The Bard celebrated through live cinema

QUAD in Derby present a total of nine live events marking Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary with performances screened live from The Royal Shakespeare Company, The British Film Institute, The Globe On Screen and The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company.

Shakespeare Live! is a one-off event from The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) marking the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. Screening live from Stratford-upon-Avon and hosted by David Tennant, this star-studded event celebrates the Bard’s plays and their enduring influence on music, dance, opera, musical theatre and comedy.

The once-in-a-lifetime cast includes Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Joseph Fiennes, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Al Murray, Alison Moyet, Noma Dumezweni, Ian Bostridge, Rufus Wainwright, Tim Minchin, Paapa Essiedu, Pippa Nixon, Alexandra Gilbreath, Akala (Hip Hop Shakespeare), The Royal Ballet, English National Opera (ENO), The Orchestra of the Swan, and Birmingham Royal Ballet to perform in a unique tribute the genius and influence of the world’s greatest playwright and storyteller.

Shakespeare Live! From The RSC screens live into QUAD on Saturday at 8.15pm. Tickets are £15 and £13 concessions.

Also in April, The British Film Institute (BFI) presents Richard III with a live post screening Q&A. Originally released in 1995, Richard III has a star-studded film cast including Ian McKellen, Dame Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Kristin Scott Thomas, Nigel Hawthorne and Annette Bening. This special cinema event includes a live 30 minute discussion broadcast live from the BFI Southbank with Sir Ian McKellen and Director Richard Loncraine.

In this striking adaptation of Richard III, the action is transferred to an imagined war-wracked Europe of the 1930s and Shakespeare’s most notorious villain into a fascistic despot. The long and bloody civil war has divided the nation as two powerful families battle for the crown. The end of the war comes suddenly when the reigning King and his heir are killed by the Commander-in-Chief of the York faction, Richard of Gloucester. Richard’s elder brother, Edward, takes the throne, establishing a shaky peace over the nation. But Richard, shunning the dreary calm of peacetime, turns his attention to a new, private war within the House of York.

Richard III (15) plus live post screening Q&A from the Southbank screens in QUAD on Thursday, April 28, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 and £11 for concessions.

Full details of all events at the QUAD can be found at www.derbyquad.co.uk/live-events or by calling 01332 290606.