Press Release

Mayor announces first St George's Day event
7-4-2004   148

Mayor of London
news release
Office hours: 020 7983 4070
Out of hours and weekends: 020 7983 4000
www.london.gov.uk

GLA/2004/148

Wednesday, 07 April 2004       FOR IMMEDIATE USE

Mayor announces first St George’s Day event

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, today announced the first event supported by the Greater London Authority taking place on St George’s Day. The world famous Globe Theatre will be opening its doors free for the day to the public to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday, which falls on St George’s Day.

The Greater London Authority is giving financial support to the event. Full artistic control remains with the Globe Theatre. The mayor’s objective is to turn this into an annual event.

The detailed announcement made by the Globe Theatre is attached below:

Further events supported by the GLA on St Georges’s day will be announced next week. ends

( Released by Globe Theatre on 7th April 2004)

Innovision Media

7th April 2004

BRUSH UP YOUR BARD  - SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THROWS OPEN ITS DOORS FOR UNIQUE FREE BIRTHDAY EVENT

“All the world’s a stage”

On Friday 23rd April Shakespeare’s Globe, in partnership with Innovision Media, will be throwing open its doors to the public in a unique celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday –for the very first time members of the public will be able to perform their favourite bits of Shakespeare on the very stage graced by some of the greatest Shakespearean actors of our day such as Vanessa Redgrave,  Paul Schofield and Mark Rylance.

Starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at  11.00 at the Groundling Gate, attended by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, these celebrations will honour William Shakespeare, the universally acclaimed genius whose plays are performed in every part of the world and who chose London as his workplace. A day of events, tours and performance will bring alive the spirit of this universally acclaimed genius.

The Mayor said: "Shakespeare is a world renowned talent whose historic work has shaped arts and culture internationally. Londoners will now have the opportunity to celebrate his birthday in fitting style.  This exciting day of events at the Globe reflect the democratic energy and spirit of this great British figure. I look forward to this day becoming a regular fixture in our calendar.”

Every hour anyone with an interest in Shakespeare, and the theatre most closely associated with his plays, will not only be able to get some professional advice on performing Shakespeare from Globe actors they will also be able to find out what it’s really like to perform on this extraordinary stage – normally only ever accessible to members of the Globe company.
And to give participants a true flavour of what Elizabethan theatre was like Creative Producer  Simon Elliott of Innovision Media and Mark Rylance, Artistic Director of the Globe, are bringing contemporary street performers  with the same skills as would have been seen at the original Globe Theatre, and on the surrounding streets, back into the Globe to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday.
This celebration has been made possible by the Mayor’s Office at the Greater London Authority. It is intended that Shakespeare’s Birthday at the Globe becomes an annual event.
Listings Information:

Venue: Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT
Time:   Open from 9am to 8pm. Celebrations start at 11am.

For information about times and ticketing please go to  www.shakespeares-globe.org

Notes to Editors:

· This is part of a programme of activities around St Georges Day to be shortly announced by the Mayor’s Office.

· Shakespeare’s Globe is a faithful reconstruction with thatch and galleries of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of his greatest plays. The theatre season runs from May to September with productions of the work of Shakespeare his contemporaries and modern authors. Globe Education run workshops and lectures for students of all ages and nationalities and the Exhibition is open year round to give an introduction to the theatre of Shakespeare’s time and the London in which he lived and worked.

· Innovision Media sources, researches and develops content for education, film, and theatre. The company is developing the vision for the Potter's Field Cultural Quarter through consultation with local communities, schools and arts organisations. Potter’s Field is the site where David Blaine was hanging, between Tower Bridge and City Hall. Innovision Media has just completed an unusual education project (Architecture of the Emotions) looking at the emotional vocabulary of buildings with Southwark and Lambeth schools. This project will feed into the final design brief for the Potter’s Field Cultural Quarter, to create a building that feels emotionally satisfying and uplifting.

For further information please contact Anna Arthur/Tom Coupe at AAPR on 020 7637 2994

Notes to Editors

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Press information is available from Rachelle Laurence on 020 7983 4068 or Ben McKnight on 020 7983 4071 (numbers not for publication)

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