The first event is presented by the Friends of the Theatre Collection and is entitled Who Wrote Shakespeare? There have been many doubts expressed about the eligibility of the Man from Stratford and various alternative contenders have been named as the rightful author (or possible co-authors) of the plays. A lively debate led by Andrew Hilton, Founder-Director of Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. The event is on Monday 13 October at 5.30pm and admission is free.
The Wickham snaps up Bristol-based company Precarious who come straight from Edinburgh with their new show The Factory. The company is quickly acquiring a national reputation and has recently been chosen as finalists for the 2009 Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award. Also, The Stage chose Artistic Director and choreographer Karla Shacklock as one of the People to Watch at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Their show explores the materialistic nature of contemporary culture in a very physical way. Precarious perform at the Wickham on Saturday 18 October at 7.30pm.
In late October the Wickham is pleased to present a piece written by one of its former students, Dan Rebellato, who has become a successful playwright. The play, Mile End, is performed by Analogue theatre company and has won many awards. It is inspired by the true story of the murder of a man, pushed in front of a train at Mile End station in 2002, by a man with a history of mental illness. Cinematic, explosive, haunting, it was an Edinburgh Fringe First Award winner in 2007. It will be performed on Thursday 30 October at 7.30pm.
In November, a Public Lecture is given by Jackie Stacey, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester. Her lecture The Cinematic Life of the Gene explores the changing relationship between biological and cultural forms at the juncture of science, feminism and the cinema. The Lecture is on Thursday 6 November at 5.30pm. Admission is free.
Completing the autumn season is Liverpool-based Fool’s Proof Theatre, who have a diverse cultural background, and their extensive international training and experience has led to a unique style. The Eagle Has Landed is a show about memory, and the overpowering presence of someone who is not there. What is the imprint that a human life leaves behind and how much of that can be recovered? Fool’s Proof are at the Wickham on Saturday 8 November at 7.30pm.
Box Office 0845 40 24 001 (via St. George’s Bristol).