A once-in-a-lifetime cast of actors and musicians will perform in front of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the greatest playwright in history.
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC, an OU/BBC co-production in partnership with the RSC, will be broadcast on Saturday 23 April 2016, 20:30 on BBC2 and screened to 368 cinemas across Europe. Hosted by David Tennant at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, the programme includes Shakespeare-inspired music from, amongst others: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judi Dench, the English National Opera, Joseph Fiennes, Rufus Wainwright, Sir Ian McKellen, and Tim Minchin.
Academic consultant on the programme and Lecturer in English at The Open University, Jonathan Gibson, said:
“Shakespeare Live! will not only be great entertainment, but also a vivid reminder of why, after 400 years, the words of Shakespeare continue to be performed, read and loved across the world. There will be a rich mixture of different types of interpretations and performances and at some points it will seem as if Shakespeare himself is speaking directly to the viewers and addressing the most pressing issues of life in 2016.”
OpenLearn has extensive resources and information on Shakespeare to support this, and other, programmes, to mark the 400th anniversary of his death.
This Programme was commissioned by the OMU and is supported by the Faculty of Arts, with particular relevance to Q03 BA (Hons) Humanities, Q66 BA (Hons) English Literature, Q86 BA (Hons) English Literature and Creative Writing, and F58 MA in English.
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC:
- Commissioned by: Dr Caroline Ogilvie
- Academic Consultant: Dr Jonathan Gibson
- Media Fellow: Dr Chris Williams
- Broadcast Project Manager: David Bloomfield
- Online Project Producer: Georgia Axtell-Powell
