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York International Shakespeare Festival

Posted on 8 May 2017

Celebrate the international appeal of Shakespeare with the free talks, workshops and productions happening across campus and in town 15-21 May 2017.

The University has joined together with the York Theatre Royal, Parrabbola and other partners, to bring you the York International Shakespeare Festival.

The festival is a member of the European Shakespeare Festivals Network, allowing for exciting international exchange.

Performances and events

There will be a variety of Shakespearean performances and explorations of the Bard's work across the city, including:

• Henry IV: A Pub Wake, Join Falstaff, Hal and the regulars at the Boar's Head Tavern to raise a glass to the dear departed - 7.30pm, Sunday 14 May to Thursday 18 May, Eagle and Child
• Lear, Shakespeare's classic play reimagined by DramaSoc - 7.30pm, Friday 19 May, St Olave's Church/Drama Barn
• Throne of Blood, Kurosawa's powerful adaptation of Macbeth, where the samurai warlord Washizu murders his way to power at the urging of his wife - 5.45pm, Friday 19 May, City Screen
• William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (Abridged), Reduced Shakespeare Company - 7.30pm, Saturday 20 May Grand Opera House
• Macbeth, pre-release screening of Kit Monkman's new adaptation - 7.45pm, Saturday 20 May, Holbeck Cinema, Department of Theatre, Film and Television

For full details of these and all other shows and to book tickets, please see the full programme of performances.

Public Talks

Along with a range of productions, there will also be talks, many arranged prior to screenings and performances to enhance your enjoyment: 

• Hamlet's Elsinore and Elsinore's Hamlet - 6pm, Monday 15 May, Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building
• "Speak the speech... trippingly on the tongue": Performing Shakespearean Verse - 5.30pm, Tuesday 16 May, Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building
• Pre-show talk on Romeo and Juliet, ahead of the matinee - 2.00pm-2.20pm, Wednesday 17 May, York Theatre Royal
• Paapa Essiedu in conversation - 6.00pm, Thursday 18 May, Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building
• Pre-screening talk on Throne of Blood - 5.45pm, Friday 19 May, City Screen
• Pre-show talk on Twelfth Night - 7.00pm, 19 May 2017, York Theatre Royal
• Bloody, Bold, and Resolute, pre-screening afternoon of taks and creative response to Macbeth prior to a pre-release screening of kit Monkman's innovative film adaptation of the play - 1.15pm-6.15pm, Holbeck Cinema, Department of Theatre, Film and Television
• Hamlet at Elsinore 1816-2016 - A Danish Shakespeare exhibition in the Berrick Saul Building foyer 15-19 May inclusive

Whether you're new to Shakespeare or have long enjoyed his works, this diverse and accessible selection of events has much to offer.

Follow @YorkShakes on Twitter for updates.