International Women’s Day is being celebrated in style at the home of Shakespeare, as one of the central characters explored in a newly announced exhibition visited the playwright’s Birthplace whilst it bathes in purple light to mark the annual celebration.
Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt is one of four characters being explored in the new exhibition at Shakespeare’s New Place as the Trust marks the second year of its multi-year project, The Women Who Made Shakespeare. The project explores the sometimes hidden, often less-explored, and unfortunately, erased and forgotten stories of the women who both influenced Shakespeare during his lifetime and the female-identifying people who have contributed to his legacy.
In 2024 the Trust examined those women closest to Shakespeare, and this year they are delving deeper into his complex female characters. In its final year, the Trust will explore the women and female identifying people who have played and continue to play a crucial role in shaping Shakespeare’s enduring legacy.
Opening in spring, the new exhibition will focus on four female characters, Titania, Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth and Beatrice, and will explore the many archetypes of femininity and the construction of gender on the stage.
Through these characters, visitors are invited to consider how the stories of these complex characters resonate with modern portrayals of women on stage and in society.
Designed by award-winning creative agency Vertigo Creative, this insightful exhibition will display costumes loaned from the Royal Shakespeare Company alongside carefully selected items from the Trust’s world-class collection, placing the past and present in conversation to bring these women to life within the context of both performance and Shakespeare’s lived environment.
‘’As we celebrate International Women’s Day and continue our exploration of The Women Who Made Shakespeare, we are delighted to announce this new exhibition. Through the exhibition we will explore what it means to ‘play a woman’s part’ by looking at four of Shakespeare’s most compelling female figures.
‘’From the magical Queen of the Fairies and the ambitious Queen of Scotland to the courageous Queen of Egypt and the sharp-witted Beatrice, each character offers a different perspective on what it meant, and still means to be a woman.’’
Commented Professor Charlotte Scott, Academic Advisor at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Audiences are also being invited to delve deeper into the stories behind the ‘’real-life’’ women from history who have been brought to life on stage in Shakespeare’s work through a series of videos that are being published throughout March. Viewers worldwide can gain insight into The Women Who Made Shakespeare and view the videos via the Trust’s YouTube page.
The new exhibition is set to launch in early spring at Shakespeare’s New Place. Further details will be announced soon.
Learn more about the Women Who Made Shakespeare here: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/the-women-who-made-shakespeare/.