After eight years teaching in secondary schools, I have had enough of the classroom and want to share my love of Shakespeare in a much more entertaining style. I am therefore bringing the spirit of my podcast (www.sheldrakeonshakespeare.com) to Edinburgh for an hour of anecdote, insight, performance, analysis and laughter - much more a comedy gig than a lecture. Prepare for a mind-broadening evening that won’t feel too much like a mind-broadening evening! Whether you know everything or nothing about Shakespeare, this show will entertain and enlighten. What Keith Floyd was to food, this show is to Shakespeare.
I am still putting the finishing touches to the show, but a shape is emerging. It seems to me that Shakespeare's legacy of the moment is playfulness. We live in an unplayful age in many ways and Shakespeare consistently reminds us of the extraordinary and positive power of play. And yet too often we meet his work in ways that are dead: in a book to be studied or a story that we think we already know too well or a production that treats moments of profound uncertainty as foregone conclusions. Nudging between some genuine academic criticism and flights of fancy, I want to explore how we might breathe a bit more life and playfulness back into Shakespeare. And yes, believe it or not, there will be jokes.
I have reckoned that the total outlay for making this project happen, including the previews, will be £3297. Some of that will be recovered through ticket sales, but on the basis of the average Edinburgh audience occupancy of 30%, I would far from break even. What I primarily want you to do of course is come and see the show and I am mindful that money is tight, but especially if you have enjoyed the podcast over the years and want to help me defray some costs, please consider making a contribution through this page.
London previews: