More Details - David Tennant Hosts A Celebration Of Shakespeare On BBC Two in April 2016.



The BBC has released more details on the live broadcast that David Tennant will host from the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in 2016.

The Royal Shakespeare Company joins forces with BBC TV to host the special celebration of Shakespeare’s work and his legacy, broadcast live from the town where Shakespeare was born, lived and died. The event will be screened live on BBC Two on Saturday, 23 April 2016 to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

David Tennant hosts a variety bill inspired by Shakespeare and performed by major international talent, that will celebrate Shakespeare's enduring influence on all the performing art forms from opera to jazz, from ballet to musicals. The evening is being directed by Gregory Doran and produced for television by John Wyver, the Director of RSC Screen Productions.

Tony Hall, Director-General BBC, says: "Our ambition is to get more people excited about Shakespeare than ever before – through drama, great performance, documentary; festivals and social media too. We’re partnering with talent right across the country and delighted to be working with the RSC. 2016 is going to be the biggest celebration of Shakespeare we’ve ever put on - for everyone."

RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran says: “Shakespeare gives us a 360 degree view of what it is to be human and has inspired creativity across every art form. This live event is the highlight of what will be an extraordinary year for Shakespeare fans, and gives us a chance to celebrate just how far his genius has travelled, influencing artists down the centuries and across the world. We are delighted to join in partnership with the BBC on this and other Shakespeare projects, including collaborations on our extensive archive holdings and our national tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Play For The Nation, with 13 theatre partners, amateur companies from every nation and region of the UK playing Bottom and his friends, and local children playing Titania's fairy train.”

Kim Shillinglaw, Controller BBC Two and BBC Four, says: "BBC Two is playing a central role in the BBC's Shakespeare celebrations next year and I'm delighted we will be showing this very special piece which typifies the new ambition and scale we are bringing to arts programming on the channel."

Further details about the special and the rest of the BBC’s 2016 Shakespeare programming will be announced later this year.

The RSC's artistic programme for 2016 will be announced in detail in September 2015 - see what's been announced so far here.

Earlier today it was confirmed that David Tennant will be taking his award winning performance of Richard II to New York as the four King and Country history plays head across the Atlantic to be performed as a cycle at the Brooklyn Academy of Music from March 2016. Read more here




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