The Shakespeare Project

The UWALS Shakespeare Project was established in 2017 as an occasional gathering for anyone with an interest in getting to know and enjoy the works of Shakespeare, with a particular emphasis on active explorations of the language of his plays. We have organised a number of workshops on various Shakespearian themes, collaborated with Grassington Town Hall in running screenings of many of his more popular plays, and begun to explore the process of transforming words on a page to stories on a stage.

Of course, just as the plague did for Shakespeare’s own theatre, the pandemic curtailed our activities, but we are now in a position to resume the Shakespeare Project with an exciting new development in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2023. More details below.

If you would like any more information or to register your interest in the Shakespeare Project, please email us on uwalsociety@gmail.com or telephone 01756 770350/770051

A Shakespeare Presentation 

Saturday March 9th, at Kettlewell Village Hall 9.30 am a day’s preparation of a dramatic presentation which explores Shakespeare’s sonnets to be given at 4.30/5ish pm to an audience of family and friends.  Anybody wishing to be involved or part of the audience, please get in touch via email uwalsociety@gmail.com 

UWALS Discover Shakespeare Project

Fourteen Lines

The Upper Wharfedale Arts and Literature Society (UWALS) launched the scheme earlier this year with a day’s workshop led by a member of the Stratford-upon-Avon based RSC’s Voice and Text team (see below).

Now a grant from Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) is enabling the group to develop its work with an exciting project exploring Shakespeare’s sonnets and their links to his plays.

An active exploration of some of Shakespeare’s sonnets & their links to his plays. The Discover Shakespeare project is designed to engage people of all ages (16+) and levels of experience with Shakespeare’s text.  If your previous experiences of The Bard have made you Shakespeare phobic, this day will help you see him anew as well as being thoroughly enjoyable.

A full day’s practical workshop led by Ron Norman in Kettlewell Village Hall, Saturday October 14th 10.00 am to 4.30pm. £5   Teas/coffees etc provided, but please make own lunch arrangements         

Background to The Shakespeare Project
We were very pleased to re-launch our ‘Shakespeare Project’ with a full day’s workshop led by one of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Voice and Text experts, Gary Horner.

The day will offered participants the chance to experience some of the approaches to Shakespeare’s texts employed in the RSC rehearsal rooms.

Discover Shakespeare the RSC Way took place on March 11^th in Kettlewell Village Hall, from 10am – 4.30pm. The event was now fully booked.

But if you have missed out on the unique opportunity don’t worry - the workshop is only the first of a series of workshops and other activities over the coming months under the banner of ‘Discovering Shakespeare’.

The project’s re-launch follows Ron Norman’s participation in the RSC’s ‘Shakespeare Nation’ programme in 2022 which culminated in Ron and his colleagues from Bradford Alhambra rehearsing and performing with the RSC in their production of Henry VI:Rebellion in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon.

Now Ron aims to draw on his experience to extend the reach of the ‘Shakespeare Nation’ to our own neck of the woods. The next stage in the project will be announced on this website and elsewhere in March following the workshop.

If you’d like to register your interest, or just find out more about the project, contact Ron at uwalsociety@gmail.com