English Shakespeare Company

Last updated

The English Shakespeare Company was an English theatre company founded in 1986 by Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington to present and promote the works of William Shakespeare on both a national and an international level. [1] Funding came from the state Arts Council of Great Britain, and also commercially from the Allied Irish Bank and Canadian retail tycoon Ed Mirvish. [2]

Its inaugural production (1986) was an anthology entitled The Henrys ( Henry IV, Part 1 , Henry IV, Part 2 , and Henry V ) which opened at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in December 1986. A year later, several more plays ( Richard II , Henry VI: House of Lancaster , Henry VI: House of York and Richard III ) were added to the original productions and were presented as a complete history cycle under the title of The Wars of the Roses . The production toured for two years in seventeen venues in the UK including the Old Vic in London, as well as appearing at several international venues, including the Hong Kong Festival, opening the new Tokyo Globe Theatre, being the centrepiece of The 1988 International Theatre Festival of Chicago, and touring to Stamford, Connecticut, the Spoleto Festival, Melbourne, the Adelaide Festival, Brisbane, The Netherlands, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt.

In addition to The Wars of the Roses, productions of many individual Shakespeare plays were also presented. They included Twelfth Night , Macbeth , The Tempest , Romeo & Juliet , Antony and Cleopatra and As You Like It . [3]

The last production of ROMEO AND JULIET. indeed the closing production ended in Plymouth after touring the world.

Related Research Articles

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> Tragedy by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young Italian star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.

Royal Shakespeare Company British theatre company

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratford-upon-Avon, and on tour across the UK and internationally.

<i>Henry VI, Part 1</i> Play by Shakespeare

Henry VI, Part 1, often referred to as 1 Henry VI, is a history play by William Shakespeare—possibly in collaboration with Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe—believed to have been written in 1591. It is set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England.

<i>Henry VI, Part 2</i> Play by Shakespeare

Henry VI, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas Henry VI, Part 1 deals primarily with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, and Henry VI, Part 3 deals with the horrors of that conflict, 2 Henry VI focuses on the King's inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, the death of his trusted adviser Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the rise of the Duke of York and the inevitability of armed conflict. As such, the play culminates with the opening battle of the War, the First Battle of St Albans (1455).

<i>Henry VI, Part 3</i> 1591 play by Shakespeare

Henry VI, Part 3 is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas 1 Henry VI deals with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses and 2 Henry VI focuses on the King's inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, and the inevitability of armed conflict, 3 Henry VI deals primarily with the horrors of that conflict, with the once stable nation thrown into chaos and barbarism as families break down and moral codes are subverted in the pursuit of revenge and power.

Peter Hall (director) English theatre and film director

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".

Michael Pennington

Michael Vivian Fyfe Pennington is an English actor, director and writer. Together with director Michael Bogdanov, he founded the English Shakespeare Company in 1986 and was its Joint Artistic Director until 1992. He has written ten books, directed in the UK, US, Romania and Japan, and is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is popularly known as Moff Jerjerrod in the original Star Wars trilogy film Return of the Jedi.

Brownsea Open Air Theatre

Brownsea Open Air Theatre is an open-air Shakespearian theatre company based in Poole, Dorset that have performed large theatrical productions since 1964. Annually performing a play from the extensive works of William Shakespeare for three weeks in July and August, the production is set on the National Trust's Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour with boats transporting patrons to the island from Poole Quay.

The Renaissance Theatre Company was a theatre company founded in 1987 by Kenneth Branagh and David Parfitt. It was disbanded in 1992.

Michael Bogdanov was a Welsh theatre director known for his work with new plays, modern reinterpretations of Shakespeare, musicals and work for young people.

Shakespeare Theatre Company non-profit theatre company in Washington, D.C.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the Shakespeare canon, but its seasons include works by other classic playwrights such as Euripides, Ibsen, Wilde, Shaw, Schiller, Coward and Tennessee Williams. The company manages and performs in the Harman Center for the Arts, consisting of the Lansburgh Theatre and Sidney Harman Hall. In cooperation with George Washington University, they run the Academy for Classical Acting.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a professional acting company in association with the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was established in 1958, making it one of the oldest such festivals in the United States, and has roots going back to the early 1900s.

Michael Cronin is an English actor.

Thelma Holt British theatre producer

Thelma Holt is a British theatre producer and former actress.

Malachi Bogdanov is a theatre director.

George Howe (actor)

George Winchester Howe was an English actor who played numerous stage roles, was a frequent broadcaster on radio and television and appeared in four feature films.

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.

<i>The Wars of the Roses</i> (adaptation) 1963 theatrical adaptation of Shakespeares first historical tetralogy

The Wars of the Roses was a 1963 theatrical adaptation of William Shakespeare's first historical tetralogy, which deals with the conflict between the House of Lancaster and the House of York over the throne of England, a conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. The plays were adapted by John Barton, and directed by Barton and Peter Hall at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The production starred David Warner as Henry VI, Peggy Ashcroft as Margaret of Anjou, Donald Sinden as the Duke of York, Paul Hardwick as the Duke of Gloucester, Janet Suzman as Joan la Pucelle, Brewster Mason as the Earl of Warwick, Roy Dotrice as Edward IV, Susan Engel as Queen Elizabeth and Ian Holm as Richard III.

Elizabeth Ranken is a British choreographer, performer, director, movement director and artist. She is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and was a lead performer with DV8 Physical Theatre. Her work encompasses opera, theatre, physical theatre, dance, television, film and art.

Gyula Shakespeare Festival

The Gyula Shakespeare Festival is a one-week to two-week long, international Festival organised annually since 2005 in Gyula, Hungary. Organizers of the Festival have been József Gedeon (2005–2016), Marianna Varga (2016–2017), and Tibor Elek (2017–present).

References

  1. Holland, Peter (1997), English Shakespeares: Shakespeare on the English Stage in the 1990s, Cambridge University Press, p. 21, ISBN   0-521-56405-0
  2. Knowles, Ric Reading the Material Theatre 2004 Cambridge University Press pp168-171 ISBN   052164416X
  3. The English Shakespeare Company: The Story of the Wars of the Roses, 1986-89 Paperback – 13 Feb 1992 by Michael Bogdanov (Author), Michael Pennington (Author)