Borough

Blackfriars

BlackfriarsBridge

MilleniumBridge

Bankside

UNION STREETCAFÉ

CROSSBONESGARDENS

CITYCRUISES

ROAST

BREADAHEAD

THE ROSEPLAYHOUSE

SITE OF THE ORIGINAL GLOBE THEATRE

CLINK STREET

SOUTHWARKCATHEDRAL

WINCHESTERPALACE

BOROUGHMARKET

THE GEORGE

INN

SWANSHAKESPEARE’SGLOBE

SHAKESPEARE’SGLOBE

HILTONLONDON

BANKSIDE

THEREFINERY

Home to Shakespeare’s Globe, The Rose Playhouse, Southwark Cathedral and The George Inn, the once

rowdy pleasure-quarter of Bankside will revive the spirit of Shakespeare embedded in its history

with a host of special events to mark the 400th anniversary of his death. Enjoy guided walks, theatre performances and themed menus from 22 April 2016.

Closest tube and rail stations: London Bridge / Southwark / Blackfriars / Borough

visitbankside.com/shakespeare400

SHAKESPEARE IN BANKSIDE

USEFUL INFORMATION

BANKSIDE’S PAST

SPECIAL THANKS

Bankside, the once rowdy pleasure quarter of London, was outside the City walls making it a haven for prohibited activities such as bear-baiting, gambling and prostitution. Being the centre of entertainment, it became home to many of London’s first theatres – and the place where Shakespeare wrote some of his most famous works. 400 years after his death his legacy resonates throughout the area.

Shakespeare moved to London in 1586/87 and lived there until 1613. A tax return dated 6 October 1600 confirms he lived in Southwark for a period of that time.

CLINK STREETThe Liberty of the Clink was an area administered by the Bishop of Winchester where laws of the city did not apply. On Clink Street you can see the remains of Winchester Palace – the residence of the Bishop of Winchester in London. ‘Winchester Geese’ was the popular name for the prostitutes licensed by the Bishop in the area. Pandarus tellingly refers to them at the end of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida:

‘Some two months hence my will shall here be madeIt should be now, but that my fear is thisSome galled goose of Winchester would hiss.’

On Redcross Way lies CROSSBONES GARDENS, the site of a paupers’ burial ground and, according to legend, the final resting place of the Winchester Geese. Here local people have created a shrine to outcasts and a garden of remembrance.

of productions run throughout the year. The Rose Theatre Trust now works to raise funds for ‘The Rose Revealed Project’ which plans to explore the remains of the rest of the site and create a visitor centre.

BEAR GARDENSAlong Park Street, just on Bear Gardens, sat another playhouse - again built by Philip Henslowe (1613). The Hope was a dual-purpose building, structured so it could host animal baiting performances as well as plays. Bankside was famous for its bear baiting activities and the street’s name still serves as a reminder to its past.

and planning the reconstruction, Sam Wanamaker died in 1993. Three and a half years later the theatre was completed.

The excavation of The Rose in 1989 revealed that the Elizabethan playhouses were polygonal buildings. In the same year, a small portion of the original Globe was excavated which revealed that it was a 20-sided building.

The Globe is as accurate a reconstruction of the 1599 Globe as was possible with the available evidence. ‘Green’ oak was cut and fashioned according to 16th century practice, the walls are covered in a white lime wash, and the roof is made

of water reed thatch, based on samples found during the excavation. Now a world-famous destination, Shakespeare’s Globe shows performances from April - October.

Around the corner on New Globe Walk is the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – an indoor playhouse for the winter months.

The Globe Exhibition is open every day with regular guided tours of the Globe Theatre. Times vary so please check shakespearesglobe.com/exhibition for details.

THE ROSE PLAYHOUSEThe Rose was Bankside’s first successful playhouse, owned and built (in 1587) by local property entrepreneur Philip Henslowe. Henslowe’s accounts book (now held at Dulwich College) is the only known day to day account of the workings of an Elizabethan theatre and has informed much of what we know today.

