“Did Shakespeare have another job?”, and, “Didn’t Shakespeare steal some of his plays?” were questions proposed in Lea Bridge Library, by children, to Claire Archibald.
Archibald, who was at the time dressed as Ariel from “The Tempest”, whilst bearing an authentic looking scroll, is an employee of the Freshwater Theatre Company, an association running a series of events in local libraries to commemorate the playwright’s 400th Birthday.
“Shakespeare’s Life and Times” encourages children aged 6-10 to gain insight into the celebrated playwright’s life, through the use of inclusive physical theatre. For an hour, adults and children alike are swept into the world of William Shakespeare, as they take on roles from a number of his plays, including Romeo, Bottom (which raised a few giggles) and Macbeth. Throughout the hour, the fun is intertwined with facts - not only about Shakespeare’s plays - but also about some of the historical events that surrounded his time. Apparently, “a cow” was not, as one child learnt, a main cause of a return of the Plague, to London, in the early 1600s. This was approximately a time when three of Shakespeare’s plays are believed to have been composed, including ‘Pericles’ and ‘Coriolanus’.
Running in multiple libraries across the Waltham Forest borough, from the 25th-28th of October, it has been described by children as “funny and awesome”.
By: Oriana Campbell-Palmer (City and Islington Sixth Form College)
