The British Shakespeare Company website has been on my favourite’s list for months as I waited for tickets to be released for the Leeds Shakespeare Festival. I went in 2006 to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Wayne Sleep, Mina Anwar and Sean Brosnan – it was fantastic – a beautiful setting, lovely evening and playful performance.
This year I wanted to take my boyfriend to see it so I kept checking back for tickets. It seems however there’s been a problem with Leeds City Council refusing funding. They also cite ‘health and safety’ and ’security’ concerns as further reasons why the performance can’t go ahead…because 13 successful years aren’t enough proof it’s a good idea.
I think Leeds City Council have made a weak decision – they’ve stopped a performance that hundreds of people enjoy rather than reaching into their pockets. To blame ‘health and safety’ is simply ridiculous.
You can find the Shakespeare Company’s own update here.
Thank you very much for your kind comments about my production and your support for the Leeds Shakespeare Festival. We are about to open “Dream” at Arundel Castle for the Duke an Duchess of Norfolk and the Arundel Festival and we are very happy with our brand new production. We do hope to return in 2009 and this will be decided on the 2nd of September 2008.
Kindest Regards
Robert J. Williamson
Artistic Director
British Shakespeare Company
Check out the BSC website in the next couple of days! ; )
Ooh ooh is it really on? Save me a ticket!!
Tickets for 2009 shows should be on sale by the end of this week: http://www.britishshakespearecompany.com/leeds.html
[...] Leeds Shakespeare Festival has been an ongoing theme on this blog ever since it ran into some health and safety/funding issues last year and never took [...]
Have you been yet? I have created a gallery of photos from last week’s show: http://www.britishshakespearecompany.com/2009gallery_leeds/index.html