Shakespeare's Globe Hosts Free Day To Celebrate Shakespeare's B-day 4/19

Shakespeare's Globe opens its doors between 12-5pm on Sunday 19 April for a FREE open day to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday and the 400th anniversary of the publication of his Sonnets in 2009. This event is supported by the Mayor of London.

A highlight of the day will be the Globe's attempt to set a new world record for the most people ever to say a sonnet in one day. Every visitor on Sunday 19 April will be invited to take part and be filmed saying a line or two from Sonnet 29. The Globe will then submit the film to the Guinness World Records.

Other festivities on Sonnet Sunday will include:

· An iambic pentamathon where members of the public are invited onto the stage to say their names and silly things about themselves in iambic pentameter

· Fortune telling by the dark lady (a regular subject of Shakespeare's sonnets)

· ‘On the Couch' analysis with Friar Laurence (a character from Romeo and Juliet)

· Sword fighting displays, music performances and costumes dressings

· Sonneteers around the site, serenading visitors with lines from the sonnets

· Where's Willy? - a chance to spot ‘William Shakespeare' somewhere around the site

The day will embrace and involve everyone from 6 to 60 with fun activities across the site, introducing visitors to the Sonnets and the theme of love in Shakespeare. In amongst the entertainment, visitors will be encouraged to find out how a sonnet is constructed, where they are used and how iambic pentameter works.

Shakespeare is the best-known sonnet writer, having composed 154 of them - all of which appeared in a collection published by Thomas Thorpe on 20 May 1609. The Sonnets explore the themes of love, beauty, desire and mortality, and have long been regarded as Shakespeare's most important and distinctive contributions to lyric poetry.

Sonnet Sunday - Sunday 19 April 2009
Venue: Shakespeare's Globe SE1
Time: 12noon - 5pm
Tickets: FREE EVENT

 

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