Leeds Shakespeare Festival 2010
Apologies – I understood that this event was taking place in July/August from the information provided by Visit Leeds, but I understand from the tour company that they will not be playing at Kirkstall Abbey this year. If the event takes place in the future we will update this post.
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26 Responses to “Leeds Shakespeare Festival 2010”
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Having difficulty in seeing dates etc. your links take me to 2009 events
@ Austen
They do not appear to have updated their website yet, which is a little strange. I checked the information on the Visit Leeds website and the event does seem to be going ahead. I suspect they will update their site later this month.
I had this link passed onto me. I thought I should inform you that am not producing the Leeds Shakespeare Festival or Comedy in the Park in 2010. I would like to thank everyone that came to see our shows over the years at Kirkstall Abbey.
Robert J. Williamson
@ Robert
Thank you for updating me. The Visit Leeds website said that the event is taking place in 2010.
So apologies to those of you searching for the Leeds Shakespeare Festival. I will update this event post.
thats a shame. we really enjoyed the events last year. thanks for finding out.
I cannot say how sorry and disgusted I am that Leeds City Council have ceased to continue the Shakespears Festival with Robeert Williamson’s Company. What a loss! It was such a wonderful occasion enjoyed by so many Leeds folk including many children. Our council is supposed to be keen on the arts but while other places across the country are now producing Shakespears plays outside in the summer Leeds has stopped it.
Why?
@ Gill
I am not sure the reasons behind the cancellation of the Shakespeare festival this year. How do you know that it is LCC that have cancelled it? I do know from publishing this post that many people are searching for the festival on Google etc, so it’s obviously a popular event. I will try and get someone from Visit Leeds to confirm why the event was cancelled. I agree though, that is a shame that Leeds won’t be honesting this event this year.
A real shame there will be no Leeds Shakespeare Festival this year (2010). We really enjoyed the one last year; a young, vigorous company giving it their all and really making the language come alive (and in weather (at least when we went – in August) which was nothing like the glorious sunshine we are currently experiencing! Please come back in 2011!!!
The BSC’s main website hasn’t been updated since about February and their other site about their planned reconstruction of the Rose Theatre in the north of England looks similarly dormant. Have they gone out of business?
Certainly RJW’s comments above imply that the Leeds Shakespeare festival has been cancelled not just this year, but for good.
Just seen this on RJW’s facebook page:
“I am working on a documentary and not touring this year. I think Shakespeare is now in my past.”
Thanks for the kind comments. I just wanted to make it clear that the council has not cancelled the Shakespeare Festival but it is well known that the Conservative Party were against the event continuing and tried to stop us selling tickets at Leeds theatres and increased the hire rate at the Abbey to such a degree that the event was no longer viable.
Contrary to what some people believe the BSC and event have never been funded but I pay for the entire season myself and in the last ten years I have put 1.5 million into the Leeds Shakespeare Festival alone. I got married last month and plan to start a family and I can no longer justify funding the arts to this degree and all efforts to obtain funding have failed.
Labour are now back in power and wish for the event to continue but in the current finacial crises they can not financially support the event. I am hesitent to mention the politics involved in this matter but I do not wish for the Labour Party to be blamed for the closure of the festival. I also have no idea why the Conservatives did not want the Shakespeare Festival as they never explained this to me. If the arts council funded us or a sponsor was found we would continue but I am not holding my breath. I of course think the festival is incredibly important to the city but at present I am seeking other work to support my family.
What a terrible shame the event’s not happening this year or for the foreseeable future by the sound!
I’ve enjoyed these events so much over the past few years with family and friends and even inspired young ones to come and enjoy Shakespeare.
We’ll really miss being able to attend these open air events but wish every luck to RJW in his future plans.
I can only echo all the comments above. I have so enjoyed these productions at the Abbey over the years, even when it rained. I really do hope that someone somewhere will come up with the required funding to restore this wonderful festival.
thanks for the update, i was wondering what had happened to it. such a shame becuase it was always a really good event. Something different to do
The Festival must bring money into Leeds (visitors, tourists) as well as incurring costs/expenditure? Should the Leeds Tourism Office be approached to try and support a case for re-launching the Festival in 2011?
A company called Theatre of the Dales are performing the Merchant of Venice at Kirkstall Abbey, 21st-23rd July.
