Shakespeare's Polish Links Explored in Free Guided Performance

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Fri 04 Nov 2022 - Sat 05 Nov 2022

A free guided walk in Birmingham will explore links between William Shakespeare and Poland. Taking place in locations across the city centre between November 4-5, A Little Patch of Ground is a guided audio performance presented by storytelling group Parrabbola and the 'Everything to Everybody' Project.



The event has been inspired by the hundreds of Polish Shakespeare translations, theatre posts and other artefacts stored in Birmingham's historic Shakespeare Memorial Library.
The 'Everything to Everybody' Project, which aims to raise awareness of this unique library, has worked with a team of researchers and theatre-makers from Parrabbola to explore the Polish items within the collection and create A Little Patch of Ground.

The performance features two live artists, working in conjunction with an audio recording which the audience listens to via a phone or other player. The live material will include Shakespeare in Polish, as well as the Shakespeare connections between England and Poland, and some details of some of the Polish material in the collection.

Parrabbola artistic director Philip Parr said: "A great many stories emerged as a result of our research with the Everything to Everybody Project team, what came to light was the Polish struggle for freedom and making theatre during censorship: always with Shakespeare's words as an inspiration. We've been able to use the inspiration to inform conversations with the Polish community and these interviews have enabled us to create A Little Patch of Ground. We look forward to taking audiences on a journey through Birmingham."

The guided performance lasts roughly 50 minutes and is free although places need to be booked and audience members are asked to bring along a smartphone and headphones for the audio recording.

Project director of the 'Everything to Everybody' Project Ewan Fernie said: "Birmingham's Shakespeare library holds material in over 90 different languages, including some very special Polish holdings. The visionary founder of the library, George Dawson, spoke in favour of Polish independence in the Town Hall in the mid-nineteenth century and it is an honour and a privilege to revive Birmingham's links with Poland's Shakespeare heritage and the pioneering struggle for European freedom thanks to the wonderful Parrabbola."

Each performance will end at the Library of Birmingham where participants will have the opportunity to view the Everything to Everybody: Your Shakespeare, Your Culture exhibition. Free to visit, the exhibition is a collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company and the 'Everything to Everybody' Project and is presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

A Little Patch of Ground will take place at various locations across the city centre and on a range of surfaces so organisers are advising participants to wear comfortable shoes and bring waterproofs if it is raining. Anyone with access concerns can contact Parrabbola for more information: [email protected]

For more information and to book tickets here: https://everythingtoeverybody.bham.ac.uk/getinvolved/

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#november
!date 04/11/2022 -- 05/11/2022
%wnbirmingham