Forced Entertainment never does things by halves. The group of artists from the British Isles, with Tim Etchells as artistic director, chose to stage the complete works of Shakespeare – no lesser challenge would do. The menu therefore features all thirty-six plays penned by the Bard, from The Merchant of Venice to The Tempest, via Richard III and King Lear; nothing is missing. Such extreme ambition should not be surprising as the work of these intrepid iconoclasts challenges the conventions of drama; and it works through the ingenious perspective of miniaturiza¬tion. The stage is a simple kitchen table, and for each play, an actor picks up an object – a pepper mill, a bottle of perfume, a jar of glue, a bottle of ketchup, or a box of matches – and tells the story. Every performance is entertaining, enchanting and witty, running for one hour, with never a dull moment. ’Tis great art.

PROGRAMME

JEU. 07/10
19 H CLAIRE MARSHALL THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
20 H ROBIN ARTHUR LOVES LABOUR’S LOST
21 H CATHY NADEN ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

VEN. 08/10
19 H JERRY KILLICK CORIOLANUS
20 H TERRY O’CONNOR RICHARD II
21 H ROBIN ARTHUR AS YOU LIKE IT

SAM. 09/10
15 H CLAIRE MARSHALL TAMING OF THE SHREW
16 H CATHY NADEN KING JOHN
17 H RICHARD LOWDON MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
19 H ROBIN ARTHUR TIMON OF ATHENS
20 H JERRY KILLICK HENRY IV PART 1
21 H TERRY O’CONNOR HAMLET

DIM. 10/10
15 H RICHARD LOWDON MACBETH
16 H JERRY KILLICK HENRY IV PART 2
17 H TERRY O’CONNOR THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR
18 H CATHY NADEN MEASURE FOR MEASURE
19 H CLAIRE MARSHALL ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
20 H ROBIN ARTHUR KING LEAR

MAR. 12/10
19 H CATHY NADEN PERICLES
20 H CLAIRE MARSHALL HENRY V
21 H JERRY KILLICK TWELFTH NIGHT

MER. 13/10
19 H CLAIRE MARSHALL TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
20 H RICHARD LOWDON HENRY VI PART 1
21 H ROBIN ARTHUR TITUS ANDRONICUS

JEU. 14/10
19 H TERRY O’CONNOR THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
20 H RICHARD LOWDON HENRY VI PART 2
21 H JERRY KILLICK A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

VEN. 15/10
19 H TERRY O’CONNOR ROMEO AND JULIET
20 H RICHARD LOWDON HENRY VI PART 3
21 H CATHY NADEN THE WINTER’S TALE

SAM. 16/10
15 H ROBIN ARTHUR JULIUS CAESAR
16 H CLAIRE MARSHALL RICHARD III
17 H TERRY O’CONNOR CYMBELINE
19 H CATHY NADEN OTHELLO
20 H JERRY KILLICK TROILUS AND CRESSIDA
21 H RICHARD LOWDON THE TEMPEST