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September 5, 2008
Planners for the London 2012 Olympics are launching a four-year program designed to showcase the UK’s arts and culture to the rest of the world in the run up to the games. The program will culminate in a celebration of British creativity in the summer of 2012.
Jude Kelly, Chair of Culture, Ceremonies and Education for the Olympics, unveiled a series of 10 major cultural projects on Thursday meant to highlight the country’s internationalism and diversity. The projects include a World Shakespeare Festival, which will be hosted by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The festival will celebrate Shakespeare as an international figure and the British as an international people centering on exchange and collaboration. Festival events will be held in London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Newcastle upon Tyne. According to Kelly, the festival will start on 23 April 2012, Shakespeare’s 448th birthday.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), described the plans as being, “At an advanced yet flexible stage of planning.”
Michael Boyd, Artistic Director for Royal Shakespeare Company said,”‘We are very lucky to have been given this major opportunity. A challenge that faced us after The Complete Works Festival 2006/07, was how to build on the excitement and relationships established during that very successful year. The World Shakespeare Festival gives us the chance to harness the legacy of what we achieved and go much deeper in our search for better and fresher ways of sharing Shakespeare’s stories with the world.” Read Boyd’s complete statement.
Web Resources:
The Guardian - Physical culture: 2012 organisers pledge to marry the arts with sport
