To celebrate 400 years of Shakespeare’s First Folio, the first published collection of his plays, Allie Esiri and friends are putting on a special night. The event will run on Monday, July 8 at Regent’s Park Open Theatre and will see poetry, speeches and scenes read by actors who have a special connection to the author’s work and to the theatre itself.
Tickets are priced at £25 and are available to purchase now – you can get them here. On this one-off occasion, award winning stage and screen actors will come together for an entertaining evening of Shakespeare based on Allie Esiri’s bestselling poetry anthology: Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year.
The star-studded cast includes Paul Chahidi, Damian Lewis (Homeland), Derek Jacobi CBE, Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso), and Stephen Mangan (Green Wing). They’ll be joined by Tracy Ann Oberman, Tony Robinson (Black Adder), Danny Sapani (Killing Eve, Black Panther), Samantha Spiro (Sex Education) and Luke Thompson (Bridgerton).
There’ll also be Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Samuel West (Slow Horses), Olivia Williams (The Crown), and Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes). All will guide you on a journey through the Shakespeare you love and the best bits you don’t.
It is at Regent’s Park, for example, that Damian Lewis spent a season playing Hamlet, that Susan Wokoma starred in the hit production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and where Samantha Spiro performed an acclaimed Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and won an Olivier Award for Hello Dolly!. Note that the line-up is subject to change with more big names being added between now and next month.
Shakespeare For Every Day of the Year, one of the UK’s biggest selling poetry books, is a collection of 365 poems, speeches and scenes from across all of Shakespeare’s plays, each with an illuminating introduction. Allie Esiri has also published other poetry anthologies such as A Poem For Every Day Of The Year and 365 Poems For Life as part of her mission to keep poetry alive and make it accessible for everyone.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is located at Regent’s Park, Inner Cir, London NW1 4NU. Find out more information about the event and book tickets here.
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