On Saturday 23 April it will be 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare, and so Cambridge University Library are marking the anniversary with a free drop-in family event at the main UL, organised jointly with the Faculty of English.
'Shakespeare for all ages and all times' will feature a fast-paced programme of show-and-tell talks by members of the Faculty, 'pop-up' performances by student actors of some of Shakespeare’s best-known speeches, quirky and amusing items for children, and a display of the UL’s Shakespearian treasures from the seventeenth century.
The famous 'First Folio' of 1623 is a highlight of our current 600th anniversary exhibition, Lines of Thought: Discoveries that Changed the World, which is free and open to all until 30 September. And specially for this event, the seldom-seen Second, Third and Fourth Folios (from 1632, 1664 and 1685 respectively) will be on show alongside other early editions.
The event will showcase work currently being done by young researchers and PhD students. Some of their interests and approaches might be surprising: topics covered will include Shakespeare in Swahililand (a translation of four 'Tales from Shakespeare' was among the earliest printed texts in Swahili), Shakespeare and maths, the many pictorial representations of scenes from Shakespeare, editions of Shakespeare produced by women, and a look at the very beginnings of the Richard III ‘myth’ and how Shakespeare influenced it.
Date: Saturday 23 April 2016
Time: 14:00-16:00
Location: Cambridge University Library. Click to see map.
Programme: Performances start from 14:15 and will change every quarter-hour. Each performance will be illustrated by books and other materials from the UL’s collection.
Free drop-in event, fun for all the family!