The British Shakespeare Association is to award honorary lifetime fellowships to Dame Janet Suzman and Chris Grace for their “outstanding contributions to the furtherance of our understanding of the works of Shakespeare”.
As an actor, Dame Janet Suzman “infused her roles with powerful emotions, provoking the audience into startlingly new appraisals of the play,” according to the BSA.
“Her achievements as a director have been extensive and had a major impact on future productions; in particular, her direction of the Market Theatre Othello allowed audiences from around the globe to perceive how the play resonated with present-day politics.”
She has also produced books such as Acting with Shakespeare and Not Hamlet that have “inspired a generation of scholars, directors, actors, teachers and students”.
Chris Grace founded the Shakespeare for Schools project in 2000. It is the largest youth drama festival in the UK and offers young people of all abilities and from all backgrounds the opportunity to engage with Shakespeare.
As director of animation at S4C, he created Shakespeare – The Animated Tales, which sparked an interest in Shakespeare for generations of children.
They will be honoured at a British Shakespeare Association event at 3PM on Saturday 7 November. It will be held at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, The Shakespeare Centre, Henley Street, Stratford and is free to BSA members. Non-members can attend for £5.
More information is available at the British Shakespeare Association web site.