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Dateline: 16th April, 2006
Party Time at Stratford The Royal Shakespeare Company officially begins the biggest festival in its history next Sunday (April 23rd) - the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and death. The Complete Works Festival, which runs until April next year, includes productions from all over the world. It will be the first time that all Shakespeare's 37 plays, his major poems and sonnets will be performed at the same event. The RSC will mark the day with a programme of events that has something for everyone - including non-theatre enthusiasts. Artistic director Michael Boyd said, "While there'll be some who'll relish the one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the plays in one festival, The Complete Works is not only for Shakespeare aficionados. "The festival looks set to be the most extensive celebration of Shakespeare's genius - a national knees-up for the RSC's house playwright and a survey of the different approaches to his work from around the world. "Our ambition is to stage one of the most significant cultural festivals of the year in Stratford. The open day and launch weekend will be a fitting start to an exciting year ahead." Dame Judi Dench will be in conversation with journalist Matt Wolf; Patrick Stewart and RSC honorary advisory director John Barton will hold a masterclass on staging Shakespeare; and RSC actresses Janet Suzman and Harriet Walter will discuss with Professor Carol Rutter how to play Cleopatra. Actors from the RSC and personalities from BBC Television and Radio will join artists, business groups and members of the public to create a giant portrait of Shakespeare. It will be divided into 90 parts and given to participants to paint throughout the day. The final image will be unveiled outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at 4.30pm. In the first of a year-long series of Broadside Brunch debates, the Archbishop of Canterbury will join a panel chaired by BBC Radio 4's Today programme presenter James Naughtie to discuss Shakespeare and the Creative Imagination. Other activities next Sunday include a football match between the Montagues and the Capulets in the Swan gardens; fight demonstrations; theatre surgeries; and an evening of live music, food, fireworks, cocktails and cabaret. A full programme of events is available at www.rsccompleteworks.co.uk. Reporter: Steve Orme Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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