March 4th, 2016
The British High Commission in Botswana, the British Council, Maru-a-Pula School and Maitisong are pleased to announce the date and time of the last in a series of free public film screenings at Maitisong between December and March as part of the Shakespeare o a Tshela project. The film of ‘Twelfth Night’, a Shakespeare’s Globe production, will be shown for free at Maitisong at 2pm on Saturday, March 12th. The production, which stars 2016 Academy Award winner Mark Rylance, was described as “how Shakespeare is meant to be done” by the New York Times.
The UK’s Daily Telegraph said the production is “lifted to greatness by Rylance’s glorious star performance.” ‘Twelfth Night’ tells the comic tale of mistaken identity in a hilarious love triangle, and can be regarded as one of the first, and most sublime, examples of situation comedy written in the English language. Shakespeare o a Tshela Project Director Alastair Hagger said : “We are delighted to be able to finish our free film screening season with one of the most celebrated Shakespeare productions of recent years, featuring the greatest theatre actor of his generation, Mark Rylance. As ‘Twelfth Night’ is the government school text this year in Botswana, the screening also gives students a unique opportunity to see the play they are studying performed at the highest level. ”Shakespeare o a Tshela is part of a global programme of activities, Shakespeare Lives, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death through performance, workshops, education and digital arts.
Shakespeare o a Tshela aims to expose new audiences in Botswana to Shakespeare’s work and provide educators with new tools with which to teach it. It also seeks to strengthen the understanding of Shakespeare in schools and how his work can be used to promote literacy and reading, as well as to share British methodologies, knowledge and expertise in the teaching of creative disciplines in Botswana. Shakespeare Lives is also part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain Campaign, which aims to promote the UK internationally as a GREAT place to visit, study and do business. Shakespeare o a Tshela began in October with a film festival for a total of 1,300 private and government school students at New Capitol Cinemas, Gaborone.
The project continues through to April 2016 with free public screenings of Shakespeare films (Muse of Fire, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and Julius Caesar) at Maitisong; actor and theatre practitioner student and teacher workshop visits from the UK (including Shakespeare’s Globe) and South Africa (ShakeXperience) to Botswana; an ongoing digital content production and showcasing programme in association with AFDA and Gabz FM; project activity podcasts; free Skype lectures delivered to Batswana students by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust; a free outdoor Shakespeare film screening by New Capitol Cinemas to students in Maun; and a live showcase event of students’ work at the Maitisong Festival in April 2016.
For further information contact Project Director Alastair Hagger at comms@maruapula.org.
#shakespearelives / #shakespeareoatshela
Facebook : UK in Botswana, Maitisong Theatre, Maru-a-Pula School