Henslowe‘s diary also reveals that Henry VI Part I and Titus Andronicus were first performed at The Rose.

The remains of The Rose were discovered in 1989 during the construction of a new office block. The first discovery of a rare Elizabethan playhouse generated huge local and media attention. A campaign ensured the remains were preserved through reburial and the site was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The Rose is open every Saturday for public viewing and a schedule

THE GEORGE INNLondon’s last remaining galleried inn in London stands on the site of an inn built in 1542. A local for many actors in Bankside, we can assume Shakespeare would have passed through its doors. Before purpose-built theatres arose, plays were performed at inns such as The George. The current building, a National Trust owned site, dates from 1677.

THE ORIGINAL GLOBE THEATRE (original site marked on map below) The Globe, for which Shakespeare wrote many of his best known plays, is the theatre he is most associated with. Its original site was on Park Street - just a few hundred yards from the place where the new Globe now stands. From 1599 The Globe flourished for 14 years, presenting many of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. In 1613, during a performance of Henry VIII, wadding from a stage cannon ignited the thatched roof and the theatre burned to the ground. The theatre was quickly rebuilt. It remained the home for Shakespeare’s company until the closure of all the theatres under

England’s Puritan administration in 1642. No longer of use, it was demolished to make room for tenements in 1644. A plaque and series of illustrative panels mark the site.

SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE TODAYThe project to rebuild Shakespeare’s Globe was initiated by the American actor, director and producer Sam Wanamaker after his first visit to London in 1949. 21 years later he founded what was to become the Shakespeare Globe Trust, dedicated to the reconstruction of the theatre. After 23 years spent tirelessly fundraising, advancing research into the appearance of the original Globe

SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL The oldest cathedral church building in London, Southwark Cathedral was Shakespeare’s local parish church in Bankside. Visitors should stop and see the Shakespeare monument and stained glass window which depicts characters from some of his plays. The tombstone of William’s brother Edmund Shakespeare lies between the choir stalls in the Cathedral, and it is almost certain that William Shakespeare attended the funeral at St Saviour’s Church, as it was then known. Shakespeare’s troupe of actors lodged here, and the choir at the Cathedral prospered during Shakespeare’s day when Southwark was the entertainment centre of London.

To John Constable (The Southwark Mysteries, Oberon Books), Shakespeare’s Globe, The Rose Theatre Trust and

Southwark Cathedral, for use of content.

BEAR GARDENS

THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

FOOD & DRINK

WALKS & TOURS SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE23 - 24 APRILTHE COMPLETE WALKJourney along the bank of the Thames to celebrate Shakespeare’s works. 37 screens along a 2.5 mile route through Bankside and beyond will show a series of specially-made short films. Some of the world’s finest actors including Simon Russell Beale, Peter Capaldi, Dominic West and Zawe Ashton will perform scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, shot in the places hovering in his imagination. Visitors can expect to see The Merchant of Venice’s Shylock within the Venetian Jewish ghetto, and Hamlet at Kronborg castle in Elsinore.

THE ROSE PLAYHOUSEBankside’s first Tudor theatre, and the place where Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part I and Titus Andronicus were first performed, begins celebrations with a midnight matinee of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING on FRIDAY 22 APRIL. Wolf-Sister Productions and The Rose Playhouse present ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Directed by Alex Pearson. 5 - 29 APRIL 2016. All performances at 7.30pm (Sundays at 3pm only) No Monday performances.‘Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.’ One of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies, this production examines the fragility of love against the backdrop of WW2. Tickets £12, £10 concessions.

the journey of the First Folio towards publication. The event will feature lute songs and performances from Arthur Smith, Rick Jones and Jane Jones. Find Me a Publisher is free and open to the public.

