This campaign - Keeping Shakespeare Alive, Not Dead

We're deliberately launching our campaign on April 23rd to help celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday - but not Shakespeare's Deathday (which traditionally also falls on the same day).

Our work, as you will see below, is all about keeping Shakespeare alive - not dead!

Our Book - AlternativeShakespeare: Keeping Shakespeare Alive, Not Dead   

So many people who have loved what we do have asked us when we will be publishing a book that tells our story. 

These are the ideas behind the book:

• a totally new, alternative, approach is needed if we are to keep Shakespeare truly alive; it will not take long for the relevance of his work as he wrote it to considerably diminish. 
• our deep-held contention that to carry on just performing Shakespeare in the same form it was written is to do a great disservice to his work.
• just performing the original plays by continuing to set them in different times/places, twisting the material to fit our contemporary issues and themes, and 'messing around' with his words generally, has the effect of mummifying them as museum pieces.
• when we use Shakespeare to create AlternativeShakespeare, we realise there is so much in what he created that has been ignored over the last 400 years.
• just as important as keeping his works alive is to keep alive the processes that brought them into existence in the first place.
• examples of our plays and the work we do will be included, to support our contentions and to give readers a base of knowledge and truth.
• the book will hopefully inspire others to take on board our experiences to create their own works based on Shakespeare.
• ultimately our work is about helping everyone to have direct access to Shakespeare's legacy - Teachers, Academics, and Theatre Practitioners all have their value, but we believe it's so much better if we can all connect with his words without having to necessarily go through 3rd parties.
• above all, the book aims to be a battle cry for existing and future Theatre makers, researchers, funders, and lovers of Shakespeare to shift their minds to other ways of approaching Shakespeare.

Because you share the same value systems as ourselves... 

• You want to support Shakespeare & Theatre that is alternative and bold but which nevertheless works within the classical tradition
• You believe in the incredible healing power Shakespeare & Theatre has to offer us all.
• You want to understand why things are as they are, and whether there can be alternatives . . . 

You think the time is right to fully realise an AlternativeShakespeare... 

• You want to be part of our continuing journey to re-energise Shakespeare's works so their energy can be harnessed and then released  
• You see Shakespeare is a living tradition for current and future generations, but you also want something right here and now 
• You're drawn to all the good things Shakspeare gave us but also want something new and different.

You want to support us on our journey of discovery...

• You think the quality and vision of our work deserve to be supported 
• You like what we're doing and want to help spread the word 
• You want to be a key part of what we do.

Being part of this

Simply by donating you can make this happen - any size donation is gratefully received. We are also offering Rewards to people who pledge donations of £20 or more.

And remember this project is not just about helping to create a new way of approaching Theatre & Shakespeare - they are a key cornerstone of understanding ourselves as human beings. 

Revitalising his work has tremendous knock-ons to Humanities subjects such as Psychology, Philosophy. History, Language arts (literature, writing, oratory, rhetoric, poetry, etc.), Performing arts (theatre, music, dance, etc.), and visual arts.

The target we have set is relatively modest, designed just to cover the direct costs associated with initially getting the book out there, editor services, fees, social media advertising campaign etc. 

We've been doing this work for over 20 years and intend to carry on doing it for years to come - any extra donations will be set aside to cover future the costs of promoting more of our work, so please do consider giving as generously as you can. 

Together we can keep Shakespeare's legacy a truly living legacy!!

Website

To find out more about our work, please click Alternative Shakespeare

Awards

Winner of the Birmingham Fest "Best Adaptation" Award 2021

Nominated for the GM Fringe Best Adaptation Award 2018

Nominated for the GM Fringe Best Spoken Word Award 2018

Winner of the Edinburgh Fringe Hairline Highlight Award 2005

Nominated for Buxton Fringe Best New Writing 2005 

Winner of the Birmingham Fest "Best Adaptation" Award for 2018

Our Work to date

It all started in 2003, with our very first play, Time After Time - A Night in the Life of William Shakespeare, when characters from his life and his works come to haunt his mind. 

This play, and the enormous support that came out of it, spawned the creation and performance of 12 AlternativeShakespeare plays, using selected Shakespeare plays words, themes, and characters to bring them back to life, giving them a whole new meaning for today's audiences. 

As a small independent and unfunded Research & Theatre Company, we have performed our AlternativeShakespeare plays in over 20 venues in towns and cities throughout the UK.  

Here & Now

2023 sees us still carrying on that work but now mainly in the world of Digital, finding new ways to reach audiences, and developing new Micro AlternativeShakespeare pieces that better help our aim of Keeping Shakespeare's Legacy well and truly Alive.

We will also be launching a new Podcast series where we will show listeners what we do and give insights into the processes we have developed. The Podcasts will also feature on our soon-to-be revamped YouTube channel.

King Lear (alone)

"I thoroughly enjoyed King Lear (alone). It’s a great play, made even better by Young’s strong work in bringing this version of Lear to life. Like all good literary reimaginings, it has made me reconsider the original and has changed the way I look at King Lear. I would highly recommend it."

"This was a thoroughly satisfying and thought-provoking reworking of a familiar play."

"While condensing a three-hour tragedy with 27 characters into an hour-long one-man show may seem to be an impossibility, Writer-Director Frank Bramwell and performer Bob Young prove themselves to be more than up to the task with this enlightening take on Shakespeare’s classic. "

"A magnificent, strong piece of high art theatre playing nicely with Shakespeare’s King Lear."

Cordelia/Fool

“A very well ‘engineered’ approach to incorporating a critique of King Lear. Very intelligently conceived, very naturally and professionally delivered.”

Tempest fugit: Prospero’s Will

". . . when it comes to Shakespeare "re-written" I get very sceptical. But I was proven wrong as inamoment theatre pulled out all the stops and the audience was treated to a delicious journey through Prospero's messed-up mind."

Macbeth Killing Time

“Frank Bramwell's play, however, is that very rare bird, a genuinely unusual take on the play, which remains true to the spirit (and the words) of the original whilst making us question our assumptions about it.”

Romeo & Juliet For All Time

“R and J For All Time is an intriguing work created around a simple conceit (simple conceits are the best.)”

“It’s very rare for our staff to be so united in their glowing praise of a Fringe Show – but all those who saw it were stunned, and everyone unable to make it this time was very disappointed to have missed out.”

“James, the venue manager,  … genuinely rated your show among the top six Fringe shows he has seen in his decade working at the Festival.”

Website

To find out more about our work, please click Alternative Shakespeare

Keeping Shakespeare Alive, Not Dead!!