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Plans for 2026

This year our programme includes The Tempest and King Lear as well as watching Toby Jones in the truly excellent film “Mr Burton” which tells Richard Burton’s story in a really moving way – very much featuring his relationship with Shakespeare and particularly Henry V.   We shall also be keeping our eyes open for live streamings of Shakespeare plays at the cinema and outdoor live productions at Hall Barn and Wycombe Museum.

Plus: Various other trips to Shakespeare plays “Live at the Cinema” as and when.   Usually at Omniplex.

27 April 2026	Bridle Gate	The Tempest	1hr 46 mins	DVD with Helen Mirren & Tom Conti
25 May 2026	Bridle Gate	King Lear	2hrs 53 mins	DVD with Ian McKellan
6 June 2026	Hall Barn	tbc		Live Production
29 June 2026(5th Monday)	Bridle Gate	Summer Buffet with Shakespeare related film		DVD?
July?	Wycombe Museum?	tbc		Live Performance
27 July 2026	Bridle Gate
24 August 2026	Bridle Gate
28 September 2026	Bridle Gate
26 October 2026	Bridle Gate
23 November 2026	Bridle Gate	Christmas Buffet with Upstart Crow		DVD
9 December 2026	Naphill Village Hall	Christmas Coffee Morning		Hope you can come alon

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2025

Last year some highlights include watching Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando, The Merchant of Venice with Laurence Olivier and revisiting one of our all time favourites, Kenneth Brannagh’s Much Ado About Nothing – all thoroughly enjoyed.   We went to Hall Barn for an excellent production of The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare and Fourways – 10 out of 10 for a wonderful set!  For once we were able to have our summer buffet in the garden and watched great performances by Kennth Brannagh and Judy Dench in All Is True – a film set in Stratford Upon Avon after the death of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet.   Very moving.

July 2025
What a performance!! Enjoying Shakespeare went along to Wycombe Museum for Unbound Storytelling's production of As You Like it, expecting a standard treatment of an old favourite. Instead we found ourselves in fits of laughter as the wonderful team of actors gave us the equivalent of "The Play that Goes Wrong". An evident miscommunication resulted in many of the cast unsure which play they were in (Julius Caesar? Macbeth? Hamlet?). Mayhem ensued as people had to play two parts, or two people were playing the same part. The two dukes were played by the same actor in a black cloak for the baddie (boo!) and a brown one for the goodie (hooray). Trouble was, she never knew which one she was meant to be. Shared costumes, wigs, cast dressed as trees! However daft it was we got it and we loved every minute. Will be looking out for more of their productions. PS - The actual play of As You Like It did appear out of the chaos!!

The Group was completely taken aback at how excellent Lawrence Olivier’s version of Henry V was.    We were expecting a rather creaking black and white film but instead were blown away by the colour, great music, fascinating sets and most of all, amazing acting.    Just shows that the old ones are the good ones!

As a complete contrast we revelled in a Midsummer Night’s Dream with Caslista Flockhart and Michelle Pheiffer.

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2024

We began with a real treat in January, when we watched the first episode of ‘Shakespeare: The Rise of a Genius’ which tells the dramatised story of Shakespeare's life and was part of the recent BBC Shakespeare season. It was narrated by a number of renowned Shakespearian actors including Judi Dench who bitterly regrets not having been able to meet Shakespeare! We have now finished the series and learnt a lot! We have now moved on to Twelfth Night starring Mark Rylance as Olivia!

In June a group of us from Enjoying Shakespeare went for our regular outing to the Fourways, Chiltern Shakespeare summer production at Hall Barn. This year we watched A Comedy of Errors performed by an excellent cast in a beautifully created set. One of the cast had stood in as Luciana (a major part) at 17 minutes notice and did a great job despite reading from a script! The weather cooperated and we were able to enjoy a picnic in the grounds before the performance.

In August we met to rewatch one of our favourite plays - the Kenneth Branagh production of Henry V. The music alone makes this a memorable watch, complimenting the action perfectly. The scene where the French Princess Katherine is taught some English by her nurse is one of Shakespeare’s funniest, contrasting with the horror of the battle scenes at Agincourt.

In September at long last the Enjoying Shakespeare Group has been able to return to the cinema to watch an excellent production of Othello from the Sam Wannamaker Theatre which is attached to London's Globe Theatre. The small theatre only holds 350 and is entirely lit by candlelight which creates and amazing atmosphere.

In November all the colours of autumn were there when the 3Ps and Enjoying Shakespeare Groups spent a happy time sailing along the canal on Sheldrake 3 from Nash Mills Wharf at Kings Langley. Five locks out and five locks back meant that progress was very gentle, giving us plenty of time for readings from both groups, not to mention enjoying all the refreshments which everyone brought along. Thanks to Mary for arranging the trip.

The Enjoying Shakespeare Group got Christmas underway (a little early) when they got together for their Christmas Buffet this week. After a good lunch they settled down to watch Stage Beauty, a film about what happened when the tradition of men playing all the women's parts on the stage in the middle of the seventeenth century was reversed so that only women could play them. This hit actors like Ned Kynaston hard as he had never in his career played male characters. Full of humour and pathos, the film followed the career of his female dresser as she became a famous actress and her romance with Ned as he came to terms with the idea of "being a man" excelling in the role of Othello!

On 11th December at the Christmas Coffee Morning, Naphill village hall, we took part in a quiz as part of the wonderful entertainment.