Nick Asbury - Exit Pursued by a Badger

The wait is almost over! Nick Asbury's eagerly awaited Exit Pursued by a Badger: One Actor's Journey Through History at the RSC is due to be published this week, courtesy of Oberon Books. You can order your copy through Amazon, or - preferably! - your local independent bookshop. Nick will be signing copies of his book at the National Theatre, London, on Tuesday 23 June 2009, after the Shakespeare Blogged platform at 6pm, and Shakespeare's Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, on Sunday 19 July 2009 - as part of the RSC Open Day - at 1.30pm.

Chris McGill - 19 June to 31 August 2009

Chris McGill will be appearing in the Shakespeare's Globe touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The tour will play the following:
City Museum, Portsmouth, 19 to 21 June 2009
Ashton Court, Bristol, 23 to 28 June 2009
Leeds Castle, Maidstone, 30 June to 5 July 2009
Parham House, West Sussex, 7 July 2009
Shakespeare’s Globe, London, 8 to 11 July 2009
Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, 13 to 14 July 2009
Hestercombe Gardens, Taunton, 15 to 18 July 2009
Minack Theatre, Cornwall, 20 to 24 July 2009
Hedingham Castle, Essex, 27 to 28 July 2009
Gdansk, Poland, 31 July to 6 August 2009
Art Carnuntum Festival, Austria, 8 to 9 August 2009
St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury, 12 to 16 August 2009
Newby Hall, Yorkshire, 18 to 19 August 2009
Georgian Theatre, Richmond, Yorkshire, 20 to 23 August 2009
Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 25 to 30 August 2009
St Donats, Glamorgan, 31 August 2009
This will be directed by Raz Shaw. Chris is playing Lysander, Quince, and Moth.

Jonathan Slinger - 25 June 2009

Jonathan Slinger will be appearing in another episode of new BBC comedy series Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire called 'O Biclops, Where Art Thou'. The episode in question will be airing on BBC Two on Thursday 25 June 2009 at 9pm. Jonathan is playing Cyclops.

Maureen Beattie - 6 to 31 August 2009

Maureen Beattie will be appearing in The Girls of Slender Means at the Assembly @ George Street Music Hall, Edinburgh. The production runs from 6 to 31 August 2009, and tickets are onsale now. This is based on the novella by Muriel Spark, and is part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Jonathan Slinger - 11 June 2009

Jonathan Slinger will be appearing in the first episode of new BBC comedy series Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. The episode in question will be airing on BBC Two on Thursday 11 June 2009 at 9pm. Jonathan is playing Head Myrmidon.

Thank you, Eva. ^_^

RSC Ensemble 2009 to 2011 - update

The new RSC ensemble has now opened their first three Shakespeare productions in Stratford-upon-Avon so I thought I'd do a bit of an update.

Current
The Winter's Tale (directed by David Farr)
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 31 March to 3 October 2009
Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 27 to 31 October 2009
Paul Hamilton - Dion
John Mackay - Camillo

As You Like It (directed by Michael Boyd)
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 18 April to 3 October 2009
Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 21 to 24 October 2009
Geoffrey Freshwater - Corin
Forbes Masson - Jaques
Sandy Neilson - Duke Senior
Katy Stephens - Rosalind
James Tucker - Silvius

Julius Caesar (directed by Lucy Bailey)
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 15 May to 2 October 2009
Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 3 to 7 November 2009
Paul Hamilton - A conspirator
John Mackay - Cassius

Forthcoming
The Comedy of Errors (directed by Paul Hunter)
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 25 June to 15 August 2009
Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 7 November 2009
James Tucker - Antipholus of Ephesus

The Drunks (directed by Anthony Neilson)
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 21 August to 1 October 2009
Paul Hamilton
Sandy Neilson - Babitsky

The Grain Store (directed by Michael Boyd)
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 10 September to 1 October 2009
Geoffrey Freshwater - Neighbour
John Mackay - Mortko
Forbes Masson - Samson
Katy Stephens - Flesheater
James Tucker - Local Educator

And tiny trickles of information have started to leak out for post-2009 productions as well. John Mackay will be playing Octavius Caesar in the Michael Boyd-directed Antony and Cleopatra in 2010, while Katy Stephens is set to play Regan for David Farr in the 2010 King Lear. Watch this space for more future information; whatever comes up will be shared!

RSC Open Day - 19 July 2009

The RSC Open Day will be held in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer on Sunday 19 July 2009. There's already a full programme of events planned, with two in particular that should be of interest to anyone reading this blog.

All the World's a Stage, The Courtyard Theatre, 2.15 - 3.15pm
A panel including RSC Associate Designer Tom Pipe and Actor Chuk Iwuji discuss ways of working on the thrust stage and what the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre means to them.
£10, £5 for 16-25s. Please ring the Box Office on 0844 800 1114.

Exit, Pursued by a Badger: One Actor's Journey Through History at the RSC, Shakespeare's Birthplace, 1.30 - 2.30pm
Nick Asbury, a member of the Histories company, talks about his experience of performing as part of a long ensemble, captured in his newly published book. Nick's book will be available at The Courtyard Theatre Shop and he will be signing copies on the day.
£10, £5 for 16-25s. Please ring the Box Office on 0844 800 1114.

There's also many many more events, tours, talks, and activities planned. If the weather holds out, it should be just as fabulous as - if not more fabulous than - last year!

Visit the RSC website for more information and to buy tickets!

Thank you, Anna. ^_^

Jonathan Slinger

Recently, four leading Shakespearean actors - including Jonathan Slinger - were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with London's Guildhall Library's copy of the First Folio. Actors discuss first folio of Shakespeare records their thoughts and reactions.

Thank you, Eva. ^_^

Katy Stephens

There's a nifty little article on the Theatregoers' Choice for Best Actress in a Play 2008 Katy Stephens at WhatsOnStage.com. Katy Stephens On Life at the RSC Post-Histories discusses what it's like being an ensemble member, and also reveals a future role she'll be playing for the new ensemble in 2010.

Thank you, Kate. ^_^

Geoffrey Streatfeild - 30 May 2009

Geoffrey Streatfeild was part of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Play on Saturday 30 May 2009. 'A Murder of Quality' is a dramatisation of the John Le Carre novel of the same name. While it's too late to tune in the traditional way, the programme will be available through the BBC website until Saturday 6 June 2009. Geoffrey is playing Rode.

Thank you, Geraldine. ^_^