sure that somewhere, people are reading, studying, watching, rehearsing or acting in some work of the Bard's.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has come up with a way for interested folk to get involved in this worldwide activity by instituting a free on-line Shakespeare course - Getting to Know Shakespeare. Lessons arrive via email and there are facinating online videos to watch, too.

Closer to home for those of us who live in Perth, Western Australia are two projected seasons of Shakespeare's plays. In January Shakespeare WA will present its annual Shakespeare in the Park season, with performances of The Tempest and A Comedy of Errors - with a bonus: that screamingly funny homage The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)

Barely will that season end before the start of the Perth Festival, bringing performances of Henry V and A Winter's Tale by the all-male British company, Propeller.

Truly, we are much blessed! So much Bardic activity in an isolated city of only a million people demonstrates the amount of interest there is Shakespeare's work worldwide!

October Meeting

We enjoyed a well-attended meeting last Saturday, making a good start on Henry VIII. We also had a bit of a discussion on forthcoming events of a Shakespearean bent. Some shows to watch out for:

• The North Sea Boat Terminals Theatre Company will present an experimental production of All's Well that Ends Well at the Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, from 23-28 October at 8.00 pm with a matinee at 2.00 pm on 29 October. The production includes much of the Shakepeare text but also features puppetry, animation and live music.
• The WA Opera will present Verdi's Falstaff (basically the Merry Wives of Windsor!) at His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth, on November 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 at 7.30 pm
• Shakespeare WA’s 2012 season runs from 6 January to 4 February, with its annual "Shakespeare in the Park" season. Three plays will be presented: The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors and that screamingly funny send up The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) in conjunction with the Cut Snake Comedy Company. This will be a reprise of a 2011 success at the Subiaco Theatre Centre. (You can read the review I wrote for Artshub here. Other Shakespearean events I’ve reviewed recently include the Bell Company’s Julius Caesar and the WA Ballet’s The Taming of the Shrew.)

Next meeting: Saturday, 19 November at 2.00 pm at the State Library of WA. All welcome!