We are looking for donations, volunteer front of house staff and sponsors for this years Leeds Shakespeare Festival and UK tour. Attracting 15,000 people it is the largest professional Shakespeare Festival in the UK and there is nothing else like it in the north of England. Promote your company across Yorkshire and support the arts. To meet increasing costs the 14th Leeds Shakespeare Festival needs you to please play your part. Become a Festival Friend today! We need your support to continue our fantastic work and we are unrivalled in our field. We have sponsorship packages for entertaining clients and advertising your company ranging from £1000 - £15,000. Can you suggest a sponsor we should contact? Please comment or contact us directly.

Tickets are now on sale for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Arundel Castle on 0871 472 0414, online at the Arundel Festival website or in person at the Castle’s Mill Road gate. Performances are on thursday 28th and friday 29th August 2008. Full details can be found on the British Shakespeare Company’s website. Arundel Castle is a fabulous venue (website) and early booking is advised.

A decision regarding this years Leeds Shakespeare Festival will be made in the next few days. We are hoping to form a partnership with Leeds City Council in which they would organize and produce the event as part of the Councils wonderful season of entertainment for the city. The festival would become a Council event like “Opera in the Park” and “Classical Fantasia” and we would continue to provide the very best open-air Shakespeare in Great Britain for the event. This will guarantee the event this year and into the future. The final decision lies with Councilor John Procter and we strongly urge you to please write a supportive e-mail to him as it may make all the difference. This is your festival please support its future: john.procter@leeds.gov.uk. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Barrie Palmer, former actor with the RSC and present British Shakespeare Company member works for the BSC from Stratform-Upon-Avon in a never ending search for sponsorship and support. If you can think of a sponsor or want to offer your support contact him bp@britishshakespearecompany.com. We watched “Dream” last night and enjoyed a few drinks with some of the cast we know. This is such a super town and the courtyard theatre is a very nice space. The old RSC theatre is a building site at present and it will be interesting to see what they make of it. They are spending £20 million so it should be something to see when it opens 2010. In the meantime you have the BSC performing across the UK. Please feel free to comment.

We have just received advance copies of Shakespeare Scene which launches in June but is now on sale. It is impressive and very informative with information on Shakespeare from across the globe and listings of professional and even amateur Shakespearian theatre from around the world (although it does not seperate these so make sure you check). All in all a fantastic read for fans of the Bard and we recommend it.

I have just returned from a wonderful day at Arundel Castle. The Collector Earl’s Garden was opened today by Prince Charles. This stunning Garden and magical ‘Oberon’s Palace’ will be the setting and backdrop for our Arundel Festival production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the 29th and 30th of August 2008 in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk. ‘Oberon’s Palace’ is a fantastic spectacle designed by Inigo Jones for Prince Henry’s Masque on New Year’s Day 1611 only five years after A Midsummer Night’s Dream was first presented. Inspired by Shakespeare’s production and designed by one of histories greatest architects and theatre designers it will be a magnificent and inspirational setting. This very special event will sell out very quickly so please book early.

We are delighted to have received a book from Norway today that will be required reading for all school children in Norway. They have a section on myself and the BSC where I enthuse about the importance of Shakespeare in performance. We will also be included in required reading for Canadian school children. It is good to know we are reaching so far afield and I am sure this would be a shock to my own English teacher.

There is a 6th Month Washington Shakespeare Festival taking place until June 2008. Here is an interesting artical about it in the New York Times regarding the festival and the many Globe theatres around the world. Including a picture of an ice globe that will be constructed in Sweden.

A company is already offering trips to Oak Island the site brought into question by the film we have been working on. The film will be released at the end of the year and will be controversial in the world of Shakespeare. We are very proud of the many Shakespeare scenes the BSC have created and we will keep you posted with a release date. You are welcome to comment.

HAPPY BARDDAY! The 23rd of April is Shakespeare’s “official” birthday and indeed also the day he was born. A little spooky as this is of course England’s National Day. The British Shakespeare Company introduced the idea of a National Shakespeare Day and we would ask you to visit the site we created for ideas on how to celebrate and to support the campaign. We are very happy to see celebrations for this day now springing up in London. We again urge the powers that be to consider this a perfect day for children to learn about and to celebrate our greatest genius. This is also the day for adults to read a passage or two with a meal and drink. Did you celebrate? Please leave a post and tell us how.