Category: 大象传媒
Date: 30.06.2005
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On Sunday 3 July, 10,000 young performers from 400 schools
will bring Shakespeare to life in 100 theatres across the UK - in the
biggest one-off theatre event ever staged.
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One Night of Shakespeare
- a collaboration between the 大象传媒 and Shakespeare Schools Festival -
will see pupils performing their own interpretations of Shakespeare
on a professional stage, directed and produced by their teachers.
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Each of the 100 theatres will stage four different half-hour
productions from the following 13 abridged versions of Shakespeare plays:
Romeo and Juliet; Twelfth Night; Othello; As You Like It; Hamlet; The
Tempest; The Taming of the Shrew; Julius Caesar; Macbeth; A Midsummer
Night's Dream; The Winter's Tale; Richard III and The Merchant of Venice.
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In preparation for this UK-wide celebration of Shakespeare,
teachers and pupils have received intensive professional training at
director and cast workshops with the National Youth Theatre; Scottish
Youth Theatre; National Youth Theatre of Wales and the Ulster Association
of Youth Drama.
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Such is the scale of the event that the 大象传媒 and Shakespeare
Schools Festival will be attempting to enter the Guinness World Records
for the most performances of Shakespeare on one night.
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Chris Grace, Director of the Shakespeare Schools Festival,
says: "This project has been fantastic in bringing Shakespeare
alive for young performers as well as boosting communication skills
and school morale.
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"The scale of this historic event is remarkable
and the work that schools have put in should make for a wonderful, rewarding
evening on 3 July."
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Sally Stokes, Producer, One Night of Shakespeare, says:
"For some schools, One Night of Shakespeare is the first time they
have tackled Shakespeare on stage; for others it's their first time
studying drama.
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"They have used their own unique interpretations
of Shakespeare's stories to explore contemporary issues that concern
them - such as racial tolerance, crime and the cult of celebrity.
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"We've got an incredible mix of stories and productions:
a Bollywood-inspired Romeo and Juliet; A Winter's Tale exploring 'chav'
culture; and The Taming of the Shrew set in a women's prison - to name
a few."
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Later in the year, some of Britain's leading television
writers are to interpret four of Shakespeare's plays in modern versions
for 大象传媒 ONE: Peter Bowker sets A Midsummer Night's Dream during a weekend
in a holiday park; while Sally Wainwright's version of The Taming of
the Shrew has Kate as an opposition MP who is instructed to find herself
a husband to make her more electable.
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In David Nicholls' Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice
and Benedict are co-presenters of a popular early-evening regional television
news show; and Peter Moffat's Macbeth is transposed to the enclosed
and heated world of a top restaurant.
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For further information go to bbc.co.uk/shakespeare.
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Notes to Editors
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There will be no filming or photographs allowed during
the actual performance on the night.
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Please contact your regional publicist if you wish
to film or take photographs at dress rehearsals during the day.
