''The Complete Works'' was a festival set up by the Royal Shakespeare Company, running between April 2006 and March 2007 at Stratford-upon-Avon,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The festival aimed to perform ''all'' of Shakespeare's works, including his sonnets, poems and all 37 plays. The RSC claims that this was their largest project in its history. The performances had several famous

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

s and

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

es, including Ian McKellen,

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...

, Judi Dench, and

Tamsin Greig Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig (; born 12 July 1966) is an English actress, narrator and comedian. She played Fran Katzenjammer in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Black Books'', Dr Caroline Todd in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Green Wing'', Beverly Lincoln in ...

. It also contained performances from other parts of the world, including performances in different languages.

Performances

All of the works are listed in chronological order of their first night of their performance. *'' Romeo and Juliet'' Starring Rupert Evans and

Morven Christie Morven Christie (born 1 September 1981) is a Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Hughes in the BBC drama ''The A Word,'' Amanda Hopkins in the ITV drama ''Grantchester'', and DS Lisa Armstrong in ITV crime series '' The ...

. Directed by Nancy Meckler. *'' Antony and Cleopatra'' Starring

and

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011 ...

. Directed by

Gregory Doran Gregory Doran (born 24 November 1958) is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. ''The Sunday Times'' called him 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'. Doran was artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RS ...

. *'' Othello'' Starring Munich Kammerspiele. Directed by

Luk Perceval Luk or LUK may refer to: Surname Luk or Loke is the Cantonese romanization of several (but not all) Chinese surnames that are romanized as Lu in Mandarin. It may refer to: *Lu (surname 陆) * Lu (surname 禄) *Lu (surname 逯) *Lu (surname 鹿) O ...

*''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' Starring Vanesgran Arumugam. Directed by

Janet Suzman Dame Janet Suzman, (born 9 February 1939) is a South African-born British actress who enjoyed a successful early career in the Royal Shakespeare Company, later replaying many Shakespearean roles, among others, on TV. In her first film, ''Nichol ...

. *''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

'' Starring James Hayes. Directed by Sean Holmes. *''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'' Starring

and Joseph Millson. Directed by Marianne Elliott. *'' The Two Noble Kinsmen'' Directed by William Oldroyd. *'' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' Performed in both English and several Indian languages. Directed by

Tim Supple Timothy Supple (born 24 September 1962) is a British born, award-winning international theatre director. He is the son of the academic Barry Supple. Career Supple has directed and adapted theatre in London and the UK as well as across the world ...

. *''

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

'' In

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

with English surtitles. Directed by

Yukio Ninagawa was a Japanese theatre director, actor and film director, particularly known for his Japanese language productions of Shakespeare plays and Greek tragedies. He directed eight distinct renditions of ''Hamlet.'' Ninagawa was also emeritus of the ...

. *'' Henry IV'' From the

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is a non-profit, professional theater company located at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. Its more than six hundred annual performances performed 48 weeks of the year include its critically acclaimed Shakespeare s ...

's production. Directed by Barbara Gaines. *'' Henry VI'' Starring Chuk Iwuji. Directed Michael Boyd. *'' King John'' Starring

Richard McCabe Richard McCabe (born William McCabe; 18 August 1960) is a Scottish actor who has specialised in classical theatre. He is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Career McCabe is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare ...

. Directed by

Josie Rourke Josie Rourke (born 3 September 1976) is an English theatre and film director. She is a Vice-President of the London Library and was the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre from 2012 to 2019. In 2018, she made her feature film debut ...

. *'' The Tempest'' Starring

. Directed by

Rupert Goold Rupert Goold (born 18 February 1972) is an English director who works primarily in theatre. He is the artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, and was the artistic director of Headlong Theatre Company (2005–2013). Early years Goold was ...

. *'' Love's Labour's Lost'' From the

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the Shakespeare canon, but its seasons include works by other classic playwrights such as Euripides, ...

. Directed Michael Kahn. *'' Henry VIII'' Starring Antony Byrne. Directed by Gregory Thompson. *'' Troilus and Cressida'' Starring Henry Pettigrew and Annabel Scholey. Directed by Peter Stein. *'' The Rape of Lucrece'' Directed by

. *'' Measure For Measure'' Starring

Richard Dormer Richard Dormer (born 11 November 1969) is an actor, playwright and screenwriter from Northern Ireland. He is best known for his roles as Beric Dondarrion in the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' and Dan Anderssen in Sky Atlantic's ...

. Directed by Peter Hall. *''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...

'' Directed by Emma Rice. *''

Timon of Athens ''Timon of Athens'' (''The Life of Tymon of Athens'') is a play written by William Shakespeare and probably also Thomas Middleton in about 1606. It was published in the '' First Folio'' in 1623. Timon lavishes his wealth on parasitic companio ...

'' Directed by Adrian Jackson. *''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some crit ...

'' Directed by Dominic Cooke. *''

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelo ...

'' Starring Lucian Msamati. Directed by Dominic Cooke. *'' The Taming of the Shrew'' Directed by

Edward Hall Edward Hall ( – ) was an English lawyer and historian, best known for his ''The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke''—commonly known as ''Hall's Chronicle''—first published in 1548. He was also sever ...

. *'' The Phoenix and the Turtle'' Read by Michael Wood. *'' As You Like It'' Starring Eve Best. Directed by

Samuel West Samuel Alexander Joseph West (born 19 June 1966) is an English actor, narrator and theatre director. He has directed on stage and radio, and worked as an actor across theatre, film, television and radio. He often appears as reciter with orche ...

. A

Sheffield Theatres Sheffield Theatres is a theatre complex in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It comprises three theatres: the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse. These theatres make up the largest regional theatre complex outside the ...

production. *'' Richard II'' In German with English surtitles. Directed by Claus Peymann. *'' Merry Wives The Musical'' A musical version of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' starring Judi Dench. Directed by

. *'' Richard III'' Starring Jonathan Slinger. Directed by Michael Boyd. *'' Henry V'' Directed by Pippo Delbono. *'' Macbeth'' Parts in Polish. Directed by Grzegorz Bral. *''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same yea ...

'' Starring William Houston. Directed by

. *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' In Russian with English surtitles. Directed by

Declan Donnellan Declan Michael Martin Donnellan (born 4 August 1953) is an English film/stage director and author. He co-founded the Cheek by Jowl theatre company with Nick Ormerod in 1981. In addition to his Cheek by Jowl productions, Donnellan has made theat ...

. *'' Venus and Adonis'' Directed by

. *''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' Starring F. Murray Abraham. Directed by

Cicely Berry Cicely Frances Berry (17 May 1926 – 15 October 2018) was a British theatre director and vocal coach. Berry trained under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London. She was the voice ...

. *''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' Starring Ian McKellen. Directed by

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas ...

. *'' Capulets And Motagues Starring Jeff Leach. Directed by Heather Davies.

Awards

During the season, some people won awards for their performances. Most notably,

won two awards for her role as Beatrice in ''

''. She won both a Laurence Olivier Awards for best actress and Critics' Circle Award for best Shakespearean performance, the first woman ever to win the award.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Royal Shakespeare Company
Official Complete Works Page. Shakespeare festivals in the United Kingdom Festivals in Warwickshire Stratford-upon-Avon Theatre festivals in England