What's Happening in London, ON…

A new series of events designed to promote the Stratford Shakespeare Festival has begun in London, with the goal of promoting knowledge of the Bard’s work and traditional stagecraft.

The series launched in April with the Playing Shakespeare Workshop, demonstrating how companies like Stratford put on Elizabethan-era plays, with emphasis on Romeo and Juliet. May 16 will see another workshop on dance and music involved in stage plays. The final workshop will be hosted on June 13 and focus on stage combat, from swordplay to mock hand-to-hand fighting. The series will culminate a week later with a lecture by Randall Martin, a recently retired adjunct research professor at the University of New Brunswick and current adjunct professor at London’s Western University, on the subject of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night.

The London series is hosted by the London Public Library and is part of the Festival’s efforts to promote its upcoming summer season through events at libraries throughout Southern Ontario. Attendees can enter into a draw to win two free tickets to a Stratford Show of their choosing. Educational initiatives such as this often use tools like brochure printing and social media to help further extend their reach.

All events in the 2024 Stratford Festival Series will take place at the Central Branch of the London Public Library. Workshops require registration one week in advance.