Free happy Bard-day festivities

Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death


PLAY IS A DREAM—A scene from the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2006 on the CLU campus.

PLAY IS A DREAM—A scene from the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2006 on the CLU campus.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Bard of Avon’s death and the 20th season of its own annual festival with 24 hours of activities beginning Sat., April 23 on the Cal Lutheran University campus in Thousand Oaks.

All events will be take place in or around Overton Hall on Memorial Parkway near Regent Avenue.

April 23 is the date of Shakespeare’s death and also, ac cording to tradition, his birth in 1564.

The free Bard-day will begin with a welcome reception at 4 p.m.

Bill Walthall, a former high school English and drama teacher in Oxnard who writes The Bill Shakespeare Project blog, will give a presentation on the concept of time in “Romeo and Juliet” at 5:30 p.m.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare Educational Tour will give a workshop demonstration at 6 p.m., followed by a game at 6:30 p.m.

A panel discussion on plays in traditional and alternative settings will take place at 7 p.m., followed by an interactive Shakespeare slam at 8 p.m.

Actors will read “Macbeth” by candlelight at 9:30 p.m. Musical works inspired by the Bard will be played starting at midnight.

Sun., April 24 will begin with yoga incorporating Shakespeare quotations at 8 a.m.

A panel of actors will share their experiences portraying Hamlet at 9:30 a.m., followed by a sonnet brunch at 10:30 a.m. and a cabaret at 11:30 a.m.

A full reading of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which will be performed at this year’s summer festival, will begin at 12:30 p.m.

The event will conclude with a reception at 3:30 p.m.

Throughout the marathon, visitors can step into a videorecording booth to talk about their connections to Shakespeare and the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company. Snippets will be shared prior to the closing reception.

The mar a thon wil l be streamed live at CalLutheran.edu/live.

For more information, go to KingsmenShakespeare.org/400-years or email Jason Rennie at shakespeare20-400@kingsmenshakespeare.org.


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