ENGLAND | SHAKESPEARE'S STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
SETTING THE STAGE
Sing ‘happy birthday to thee’ for 450 years in Shakespeare’s birthplace, the site of events this month honoring the prolific playwright.
WHETHER uttered on stage or sprinkled through pop culture, the language of William Shakespeare has a way of transcending time and touching upon many universal truths. April 23 marks the 450th anniversary of the bard’s birth and there is no better place to celebrate it than in Stratford-upon-Avon, his hometown.
LOCAL GEMS
All over Stratford-upon-Avon, places associated with Shakespeare’s life and family have been converted into museums honoring the “swan of Stratford.” Run by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, these historical sites include Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Gardens, Hall’s Croft, Mary Arden’s Farm, Shakespeare’s Birthplace, and New Place and Nash’s House.
A good place to start is Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the Shakespeare Centre. When Shakespeare returned from London wealthy and famous, he purchased New Place and shrewdly converted his family home into the Maidenhead pub (later the Swan and Maidenhead). Today, throughout the property and gardens, Tudor-living actors periodically perform scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, adding to the charm of the creaky 16th-century building.
Another must-see site is Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Located about 10 minutes from the city center, this is where Shakespeare would have wooed his future, and much older, bride. The gardens and orchards are dotted with giant willow branch creations and benches. Visitors are encouraged to sit and listen to recordings of some of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets, and works such as those of Sonnet 18 — “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate” — come alive in the tranquil pastoral surroundings.
Main image: Shakespeare's Birthplace. Article and photos by Sarah Brubaker.
Sarah is a freelance writer, photographer and designer living in upstate New York.
This article was originally published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on April 20, 2014.
You can also pay your respects at Shakespeare’s gravesite at the Holy Trinity Church. This lofty 13th-century church was where Shakespeare was both baptized and buried. Afterward, it’s just a short jaunt down the Avon to the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre. If you don’t have time to see a play, a quick trip to the top of its tower offers a spectacular, panoramic view of Stratford-upon-Avon. On the way out, check out props and costumes from RSC productions on display, including the robe worn by Sir Patrick Stewart when he played Prospero in The Tempest in 2006.
A BIRTHDAY BASH
The weekend of April 26 to 27, 2014 Stratford-upon-Avon will be swarming with fans excited to partake in the 450th birthday festivities and celebrations. It all begins with the “cradle to grave” procession, with a 20-foot-tall moving marionette of Lady Godiva and a horsedrawn-carriage pulling a giant birthday cake. After the parade, a People’s Pageant takes the same route to lay flowers at Shakespeare’s gravesite.
All weekend there will be performances of his plays, and they take many forms, from the two-hour condensed version of all his works to the full presentation of Henry IV, Parts I and II, at the RSC Theatre.
Other highlights include performances by the Stratford Concert Band, the 1623 Theatre Company, the Stratford Renaissance dance group and members from Stratford Music Centre. Activities at the Birthplace Trust locations include events like Hands Across the World at New Place gardens, where visitors can add their handprint to the improvements planned for New Place,and a Knights and Nymphs Toddlers Party at Hall’s Croft, where children can win prizes for the best costume. Birthday cake will be in abundance and offered at all five locations.
OUT-OF-TOWNER
If you can’t make it all the way to Stratford-upon-Avon, a trip to the Globe Theatre in London may do the trick. Featuring the only thatch roof in the city of London, the theater offers tours in addition to an exhibition and provides a quaint glimpse of life in 16th-century London and of the theater’s role as the heart of the notorious entertainment district.
If you have time, consider squeezing in a performance in this replica of the playhouses where Shakespeare’s works were first performed. The official 2014 season begins Wednesday with Hamlet and includes Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear.
Even folks who aren’t familiar with or huge fans of Shakespeare’s many plays and sonnets will find it difficult not to appreciate his impressive contributions, among them, the creation of more than 1,700 words in the English language and a multitude of colorful, familiar phrases, like “All that glitters is not gold,” and “Such stuff as dreams are made on.”
 Shakespeare's Birthplace |  New Place Gardens |  Holy Trinity Church |  Avon River |  Hall's Croft |  Anne Hathaway's Cottage |  View from the RSC Tower |
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Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
SONNET 18
Castle. Museum. Cathedral.
Everyone travels the world their own way. Some like to eat their way through new places, while others shop away. I look for three things first: Castles, museums, and cathedrals. I plan my visit around these treasures and fill in the rest of the trip with local eateries and other significant cultural stops.
CMC TRAVEL
RETURN TO VENICE
ENCHANTING ISTANBUL
