Celebration Events For Shakespeare Anniversary
This year marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, with a number of events in Bermuda set to commemorate the occasion via art exhibits, stage productions, and more.
Events will include an exhibit titled ‘Shakespeare & The Sea Venture’ at the National Museum of Bermuda, Elizabeth Mulderig’s Tempest exhibit at Masterworks, the Spring into the Arts Shakespeare Festival, special meals at Tempest Restaurant and Hog Penny Pub, BMDS’ Shakespeare in the Park, the Bermuda Shakespeare Schools Festival, and year-round displays at the Bermuda National Library.
A spokesperson said, “Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright having produced some of the most profound and enduring works in the English language.
“His works explore complex issues which have resonance in the world today such as leadership, governance, conflict, discrimination and oppression and they contain the first written use of 1,700 words in the English language: hot-blooded, swagger, jaded, remorseless, majestic, new-fangled and critic, to name a few.
“Shakespeare’s works have been translated into more than 100 languages and they are on the curriculum in more than 50% of the world’s schools.
“Bermuda is in the fortuitous position of being the only part of the Americas which is mentioned by name in Shakespeare’s plays – albeit not in an unequivocally positive light: a reference to “the still vex’d Bermoothes’ in Act 1 of The Tempest.
“More substantively, the founding settlement in Bermuda’s history, when one of the ships in the second immigration fleet heading to Jamestown, Virginia, was damaged in a hurricane, made landing on Bermuda and reappeared to general surprise eight months later, was an inspiration for The Tempest more generally. Bermuda joins over 500 million people worldwide in celebrating Shakespeare this year, with the celebrations being encouraged by the British Council.
“National Museum of Bermuda: Shakespeare & The Sea Venture Exhibit: Visit the Shipwreck Island exhibit to find out more about the story of the Sea Venture, the wreck that inspired William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and led to the settlement of Bermuda. The exhibit showcases a wonderful collection of artifacts from the Sea Venture and tells the story of the castaways’ life in Bermuda and eventual arrival in Jamestown, Virginia.
“Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art: Elizabeth Mulderig’s Tempest Exhibit: This display of etchings to honour the fact that Bermuda has a starring role in one of Shakespeare’s most revered plays will be on display during the month of April.
“The Tempest Restaurant: Shakespeare Night on Saturday, April 23 from 7.00pm to 11.00pm [$150]: Guests will enjoy a four course wine-pairing dinner, designed to highlight the various regions that inspired Shakespeare’s plays, with each course featuring an interactive performance by Haunted History.
“The Hog Penny Pub: Shakespeare’s Whole Hogge Special throughout April [$29.95]: Visit Hog Penny Pub for a Shakespeare-inspired special during the entire month of April.
“BMDS Shakespeare in the Park from June 23 to 25 and June 29 to July 2: Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society will be reviving their popular Shakespeare in the Park series this summer! More information will be available soon.
“The Bermuda Shakespeare Schools Festival from October 17 to 20 at 7.00pm at the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts: Shakespeare lives in the performances of our high school students. Ticket information and performance details will be announced by September.
“Year-round at the Bermuda National Library: Visit the library to see a display of Shakespeare’s written works and rent copies of his plays and sonnets. Or, if you are more visual, the Bermuda National Library has an extensive collection of Shakespeare’s plays on film that are available for loan.
“The Shakespeare Lives 2016 committee urges Bermudians to bring the works of William Shakespeare to life by attending events, reading his works, and watching his films.”
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