War in Europe, the far right in the streets with their dog whistles, and a sharp rise in anti-Semitism: it’s not hard to see parallels between the inter-war period and today’s political landscape, where Putin invades a neighbouring country on the...
‘What’s mine is yours and what is yours is mine’ (Duke, Act 5 Scene 1). While we may be familiar with many lines from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure most of us are less familiar with the play. Quays Life talks to RSC Artistic Director...
It has been called Shakespeare’s problematic comedy and, even if the only information you had about it was the title, it’s not hard to see why. The idea of calling a woman a shrew is bad enough, without adding the idea of taming her into the story...
Director Justin Audibert reimagines Shakespeare’s comedy ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, in a new production for the RSC where the women hold the power. He talks to Quays Life about playing with conventions to turn gender on its head. RSC The Taming of...
Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’ ends with the wedding of four couples, including Rosalind and Orlando, with the ceremony overseen by the God of Marriage, Hymen. But how do you go about depicting a god onstage? The answer for the Royal...
Director, Kimberley Sykes talks about her playful and passionate version of Shakespeare’s much-loved romantic comedy, As You Like It. What has influenced your thinking around the production? Kimberley: “I think a big thing which has influenced...
I was so looking forward to Macbeth at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre. A female, Lucy Ellinson, was going to be playing the lead, and I thought that this would provide an exciting perspective on the play. I have seen many productions of...
Choreographer, Matthew Bourne captures the essence and power of young love and passion in his latest production, Romeo and Juliet He talks to Quays Life about his dance interpretation of Shakespeare’s timeless romantic tragedy. Matthew Bourne...
Battlefields, love, masked-balls and laughter – Shakespeare’s greatest romantic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing is creatively brought to life in this innovative and witty adaptation from Halifax touring company Northern Broadsides and Staffordshire’s...
The National Theatre’s Macbeth opens onto a post-apocalyptic world – dark, wet and drowning in ripped plastic. This doesn’t just feel like the aftermath of a bloody civil war, but the end of the earth as we know it. Rae Smith’s set design creates a...