@ Mark
Thanks, I will update this post.
I agree with Charles. The amount of garbage LCC spends its money on is scandalous. Anyone up for starting a pressure group?
Really sad that the festival is not happening this year. Over the last few years we have had some lovely evenings watching the comedies.
We took some American friends one year and they loved it. Would be great if some brave company tried to start it up again. There’s loads of demand.
Very sad to hear that there will not be a Shakespeare play at Kirkstall this year. We have always enjoyed them in the past and were looking forward to taking our young son to this year’s event. So sad!
What a shame! I introduced my young son to Shakespeare at Kirkstall Abbey last year and he loved it. There is nothing comparable within easy reach, and the range of plays and dates offered made it a really accessible event, not to mention the fantastic location. I’ve been many times, in thunder and rain, and occasionally in sunshine. Please, please LCC put some funding in place for something which really is worthwhile.
Given the nature of the many responses to date lamenting the lack of a Leeds Shakespeare Festival this year (and possibly ever again?) surely there is an argument for ‘getting formal’ and petitioning Leeds Councillors, MPs and other worthies to get it going again for 2011 (and beyond)? The funding should be fairly minimal with the Kirkstall Abbey venue and, even if we cannot get a professional troupe with BSC back, there must be an absolute wealth of acting talent at the two universities, sixth form/FE colleges, schools etc. in Leeds to think of picking up the baton? (In fact, why not have a ‘Battle of the Bards’ and get three groups to mount three different productions of three different plays to attract a wider audience/get some headlines?)
Very disappointed that there will be no BSC productions at Kirkstall in 2010.
There IS Shakespeare at Kirkstall Abbey this year, as one comment has already made clear. I’m an actor with Theatre of the Dales, a Leeds-based company which has been touring outdoor Shakespeare to Yorkshire venues for the past 5 years. Now, due to the absence of the BSC festival, we are giving three performances of The Merchant of Venice at Kirkstall Abbey. Unfortunately, there is only one left: tonight, Friday 23rd July at 7pm. Glorious weather likely! Tickets only £12 (£8 concs) on the gate. BRING YOUR OWN SEATING. If you can’t make it, we are performing at Jervaulx Abbey tomorrow at 7pm, at Sledmere House on Sunday at 7pm, and our final performance will be at Knaresborough Castle on Wednesday 28th July at 7.30pm. See our website for more details: http://www.theatreofthedales.co.uk.
We hope to perform at Kirkstall Abbey again next year, with more performances, and thereby keep the tradition of Shakespeare in Leeds alive!
I feel incredibly sad there is to be no Leeds Shakespeare Festival this year,and maybe never again.My involvement with this wonderful event goes back to the very first one in 1994, and even before that. In 1988, a young Robert Williamson(aged 17 or 18 I think)produced and starred in Peter Shaffer’s Equus at Leeds Civic Theatre. It was immediately evident that Rob had a rare talent, an insight and a creative imagination, combined with a single minded determination to make his mark in theatre. The rest as they say is history.
RJW’s Leeds Shakespeare Festivals have been one of the city’s greatest artistic success stories – and not only Leeds. RJW’s Shakespeare Festivals became much-loved events in many other English Cities. Since 2003,in my role as critic, I have reviewed the productions at Kirkstall Abbey and all of them have been excellent. Accessibility, immense physical energy, an attractive young cast and well-nigh faultless projection of the text have been the dominant qualities of RJW’s productions.
All this combined, of course, with the magical setting of Kirkstall Abbey Cloisters on a Summer evening. Not that the weather was always perfect, far from it. I don’t recall snow (!) but the company has had to contend with just about everything else the fickle English climate could throw at it – thunder, lightening, flood and tempest, storm force winds etc etc.
It is to be hoped that a more sympathetic Labour administration controlling the City Council seeks to revive the Leeds Shakespeare Festival for 2011 and works with RJW to secure its future in the longer term. Meanwhile,Rob,it sound as though you and your delightful new wife might be busy with a very different sort of production – the love and challenge of starting a family. Good wishes and be happy!!
My wife and I are deeply saddened by the loss of RJW’s festival in Leeds. We attended the plays during the past seven years or so and loved every performance.Summer will not be the same for us without the magic of Shakespeare at Kirkstall.
Thank you Robert for many memorable evenings. Good luck.