7 MAY / 7.30PM LONDON CONCERTANTE London Concertante, the UK’s leading chamber orchestra will perform an evening programme with works by Vivaldi, Mozart and Bach, alongside works to mark the Shakespeare 400 season; Purcell’s Fairy Queen Suite (based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and two pieces by William Walton featured in Sir Laurence Olivier’s classic film of Henry V. Guest Director Ben Norris will be at the helm. Tickets £18 - £28.

BOROUGH MARKETCALLIGRAPHY & QUILLSSATURDAY 30 APRIL / 11AM - 5PM, Market Hall.Explore Shakespeare’s 16th century world in the modern day Borough Market with Master Penman and historical calligraphy expert, Paul Antonio. Learn how to cut and write with a quill using oyster shell ink wells collected from Borough Market traders. See a demonstration on the history of writing and the ancient art of cutting quills. You’ll get a chance to practice some basic structures of 16th century writing styles, focusing in particular on Bastard Secretary - the hand Shakespeare used to write his plays. Paul Antonio Scribe is a small calligraphy and design studio based in Southwark. Early bird tickets at £35 will be available until the 30 March. General admission will be £45.

23 - 24 APRILHAMLETThe Globe’s unprecedented world tour of Hamlet returns home for a weekend of final performances.

SOUTHWARK CATHEDRALThe tombstone of William’s brother Edmund lies between the choir stalls in Southwark Cathedral - the oldest cathedral church building in London. Shakespeare’s troupe of actors lodged here, and the choir prospered during Shakespeare’s day when Southwark was the entertainment centre of London. Visitors should see the Shakespeare monument and stained glass window which depicts characters from some of his plays.

In collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe, a speciallycurated service will be held at 11AM on 23 APRIL. The service is invitation only and will be followed by FIND ME A PUBLISHER at 2PM, the story of Heminge and Condell and

OPEN DAYS EVERY SATURDAY from 10AM - 5PM you can explore the fascinating history of The Rose. At present two thirds of the original foundations have been excavated and protected. The Rose Theatre Trust is now engaged in raising funds to excavate the remaining third and to make the site a permanent display for the public to learn from and enjoy.

As a part of Museum of London Archaeological Service (MOLA) events programme The Rose will host:

25 APRIL / 7.30PM AN ACTOR AND DIRECTOR FORUM Directors from KDC, South London Theatre and Tower Theatre, and The Rose will give a short talk about how they see the relevancy of the work of Shakespeare to modern London. Actors from each production will then perform a short scene.

10 - 29 MAY Heady Conduct present MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Co-directed by Simon Rodda and Rebecca Rogers. Performances at 7.30pm (Sunday matinees at 3pm only). No Monday performances. ‘Life...is a paradise, to what we fear of death.’ Tickets £12, £10 concessions.

CITY CRUISESPassengers will be treated to spontaneous performances of Shakespeare plays on the Thames Circular Cruise throughout April. The sightseeing cruises, departing from Bankside next to the Globe, will be filled with sonnets and scenes, including a montage of Shakespeare’s insults. The performers will demonstrate how regularly we use Shakespearean language in our lives. The 50 MINUTE SHAKESPEARE CRUISE will feature on five daily departures from Bankside Pier, and will run from 11.15AM - 4.15PM (excluding 2.15pm).

THE GEORGE INNFOR ALL TIME22 APRIL - 1 MAY / 8PM Matinee on the 23 APRIL / 2PM,Southwark Playhouse. Fletcher Productions, Fletcher in Rye CIC and The Rye Arts Festival present FOR ALL TIME by Rick Thomas. It is 1613. Two men meet in a room above a Southwark pub to complete the play they are writing together. The two men are William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. FOR ALL TIME asks questions about Shakespeare’s life, Fletcher’s domestic arrangements and which is the best pub in London - staged above a pub Shakespeare would have known. Price £15, £30 meal deal.

