Age cannot wither him: Shakespeare's 450th anniversary in London

2014 marks Shakespeare’s 450th birthday. The fanfare of celebration from London’s leading institutions is proof that age cannot wither his supremacy. Here’s our pick of the best events: 

The National Portrait Gallery marks the anniversary with a lecture, ‘Living with Shakespeare’, on April 24. Sir Richard Eyre will discuss the transformation of Shakespeare’s scripts into hit productions. Director of the National Theatre for a decade, Eyre is intimately acquainted with ghost of Shakespeare; and its grievances: he has devised some of the most memorable recent adaptations (Ian McKellan’s Richard III, Jonathan Pryce’s Hamlet, BBC 2’s Hollow Crown). Book for a rare backstage perspective into the trials and triumphs of staging the Bard. Click here to book online

If you have little ones in tow, head to The Globe on Easter Sunday (April 20) for Shakespeare’s Birthday party. Traditional party games get a theatrical twist with Pin the Ruff on the Bard and musical Roman statues on the Globe stage. Improvisational theatre company The School of Night will work with audience suggestions to create eccentric adaptations of the famous plays. It’s free, family friendly, and a unique way to enjoy all things Shakespearean. No tickets needed – just turn up from noon ‘til 4.30pm 

The V&A have organised an historical exploration of the Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, with ‘An Audience with Shakespeare’. On Saturday May 3, a small audience will embark on an imaginative journey through the South Bank of Shakespeare’s London. Wander from the Rose to the Globe; discover the strange snacks favoured by groundlings; and peep behind the final curtain. A group of leading academics will explore how contemporary staging shapes the texts we know today. Among them is Professor Tiffany Stern, co-author of the trendsetting Shakespeare in Parts, which has shaken-up Shakespeare scholarship by replacing literary criticism with theatre-history. Click here to book and for more info. 

This one-off event compliments the V&A’s wryly named, ‘Shakespeare: Greatest Living playwright’: an installation in one of their Theatre and Performance galleries. Combining items across the museum’s collection, from the first Folio to iconic costumes, the collection combines artefacts and memorabilia from the 450 years since Shakespeare’s birth. It opened in February and will run until 21st September. 

Proving that Shakespeare’s genius isn’t limited to the stage, the Southbank Centre are to celebrate the Sonnets on June 1 with a complete reading from 5-9pm. Throughout the collection of 154 sonnets, Shakespeare’s declaration of devotion to the Dark Lady and Fair Youth, contain as much drama as any of his playtexts. Some of our greatest thesps will animate the verse–including Shakesperian doyenne Harriet Walter and Simon Russell Beale, who is fresh from playing King Lear just down the river. Click here to book..

Finally, in a broader reflection of Shakespeare’s literary legacy, Intelligence Squared is celebrating the anniversary with a twist -- by challenging his supremacy in ‘Shakespeare vs. Milton’. On June 22 Shakespeare will be cast into literary combat with John Milton. Expert academics pick a side and argue their case, while actors bring the literature to life. Though, considering that Milton’s first foray into poetry is called ‘On Shakspear’, we predict that Shakespeare shall be crowned as King of English Literature. 

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