The cast are now in final rehearsals and preparing for fridays opening night at the Rose Theatre in Kingston Upon Thames, and the following week at Trinity College in Dublin. This will be our largest tour so far and includes Ireland, Norway and Prague. Book early as some venues are almost sold out.

photos: Gabriel Thomson with Rebecca Allin Jayns, and Daniela Lavender.

BOOK NOW! 

We are delighted to announce that we will now be launching our tour at the stunning Rose Theatre in Kingston-Upon-Thames on Friday 5th & Saturday 6th June 2009. The Rose takes its name from from the Elizabethan Theatre of the the same name where many of Shakespeare’s early plays were performed. This is a stunning modern interpretation of an Elizabethan playhouse, combining the excitement and accessibility of the Elizabethan Playhouses with the comfort and facilities of a modern theatre building this is a totally unique venue. This is a last minute addition so we need help in getting the word out to everyone. We expect some of the most important people in the theatre to attend. Please comment

ONLINE BOOKING NOW AT: www.rosetheatrekingston.org

The British Shakespeare Company receive not a penny of funding and rely on the generosity of the public to support our extensive season of shows. Your gift will allow us to continue our work as the only full cast open air touring Shakespeare company in Europe. To tour with a full cast is hugely expensive which is why no other company is doing this. Please give the gift of Shakespeare to the people of the UK as he intended it to be performed and donate today.

You can now make a secure online donation and help make our “Dream” a stunning reality.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of the United States of America who have donated as your gifts have helped the company a great deal.

UPDATE: Tickets are now on sale for The Dublin Shakespeare Festival please visit dublinshakespeare.com for details, or telephone 0818 205 205. We recommend booking early as this festival has a very limited capacity.

We are delighted to announce that we have been invited by Trinity College to create a Dublin Shakespeare Festival from Tuesday 9th to Saturday 13th June 2009. We will be performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Trinity College’s beautiful Rose Garden on all five nights.

We are delighted to announce Mark Arden will play Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Mark is a fantastic comedian and actor who first found fame in the “alternative comedy” boom of the late 1970’s. He has appeared in such legendary comedies as Black Adder, The Comedy Strip Presents, The Young Ones and even Carry on Columbus. He has just too many television credits to begin to name here and is no stranger to the Bard, appearing in the BBC’s “Romeo and Juliet” in their world famous “complete works” series. On stage his Shakespeare credits include Capulet in Romeo and Juliet at the New Vic and Guildenstern in Hamlet at the Haymarket and he has also recently appeared in the West end in the hit musical We Will Rock You. A fine addition to what is gearing up to be an incredible season.

We are delighted to announce that Gabriel Thomson, best known for his 10 year continuing role as Michael Harper in the BAFTA winning British sitcom My Family, has joined our cast as Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. We are also delighted to announce that Steven Blakeley, best known for his role as PC Geoff Younger in the hit British police drama Heartbeat, has joined our cast as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Verges in Much Ado About Nothing. Steven is not new to professional Shakespeare having played in both Much Ado and Dream before but as Benedick and Flute at the Derby Playhouse. Please visit this page again in the next few days for our final cast updates.

UPDATE: TICKETS FOR ALL FOUR NIGHTS AT NORWICH HAVE COMPLETELY SOLD OUT!

We are delighted to announce the British Shakespeare Company will be working with the wonderful people at Norwich Cathedral to create The 1st Norwich Shakespeare Festival. The stunning and historical Cathedral Cloisters will play host to the British Shakespeare Company from 16th - 19th July 2009. This one of the most perfect venues we have come across and we believe this event will grow to be one of the most popular Shakespeare Festivals in the UK. See whats on for more details in the next few days. Please feel free to comment.