The British Shakespeare Company was a British open-air touring Shakespeare Company. Founded by Robert J. Williamson in 1994 (as the R. J. Williamson Company), it was renamed in 2005. Originally based in Leeds (performing in the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey), the company later established Shakespeare festivals for Brighton, Nottingham, The Kew Gardens, Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon and Holland Park Theatre in central London.
The company produced two of Shakespeare's most commercially popular plays each year from 1994 to 2007, totalling over 700 performances, usually featuring household names from film, television and stage. These have included James Alexandrou from EastEnders, Pierce Brosnan's actor son Sean, the dancer and performer Wayne Sleep, and the comedian Norman Pace. The 2007 shows, Henry V and As You Like It toured Norway, Windsor, Leeds and Oxford. In 2008 the company performed A Midsummer Night's Dream for two nights at Arundel Castle.
From 2006, when the company began performing at Ramme Gaard, an ecological estate with an outdoor amphitheatre on the coast of Norway, the Norwegian billionaire and philanthropist Petter Olsen was its patron.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare c. 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict among four Athenian lovers. Another follows a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play which they are to perform before the wedding. Both groups find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies who manipulate the humans and are engaged in their own domestic intrigue. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular and is widely performed.
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall, north-west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, England. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded c. 1152. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII.
Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall CBE, was an English theatre, opera and film director. His obituary in The Times declared him "the most important figure in British theatre for half a century" and on his death, a Royal National Theatre statement declared that Hall's "influence on the artistic life of Britain in the 20th century was unparalleled". In 2018, the Laurence Olivier Awards, recognizing achievements in London theatre, changed the award for Best Director to the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director.
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London.
John Stange(r) Heiss Oscar Asche, better known as Oscar Asche, was an Australian actor, director, and writer, best known for having written, directed, and acted in the record-breaking musical Chu Chin Chow, both on stage and film, and for acting in, directing, or producing many Shakespeare plays and successful musicals.
Edward Hall is an English theatre and film director who founded the all-male Propeller Shakespeare company of which he is Artistic Director, in 1997. He also became Artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre in 2010. He is known for directing Shakespeare productions, musicals such as Sunny Afternoon and multiple screen productions, including William Boyd's TV adaptation of Restless.
Thelma Holt is a British theatre producer and former actress.
Mark Hadfield is an English actor.
Steven Blakeley is a British actor. He is best known for his role as PC Geoff Younger in the British police drama Heartbeat, guest roles in various other television programmes and multiple theatre roles.
The Ian Charleson Awards are theatrical awards that reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under age 30. The awards are named in memory of the renowned British actor Ian Charleson, and are run by the Sunday Times newspaper and the National Theatre. The awards were established in 1990 after Charleson's death, and have been awarded annually since then. Sunday Times theatre critic John Peter (1938–2020) initiated the creation of the awards, particularly in memory of Charleson's extraordinary Hamlet, which he had performed shortly before his death. Recipients receive a cash prize, as do runners-up and third-place winners.
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is a Shakespeare festival in Nashville, Tennessee.
Chloe Newsome is an English actress who is best known for starring in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street, appearing on and off between 1991 and 1998. She was the second actress to portray the role of Vicky McDonald, after Helen Warburton played the character for four episodes in 1990.
Propeller is a theatre company which presents the plays of William Shakespeare in the UK and around the world. The director is Edward Hall.
Shakespeare in the Park is a term for outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeare's plays. The term originated with the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City's Central Park, originally created by Joseph Papp. This concept has been adapted by many theatre companies, and over time, this name has expanded to encompass outdoor theatre productions of the playwright's works performed all over the world.
Nobby Clark is an English photographer of theatre, opera, dance and live classical and contemporary music performance.
Georgia Shakespeare was a professional, not-for-profit theatre company located in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States on the campus of Oglethorpe University from 1985-2014. Georgia Shakespeare produced three plays annually, primarily between June and November. Twelve educational programs were developed in the history of Georgia Shakespeare. These programs included "The High School Tour", a "High School Acting Competition", "Camp Shakespeare", a "High School Conservatory", a "No Fear Shakespeare" training program for educators, after school residencies, school tours, student matinees, classes for professionals, and in-school workshops. At its peak, it welcomed 60,000 patrons annually to its performances.
Oak Park Festival Theatre (OPFT) is a professional theatre company in Oak Park, Illinois, under contract with Actors' Equity Association. The company was founded in 1975 by Marion Kaczmar, an Oak Park resident and arts patron, and performed Renaissance works, almost exclusively by William Shakespeare, until 2004, when it broadened its scope to classics of other eras. Its outdoor venue has been Austin Gardens, a wooded park near downtown Oak Park within walking distance from restaurants, Frank Lloyd Wright landmarks, and Metra and CTA trains. To attract a greater following, Renaissance, classical, and modern American works were added to the offerings, some being produced indoors in historic Farson-Mills Home and, in the 2010-11 season, in the studio space in the Madison Street Theatre.
The GB Theatre Company is a British touring company that specialises in outdoor productions of Shakespeare. Founded in 2010 by Gillian Roca and Barrie Palmer. The first productions in 2010 were As You Like It directed by Neil Sheppeck and Merry Wives of Windsor directed by Jenny Stephens. The productions were played in rep and starred Gabriel Thomson, Matt Milburn, Stacey Roca and Alexander Delamere. The tour took in Dublin's Trinity College, Ramme Gaard in Norway, Prague Castle, Norwich Cathedral, Kentwell Hall and Arundel Castle.
Ramme Gaard is an organic farm and country estate, located by the Oslofjord just north of Hvitsten in Vestby municipality, Viken, Norway. Ramme Gaard is owned by billionaire philanthropist Petter Olsen.
Liam Gerrard is a British / Irish film, television and theatre actor. He is also an acclaimed voice-over artist and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his BAFTA-nominated work: Walter Tull: Britain's First Black Officer, Peterloo and Coronation Street. To date he has narrated over 100 audiobooks.
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