The Women who made Shakespeare
Rachael North, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT)
Monday 18 March, after AGM, which starts at 6pm - White Swan
Rachael North is Director of Museum and Public Programmes for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Her team encompasses the core of the Trust's museum work from opening the Shakespeare family homes, to delivering the award-winning learning and cultural offer, caring for the Trust's nationally significant collections, and running the commercial operations.
Prompted by the 400th anniversary of the death of Anne Shakespeare, the SBT is embarking on an ambitious project to explore the stories of the women who both influenced Shakespeare during his lifetime and contributed to his legacy. The aim is to uncover and celebrate authentic voices to reveal new perspectives on the Shakespeare story.
Prompted by the 400th anniversary of the death of Anne Shakespeare, the SBT is embarking on an ambitious project to explore the stories of the women who both influenced Shakespeare during his lifetime and contributed to his legacy. The aim is to uncover and celebrate authentic voices to reveal new perspectives on the Shakespeare story.
Report on the talk
Rachael presented the SBT’s programme for this year, and for Shakespeare Week. Visitor numbers are rising after the pandemic, especially from this region, but also from abroad. Engaging with people, especially children, is the primary aim of the programme. It was launched on 10 February 2024 at the SBT, and all three sites will be involved from 24 March 2024 during Warwickshire school holidays. These are the main themes:
- Object handling – this is especially good for families including SEND, disabled (especially visually impaired) children and EAL
- In outdoor spaces there will be Explorer Backpacks, ‘Creative Explorers’ at New Place and ‘Nature Explorers’ at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, from 25 May to 26 June 2024
- Sustainable Shakespeare Day at New Place, 8 June 2024 with an Eco Fair involving over 30 local groups
- A Bat Walk and a Moth Breakfast at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage on 14 May 2024
- Sundays at New Place – local artists from 24 March 2024.
It is the 10th. anniversary of Shakespeare Day, which will be celebrated nationally in primary schools, and has involved over 12 million primary aged children. There were Flash Mobs in towns all over the country on 18 March, in Henley Street here. The Playhouse had an event on Wednesday 20 March.
The Women who made Shakespeare is a 3-year programme. It was inspired by the 400th. anniversary of the death of Ann Hathaway in 2023. The themes are the women in his life, characters in his works and in his legacy.
An exhibition, called Hidden Voices opened in New Place on 16 March 2024. The women featured are Anne Hathaway/Shakespeare, his wife; Mary Arden/Shakespeare, his mother; Susanna Shakespeare/Hall, his daughter; Judith Shakespeare/Quiney, his daughter, and Joan Shakespeare/Hart, his sister.
The exhibition contains artefacts, paintings, and soundscapes. There is the Courting Chair: a painting of a mother and child, a medicine chest, costumes, ordinary caps and coifs: a close fitting cap that fully covered the hair and wills, burial and baptismal documents, showing both signatures and marks. The aim is to bust the myths about women’s roles – that they were not very important – and show them as household managers and business women. There is a tableau including a money chest with coins, a medicine jar, a silver gilt bowl (given to Judith), and bobbins, for example, to show the variety of activities in which women were involved.
The SBT aims to show the broader context for the creator of the plays. The production team came up with the concept of ‘Shakespeare and….’ meaning that Shakespeare connects with anything and everything. Also, Shakespeare is one part of the story of Stratford! The SBT is the hub but not everything that it has to offer. The SBT intends to work more closely with the RSC, and also have “Pop-up” displays by local artists in the town, like in empty shop windows and buildings, and in the Holy Trinity Church, from the summer of 2024 onwards.
The talk was received with enthusiasm, inspiring people to become more involved. There were questions, for example, about the currently closed Shakespeare houses. Mary Arden’s Farm is open as an educational resource to primary school children, and open to others with children at certain times for special events, e.g. at Halloween. Hall’s Croft is also open to researchers and for certain events in the summer, e.g. the Great Big Green Week. It requires a great deal of expensive restoration. A start has been made on the garden, featuring medicinal herbs etc. in which women would have been involved.
The ‘Dark Lady’ was mentioned as missing from the exhibition! Paul Edmondson (Head of Research, SBT) believes that she never existed and is fiction!
The Records Office will soon be moving to Avenue Farm while the Shakespeare Centre is being completely re-assessed and modernised for future use.
Report by Helen Elliott.
The Women who made Shakespeare is a 3-year programme. It was inspired by the 400th. anniversary of the death of Ann Hathaway in 2023. The themes are the women in his life, characters in his works and in his legacy.
- 2024 – women close to him, played by women
- 2025 – characters, e.g., witches and women played by male actors in his time
- 2026 – women who made him famous – actors and actresses, writers, creatives and others like Marie Corelli
An exhibition, called Hidden Voices opened in New Place on 16 March 2024. The women featured are Anne Hathaway/Shakespeare, his wife; Mary Arden/Shakespeare, his mother; Susanna Shakespeare/Hall, his daughter; Judith Shakespeare/Quiney, his daughter, and Joan Shakespeare/Hart, his sister.
The exhibition contains artefacts, paintings, and soundscapes. There is the Courting Chair: a painting of a mother and child, a medicine chest, costumes, ordinary caps and coifs: a close fitting cap that fully covered the hair and wills, burial and baptismal documents, showing both signatures and marks. The aim is to bust the myths about women’s roles – that they were not very important – and show them as household managers and business women. There is a tableau including a money chest with coins, a medicine jar, a silver gilt bowl (given to Judith), and bobbins, for example, to show the variety of activities in which women were involved.
The SBT aims to show the broader context for the creator of the plays. The production team came up with the concept of ‘Shakespeare and….’ meaning that Shakespeare connects with anything and everything. Also, Shakespeare is one part of the story of Stratford! The SBT is the hub but not everything that it has to offer. The SBT intends to work more closely with the RSC, and also have “Pop-up” displays by local artists in the town, like in empty shop windows and buildings, and in the Holy Trinity Church, from the summer of 2024 onwards.
The talk was received with enthusiasm, inspiring people to become more involved. There were questions, for example, about the currently closed Shakespeare houses. Mary Arden’s Farm is open as an educational resource to primary school children, and open to others with children at certain times for special events, e.g. at Halloween. Hall’s Croft is also open to researchers and for certain events in the summer, e.g. the Great Big Green Week. It requires a great deal of expensive restoration. A start has been made on the garden, featuring medicinal herbs etc. in which women would have been involved.
The ‘Dark Lady’ was mentioned as missing from the exhibition! Paul Edmondson (Head of Research, SBT) believes that she never existed and is fiction!
The Records Office will soon be moving to Avenue Farm while the Shakespeare Centre is being completely re-assessed and modernised for future use.
Report by Helen Elliott.
