‘TALL TALES’ AS 20ft GODIVA GATHERS STORIES IN STRATFORD

TO MARK BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Coventry’s famous daughter meets Stratford’s most celebrated son and

leads The People’s Celebration of Shakespeare’s 450^th Birthday – 25^th and 26^th April 2014.

The town that gave the world William Shakespeare is celebrating his 450^th birthday with a special guest appearance from a ‘larger than life’ representation of another famous historical Midlands figure – Lady Godiva.

To coincide with the birthday celebrations, Stratford-upon-Avon will give sanctuary to Coventry’s most famous daughter in the form of an extraordinary six-metre tall moving marionette.

The giant feat of engineering, created by Imagineer Productions for The Cultural Olympiad in 2012, will start a weekend of local community celebrations arriving in Stratford to launch her own Regional Odyssey on 25^th April.

According to legend, Godiva was an 11^th Century noblewoman who rode naked through the streets of Coventry as a protest over the high taxes imposed by her husband, the Earl of Mercia.

Supported by Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), the fully-clothed Godiva will spend a night at the home of Stratford’s famous son in Henley Street before leading the biggest ever community celebration the town has seen – The Peoples Pageant – on 26^th April – as part of Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations.

The People’s Pageant complements the flag unfurling ceremony and main birthday ‘cradle to grave’ procession through the town of Brass bands, civic dignitaries, foreign diplomats and pupils from local schools, each carrying their floral tribute to lay on Shakespeare’s grave in Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare in buried.

Godiva represented the creative heart of the country during the 2012 Cultural Olympiad and Imagineer Productions has spent the last 18 months working on a series of appearances throughout the Midlands in 2014.

Her visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, Godiva’s first outing on this tour, centres around her collecting stories of Shakespeare and in particular the women in his life and in his works.

“There is a natural symbiosis between Godiva’s Odyssey and Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations – both were famous historic characters from the Midlands whose legends live on in our imaginations,” said Marion Morgan of Stratford Birthplace Trust and co-ordinator of the People’s Pageant.

“Godiva was a strong and principled character, the kind that Shakespeare wrote about, and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s five properties – Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Nash’s House, Halls Croft, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage & Gardens and Mary Arden’s Farm – all have strong associations with the women in his life,” she added.

The RSC has recently launched The Roaring Girls – a series of productions led by Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, including two rarely performed Jacobethan plays which reveal some of the great parts written for and about women. The first play in the series, The Roaring Girl, previews from 9 April in the Swan Theatre.

Geraldine Collinge, RSC Director of Events and Exhibitions, said: “I’m delighted Godiva will be making the trip from Coventry to Stratford to help us all celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday.  She’s an amazing sight, and an exciting addition to the People’s Pageant.  In the afternoon I can’t wait to see Imagineer’s latest creation, The Humming Bird, take flight!  It promises to be a spectacular event.”

Entertainers from around the country and overseas will perform throughout the day, filling the streets of Stratford and drawing visitors to the town from all over the world.

Godiva will spend the afternoon in Bancroft Gardens, forming the focal point for the day-long celebrations. Here Godiva will meet her future lifelong companion, The Humming Bird, for the first time. This exquisite mechanical bird, capable of flying one and a half kilometres, will appear and make its inaugural flight in a premier outdoor performance created by Imagineer.

Local people are invited to be a tourist in their own town and visit the Shakespeare Family Homes where they can get free entrance with proof of a CV37 address to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

Free performances in the town centre throughout the day include an American choir singing in the gardens of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, live theatre, the Poetry Doctor, renaissance dance troups, traditional dance and music, student performers from the USA, Russia, Spain and around the UK and family activities at all five Shakespeare Birthplace Trust properties and at the RSC.

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For more information, contact Newsline PR on 01926 888308 or email john@newsline-pr.co.uk

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THOUSANDS EXPECTED IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON FOR

SHAKESPEARE’S 450^TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

The birth of William Shakespeare 450 years ago will be celebrated in style in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon in April – and across the world.

 

Many thousands of visitors from around the globe are expected in Stratford for the bumper weekend of family fun on April 26/27, which will also include plenty of pageantry, pomp and performance.

 

Jubilant flag-waving crowds will line the streets of the Elizabethan market town as actors, foreign diplomats and civic dignitaries join a 1,000-strong grand Birthday Procession through the streets on Saturday April 26 as the town – and the world – pays tribute to Britain’s most famous playwright and poet.

 

This will be followed by a community parade where locals and spectators can join the throng of costumed players, musicians and creative groups celebrating this milestone anniversary.

 

Shakespeare was both born (1564) and died (1616) in Stratford on the same date – April 23, the day the country also celebrates its patron saint, St George.

There will be music, street entertainers, acting and theatre make-up workshops, tours of the Shakespeare houses, children’s parties – and the chance to spot the occasional famous actor.

The parade

The town has been celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday since 1824; celebrations that always begin with the grand procession of VIPs, actors, scholars, characters in costume, bands, strolling players, and local schoolchildren and townspeople.

Since 1893, the boys of Shakespeare’s old grammar school King Edward VI School (K.E.S.) have led the procession to HolyTrinityChurch, and make a memorable spectacle as they parade through Bridge Street following the traditional unfurling of the flags of nations ceremony at 11.00am.

Once the procession is in position, the flag unfurling ceremony and the ‘Quill Pageant’ will take place. This is where costume character William Shakespeare ceremoniously hands over ‘The Quill’ to the head boy of K.E.S. who will use it to signal the start of the flag unfurling ceremony and will then carry it all the way to Holy Trinity Church, symbolising Shakespeare’s journey from the cradle to the grave.

Immediately following the main parade will be the Community Pageant and street entertainers, with the Stratford Morris Men bringing up the rear.  Local people and visitors are invited to walk with the Pageant through the town.

 

In addition, The Royal Shakespeare Company will be running a range of free activities for all the family in and around its theatres on Saturday 26 April, including storytelling sessions, stage fighting workshops and the chance to see how fake scars and bruises are created.  Visitors will also be able to enjoy music in the foyer areas, and, for 50p, cross the river on the ferry listening to RSC actors reading sonnets.

 

The RSC is also working with community artist Georgia Jacob and organisations based in Stratford-upon-Avon to produce an exciting addition to the community element of the Birthday procession. Each group will produce a puppet based on a character from Shakespeare which will be carried on the processional route. After the Birthday Celebrations the pieces will be hung in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for the summer season.  This has been enabled by funding from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s Reach Out And Help Partner Fund, and supported by Stratford Town Trust.

 

Further information and updates about the weekend can be found on www.shakespearescelebrations.com

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31 January 2014                                                    Issued by Newsline PR: 01926 888308