William Shakespeare 400th anniversary: Stratfords of the world unite for global celebrations
Stratfords of the World will be sending 140 delegates to Stratford-upon-Avon's annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations
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Your support makes all the difference.Stratfords across the globe are uniting in celebration of one iconic anniversary: the 400th year since the death of William Shakespeare.
Stratfords of the World was established in the 1980s as a joint venture between respective towns in Connecticut, USA and Ontario, Canada; further opening its invitation to the Bard's own birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. Stratfords in New Zealand, Prince Edward Island in Canada, and Victoria, Australia have since joined the group.
Essentially a creative exchange, with bands and theatre groups travelling between locations; Stratfords of the World is hosting something particularly unique for Shakespeare's 400th anniversary (via Stratford Observer). Delegates from each town, numbering 140 in total, will be travelling to Stratford-upon-Avon for the annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations which take place there.
Furthermore, each town will be hosting specific local events. Connecticut's Stratford will issue a proclamation in Shakespeare's honour on 23 April, with playwriting group the Square Wrights performing one act plays with a Shakespearean theme throughout the month; in Ontario, the town is hosting its own annual Shakespeare-inspired festival, with young people encourage to compose their own version of Orlando's love poem to Rosalind in As You Like It.
Prince Edward Island's Stratford will host a special display of Shakespeare's works in its library, with Victoria's town hosting its annual Shakespeare festival which includes a masquerade ball themed around Verona and Venice of the 1500s. New Zealand's Stratford, located on the North Island, features 65 streets named after Shakespearean characters; with its glockenspiel clock tower playing the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet three times a day.
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