I refer to Lino Bugeja’s article The Eclipse of the Bard, published on January 15. Last month, the British Council launched a global celebration on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.
An 1880 illustration of William Shakespeare.Shakespeare Lives is a major programme of events and activities celebrating Shakespeare’s work, aiming to reach over half a billion people worldwide. As part of this celebration we are presenting a diverse programme of activities in Malta, in collaboration with the British High Commission and local partners.
Shakespeare Lives will run throughout 2016, exploring the work of the world’s most popular playwright in all cultures, engaging audiences globally with both his work and the best of contemporary Britain.
Maltese audiences have a unique opportunity to enjoy Shakespeare’s Globe’s Hamlet in Malta on Monday. Two performances, supported by the British Council, are taking place at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema.
Globe to Globe Hamlet is an unprecedented theatrical adventure that sees the company perform to audiences from every single country in the world across two years: Malta is the 170th country visited. Since it is impossible to perform in Libya due to safety reasons, we are working closely with the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers to invite migrants residing in Malta to attend a performance for free.
In February, in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv, we are holding a Shakespeare Film Festival, presenting some timeless classics, such as Hamlet (1948) with Laurence Olivier and Richard III (1995), starring Ian McKellen. More films will be shown in March and April – more information can be found on Spazju Kreattiv’s website (www.kreattivita.org/).
In collaboration with the Department of English at the University of Malta we are working on bringing over an academic to focus on the theme of diversity in Shakespeare’s works.
The British Council also wants to use the power of Shakespeare’s anniversary to give real help to children in some of the world’s poorest communities. #PlayYourPart campaign encourages the public to share their favourite Shakespeare moment as a way of raising awareness of Voluntary Service Overseas’ charity campaign.
In collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare company, the British Council has also created a Shakespeare Lives schools’ pack for teachers. The pack celebrates Shakespeare as a writer who still speaks to all people and nations, addressing big questions and themes about the human experience and what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.
The British Council also wants to use the power of Shakespeare’s anniversary to give real help to children in some of the world’s poorest communities
This pack encourages teachers and pupils to engage with some of the key issues, themes and ideas in Shakespeare’s plays and to explore the ways they remain relevant and current in our lives today. The school pack can be downloaded at the schools’ online website (https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/classroom-resources/list/shakespeare-lives).
The Globe Theatre company is performing Hamlet in Malta on Monday as part of its two-year world tour.This month Visit Britain and Shakespeare Lives launched a competition, giving someone the opportunity to win the trip of a lifetime to the UK. The prize also includes tickets to a Shakespeare play at The Globe, three nights in Stratford-upon-Avon with tours of Shakespeare sites, plus an invitation to Shakespeare’s anniversary VIP party in April (http://lovewall.visitbritain.com/en/1142/shakespeare-lives-in-britain).
More information on Shakespeare Lives can be found at www. shakespearelives.org/. Information about local events is available on our Facebook page, website (www.britishcouncil.org.mt) and monthly newsletter.
If you would like to know more about any of the mentioned initiatives and receive updates about our projects every month, please send an e-mail to ingrid.eomois @britishcouncil.org.
Ingrid Eomois is country director, British Council Malta.