Details of the 2009 Liverpool Shakespeare Festival have been announced with the promise of another exciting season of productions of the works of The Bard... with a twist!
Fast becoming one of the North Wes's most eagerly-awaited annual events, the festival was introduced with an acclaimed production of Macbeth in the summer of 2007.
Last year it attracted thousands of visitors to sell-out performances at Liverpool Cathedral where it hosted Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and their beautiful production of Winter's Tale, along with an outdoor cinema.
The 08 season also featured Lodestar's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which attracted rave reviews from local and national press.
Lodestar Theatre Company work only with artists and practitioners from Liverpool and the North West and the company's work is known for clear, dynamic productions performed in unusual venues. They proclaim themselves as "presenting Shakespeare's greatest plays as living, breathing texts for a 21st century audience".
For 2009, Lodestar will produce their most exciting season yet at two unique and very different venues.
From 11-23rd August they present Hamlet at St George's Hall, and from 1-13th Sept, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard at Novas Contemporary Urban Centre. On 12-13th Sept, they will perform both plays back-to-back, using the same cast for both shows.
Max Rubin, Director of The Liverpool Shakespeare Festival said: "It was wonderful to host the Globe last year and to see the festival develop so dramatically in such a short time. It is hard to believe that only three years ago all this was just an idea.
"Performing at St George's Hall is a great honour for us. It is one of the world's great buildings and Hamlet is perhaps Shakespeare's greatest play. We're very excited to show our work in such a spectacular context.
"The Novas Scarman Contemporary Urban Centre is an amazing new city-centre warehouse development that contains bars, restaurants, galleries, cinema and a beautiful brand-new theatre. Both productions use their very different venues as inspiration.
"We wanted to produce Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead alongside Hamlet as they both inhabit the same world - the same events are seen from two very different perspectives. Using the same company for both shows is almost never done and all this will allow us to show how there are two sides to every story in a very unique way."
Hamlet is a dynamic, fast-moving and powerful story of murder, passion and revenge that has captivated the imaginations of millions for nearly 500 years.
Rosencrantz & Guldenstern are Dead is Tom Stoppard's best-known play. In turns hilarious and tragic, it tells the story of two unfortunate minor characters from Hamlet and their doomed struggle to make sense of the world in the face of impossible odds.
As ever, the festival is a fantastic opportunity for local organisations, groups and individuals to get involved.
The possibilities range from corporate sponsorship and advertising to work experience and hands-on involvement in the creative process. Lodestar say they want to encourage everyone who might be interested to get in touch.
Tickets are available from Mid-April from The Bluecoat Arts Centre and those who want to get involved can e-mail: info@theliverpoolshakespearefestival.co.uk
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