Bath Shakespeare Festival 2004 (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Bath Shakespeare Festival 2004

MARCH 1 - 13, BATH: The Bard goes multi-national in Bath as the 6th annual Shakespeare Festival presents a thrilling programme of premieres, international productions and home-grown talent

Now in its sixth year, the Bath Shakespeare Festival, presented by the Theatre Royal Bath, is the only festival dedicated to the works of Shakespeare in the UK. With a plethora of premieres, international productions and new commissions, this year's Bath Shakespeare Festival provides an invaluable snapshot of the Bard in 2004.

This year sees a welcome return for Bremer Shakespeare Company in a truly multi-national production of Much Ado About Nothing; a riotous new play about Shakespeare on film from the South West's own Forkbeard Fantasy; and the extraordinary Al-Hamlet Summit presented by Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre Company which uses Shakespeare's tragedy to explore contemporary Arab politics.

Offering a fascinating insight into different cultural responses to the works of William Shakespeare, the diverse programme of events also includes a comic opera; workshops and education events; a home-produced play; a cinematic double-bill at the Little Theatre; literary events in the Ustinov Studio, the Guildhall and the Holburne Museum of Art; and a celebratory dinner in the Pump Rooms.

Director of the Bath Shakespeare Festival, Deborah Shaw, explains,

"This year's Festival reflects the deeper relationships we've been developing with companies, both at home and abroad. We've brought English and German actors together in a fascinating mix of acting traditions for Much Ado About Nothing.

"National treasures Forkbeard Fantasy have written a brand new show for us and have been sharing their performance secrets with the Theatre Royal's Young People's Theatre. There's a magical, home-produced A Midsummer Night's Dream for children and family audiences and we've encouraged the formation of the first pan-Arab theatre company for The Al-Hamlet Summit, currently rehearsing in Kuwait.

"Our influence is spreading far and wide and the Festival fortnight is the culmination of all this artistic endeavour - a true celebration of Shakespeare in the 21st Century!"

Tickets for all the productions, workshops and events in the Bath Shakespeare Festival 2004 (except the Literary Events), can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 44 88 44.

www.theatreroyal.org.uk