CELEBRATING SHAKESPEARE’S STORY IN BANKSIDE

FROM BOROUGH TO BLACKFRIARS BREAD AHEAD in Borough

Market will be serving Honey and Mead doughnuts as the order of the day, filling their famous decadent doughnuts with an Elizabethan twist. On SUNDAY 24 APRIL they will run two half day workshops - ‘The Bread Ahead Ye Olde Introduction to English Baking’ - learn how to make Lardy Cake, a classic white tin and Manchet, a delight popular in 16th century Britain. Tickets £80. Pre-book.

SHAKESPEARE’S BANKSIDE – A WALK WITH JOHN CONSTABLE WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL / 7 - 8.30PMSUNDAY 8 MAY/ 2 - 3.30PMJoin local playwright and performer, John Constable, on this free walk and discover the sites of famous playhouses - set among bear-pits and brothels. Constable’s popular Bankside walks reveal the human face of The Bard: where he (allegedly) attacked a man, where his brother was buried, and where he and his fellow actors lived, worked and partied. Walks start at Shakespeare’s Globe and finish at The George Inn. Duration: 90 minutes. Register online.

SHAKESPEARE IN LONDON LONDON WALKSSATURDAY 23 APRIL / 10.45AMSUNDAY 24 APRIL / 2.30PMLondon Walks will host two Shakespeare in London tours, meeting in London Bridge tube, Duke Street Hill exit, street level. £10 adults, £8 concessions. There is no need to pre-book, just pay the guide in cash at the meeting point. Duration: 2 hours.

Gordon Ramsay’s UNION STREET CAFÉ invites you to experience a special menu of authentic dishes from Venice, Verona and Vicenza: the exotic corner of Northern Italy imagined in The Merchant of Venice, Two Gentleman of Verona, and Romeo and Juliet. Enjoy a feast of baccala, bigoli pasta and Venetian fried cream from 23 APRIL to 22 MAY. The four-course dinner menu, including a Romeo and Juliet cocktail on arrival, is £40 per person, or £55 with matching wines.

From 23 APRIL to 22 MAYTHE REFINERY BANKSIDE will offer ‘The Tempest’, a cocktail combining fresh figs and plum with port, maple syrup and Courvoisier – inspired by the fairy-tale gardens referenced in Shakespeare’s plays.

THE GEORGE Stop for a drink in London’s last remaining galleried inn in London. The George stands on the site of an inn built around 1542 so it is thought Shakespeare would have enjoyed a drink here himself.

British restaurant ROAST will offer a special menu from 18 - 23 APRIL with typical dishes of the era, along with special cocktails.

Following an extensive refurbishment, and to coincide with Shakespeare’s anniversary, SWAN, SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE has re-opened its doors with a vibrant new menu. Diners can experience A Midsummer Night’s Dream themed afternoon tea from 23 APRIL.

The new HILTON LONDON BANKSIDE will offer an honorary cocktail menu in The Distillery bar, with cocktails named after famous lines from the plays.

SHAKESPEARE’S SOUTHWARK WALK SOUTHWARK CATHEDRALFRIDAY 22 APRIL /11AMCheck online for other dates from April - June. Starting at the Cathedral, join this informative and revealing tour of Bankside and the Southwark Church he knew so well. £7 per person, 90 minutes (approx.) Tickets can be bought from the Cathedral Shop or go to visitbankside.com/Shakespeare400.

HISTORIC BANKSIDE WALK SOUTHWARK CATHEDRALFRIDAY 29 APRIL /11AMStarting at the Cathedral, uncover the rich and colourful history of Bankside. This walk recounts a time when bishops, bards, and prostitutes lived and worked alongside each other. £7 per person, 90 minutes (approx.) Tickets can be bought from the Cathedral Shop or go to visitbankside.com/Shakespeare400.

@visitbanksidevisitbankside.com

Calligraphy by Paul Antonio Scribe, using the script ‘Bastard Secretary’ used during Shakespeare’s lifetime

FOR FULL DETAILS AND BOOKING LINKS:

visitbankside.com/shakespeare400