How to cast a “Richard III”

Here is a Guardian article about Arthur Hughes, who qualifies for the role in that he is male, disabled (in a subtle way) and was only thirty when chosen by the Royal Shakespeare Company, as was Richard III in June 1483 when chosen by the Three Estates. He isn’t an octogenarian, a woman or pretending…

A new documentary about Shakespeare….

Dan Snow (who married in secret, although nobody has ever done that) and Alice Loxton have been filming  in Stratford-upon-Avon for a new documentary about Shakespeare, to be released in September. I do hope it’s sensible!

Richard III and Football

A few years ago, when Leicester City won the Premier League, some people connected the success to the then-recent discovery of Richard’s remains in the city. This is a fanciful idea. However, there are three major clubs that play in Richard’s colours. Aston Villa This historic club is by far the largest in the Midlands. They…

How we went around the mulberry tree….

Well now, apart from the old nursery rhyme, “Here we go round the mulberry tree”, what else do we know about the history of mulberries in England, except that the colour “murrey” is a contraction of the name? Here is a link (that contains other links) to tell you all about it, including that Shakespeare had…

Shakespeare’s … Father

This interesting article shows how John Shakespeare, as Bailiff of Stratford-upon-Avon, was forced to paint over some mediaeval murals. As a clue to what really happened, remember that Michael Wood thinks both John and William Shakespeare to have been Catholics. Let me reassure you that Henry VIII wasn’t still King sixteen years after he died,…

First Richard’s Remains – now the Bard’s Bones…

First Richard’s last resting place, and now Shakespeare’s. All you have to do is dig in from the side, thus not disturbing the stones. Then you can take a peek, but DO NOT MOVE DEM BONES! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/12184086/Shakespeares-grave-to-be-radar-scanned-despite-famous-curse.html

Yet another Shakespearean Richard….

It seems (to me) that Richard III is practically the only Shakespeare play that can be guaranteed to be the aim of every theatre production company. Here’s another one, with the added interest of an invitation to seek the chance of joining in. Please note that it is not Stratford-upon-Avon, but one in the US, and there has…