The Royal Shakespeare Company will celebrate Shakespeare’s 450th birthday this year with a fireworks display and a range of free theatre activities.
The RSC will begin its Shakespeare birthday festivities with fireworks on the day on which his birthday is usually celebrated, Wednesday 23 April, from the top of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It will be after the evening performance of Henry IV Part I.
On Saturday 26 April, the RSC will offer a range of free activities for the whole family including storytelling sessions, workshops about fighting and the chance to discover how fake scars and bruises are created.
Visitors will also be able go on theatre tours, enjoy music in the foyer areas and explore the 36-metre high Theatre Tower.
The celebrations will also feature an appearance by Godiva, a six-metre tall mechanical puppet created by Imagineer Productions for the Cultural Olympiad in 2012.
Godiva will arrive in Stratford on Friday 25 April, spending the night at Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Henley Street before leading the community parade the following day.
In the afternoon, Godiva will visit Bancroft Gardens where she will be joined by her future lifelong companion, The Humming Bird. This mechanical bird, capable of flying almost a mile, will make its inaugural flight in an outdoor performance.
The RSC is also working with community artist Georgia Jacob and four Stratford-based organisations to produce a prop based on a character from Shakespeare for the community parade.
After the birthday celebrations, the pieces will be hung in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre during the summer.
Geraldine Collinge, director of events and exhibitions at the RSC, says, “I’m really excited about what the town and the RSC have planned to mark this special year.
“I’m sure the town will be buzzing throughout the week, and I encourage everyone to come and soak up the special atmosphere of the birthday celebrations.”