Earlier this week you may have seen various posts and news items about “Shakespeare Day”: the 23rd of April is the day on which, according to tradition, Shakespeare was born and - coincidentally - died. (Not the SAME day … you know what we mean. RIP Will Shax, 1564-1616, etc.)
In South Africa, people have marked the anniversary with lectures, lunches, dress-up days at schools and more. Here at Shakespeare ZA, we haven’t had time to get into all the “Bard’s Birthday” stuff ... we’re saving our celebrations for next month, and looking forward (somewhat frantically) to a week in the middle of May that is going to be a highlight - a turning point? a cornerstone? a watershed? an historic moment? - or, at least, a significant plot twist in the unfolding story of Shakespeare in SA.
The Shakespeare Society of Southern Africa will be hosting its triennial congress in Cape Town from 11-18 May. There will be three events:
“my shakespeare” is a workshop for teachers at the Baxter Theatre (11-12 May)
“Making Shakespeare” is a platform for theatre-makers at the Fugard Theatre (15-16 May)
“Shakespeare and Social Justice” is an academic conference at the Fugard Theatre (16-18 May)
You can read more, and download programmes for each of these events, by following the links above.
Or you can listen to this short interview on Kaya FM with president of the Shakespeare Society, Chris Thurman, who spoke to Kaya Bizz host Gugulethu Mfuphi about the concept behind “Making Shakespeare my shakespeare”.
Finally, we want to take a moment to amplify that brief “shout-out” at the end of the interview! Over the coming weeks, as we post more information about the events in May and about those who are participating in them, we’ll also be sure to acknowledge the support we have received from various institutions and organisations. But it all starts with our friends at CN&CO, who inspire, encourage, enable and fund many of the projects undertaken by the Shakespeare Society. Check them out!
With CN&CO’s sponsorship, the Shakespeare Society was also able to apply for a supporting grant from Business and Arts South Africa. BASA does a.m.a.z.i.n.g work bringing together business and arts projects. Read all about it:
