Friday afternoon and evening . We will leave the hotel at 4.00 pm for a guided tour of the town led by Helen and John Hogg. They will help us to unravel the Shakespeare story and take us to see the family’s town houses, the Grammar School where he was educated and Holy Trinity Church where he is buried. Our walk will end up outside the Shakespeare Centre where we will attend a reception hosted by Dr Roger Pringle, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Our connection with the Centre is through Hon Eugene R Black, President of the World Bank from 1949 to 1963. The Queen was due to officially open the Shakespeare Centre on St George’s day, 1964, to mark the 400 th anniversary of the bard’s birth. However, she was expecting her fourth child at the time (Prince Edward) and had to cancel all public engagements. Although Prince Philip was asked to take her place, he suggested that the Centre should be opened by a recognised international figure to emphasise the global significance of Shakespeare and Eugene Black was selected to fulfil that role. During the reception, we will hear about the origins and work of the Birthplace Trust and will enjoy a guided walk around Shakespeare’s birthplace next door. We return to the hotel at about 7.30 pm and will dine in the Riverside Restaurant at 8.00 pm.
Saturday . At 10.00 am, we will walk to the Stratford Butterfly Farm which is about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. It is an amazing place that breeds butterflies, runs an import/export business and supplies many of the other butterfly farms in the UK. We will be given a guided tour through an exotic rainforest, a lush landscape of tropical blossoms surrounded by splashing waterfalls and fish-filled ponds. We will also visit the poisonous spider and scorpion unit, and the insect and snake collection. At 11.00 am we will walk across to the Courtyard Theatre where, from 11.15 to 12.15, we will be given a tour of this temporary, 1,000 seat theatre, which is being used while the main house and Swan theatre are refurbished. Lunch will be by own arrangement – there are numerous eating and drinking places in Sheep Street and High Street. At 13.30 we return to the Courtyard Theatre for a matinee performance of ??.
Pre dinner drinks will be in the Riverside bar, followed by our formal 3-course set dinner in the adjacent Garden Suite at 8.00 pm. We will be joined at the dinner by Mrs Vikki Heywood, Managing Director of the Royal Shakespeare Co. and her husband Clive. She saw the Royal Court Theatre through its refurbishment and is currently on the board of the Young Vic and the Lyric Theatre. She will be talking about the £100 million project to refurbish Stratford’s theatres and turn them into venues fit to celebrate Shakespeare in the 21 st Century.
Sunday . The Board meeting will be held in the Garden Suite at 9.00 am, followed by the Annual Meeting in the same room at 11.00 am. A traditional roast Sunday lunch will follow in the Riverside Restaurant. Members will be responsible for buying their own drinks. |
