Comedy, tragedy and history are all set to befall Liverpool city centre this weekend.
On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April, dozens of venues across Liverpool city centre will be embracing the bard as they take part inThe Complete Walk – a special tribute to the work of William Shakespeare.
To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s most famous playwrights, Liverpool is the only UK city outside of London to host this special FREE event which will see a series of 37 specially commissioned short films played on screens at city centre venues.
Some of those taking part and showing the ten minute films on a loop are World Museum Liverpool, The Beatles Story, Lime Street and Albert Dock Tourist Information Centres and Vinea at Albert Dock Liverpool.
A digital map showing where all the venues are can be found at www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/thecompletewalk. A flyer can also be downloaded which has full details of the screenings, and this can also be collected from one of the 35 venues taking part.
Liverpool’s Director of Culture, Claire McColgan, said:
“The Complete Walk offers up a fantastic culture-packed weekend, whether you’re a Shakespeare aficionado or someone yet to discover the world-renowned plays – and best of all, it’s free. We are the only UK city outside of London to host this event, and we’re delighted Shakespeare’s Globe has recognised the valuable contribution Liverpool can add to the project as a whole. It’s great to see so many venues in the city centre support this event – from hotels to civic buildings right through to restaurants and cultural attractions. Some of them have a real affinity with the play they are hosting – the courts at St George’s Hall’s fit in well withThe Merchant of Venice and Bluecoat’s balcony makes them the perfect home for Romeo and Juliet. We hope as many people make the most of this opportunity to see famous faces bring to life some of the Bard’s most famous works, in just ten minutes.”
Martin King of The Beatles Story said:
“We are thrilled to be one of the locations in the city participating in The Complete Walk. We will be showing The Merry Wives of Windsor in the Fab Four Café at the Albert Dock as we join together with other city venues to commemorate 400 years since Shakespeare’s death. The Complete Walk is a great event to celebrate the works of Shakespeare and we’re looking forward to welcoming people to enjoy one of the playwright’s great comedies, as for a special weekend Shakespeare’s popular comedic character, Sir John Falstaff, becomes the fifth Beatle.”
Jon Marrow, Senior Education Manager at National Museums Liverpool, said:
“We’ll be showing Richard III at World Museum, and are really excited to be welcoming people into the venue to celebrate the life and works of such an important figure in literary history. We’d also encourage visitors to call into the Walker Art Gallery to see William Hogarth’s David Garrick as Richard III, an incredible portrait of the greatest British actor of the mid 18th century playing the leading role in the play.”
34 venues are involved in the project. The films they are showing and the times (which are subject to change) are as follows:
| Play | Saturday 23 April | Sunday 24 April |
| All’s Well That Ends Well | The Florrie, 9am-6pm | The Shankly Hotel, 12-5pm |
| Antony and Cleopatra | Odeon foyer, Liverpool ONE, 11am-10pm | Odeon foyer, Liverpool ONE, 11am-10pm |
| As You Like It | Council Chamber, Liverpool Town Hall, 10am-4pm | Council Chamber, Liverpool Town Hall, 10am-4pm |
| Comedy of Errors | 62 Castle Street, 12-5pm | 62 Castle Street, 12-5pm |
| Coriolanus | St George’s Hall, 10am-5pm | St George’s Hall, 10-5pm |
| Cymbeline | The Florrie, 9am-6pm | Restaurant Bar and Grill, 3-7pm |
| Hamlet | Liverpool Cathedral, 10-4.30pm | Hope Street Hotel, 2-8pm |
| Henry IV, Part I & Part II | Unity Theatre, 12-8pm | Granby Market, 1-3pm |
| Henry V | FACT, 11am-9pm | FACT, 11am-9pm |
| Henry VI, Part I, II & III | Liverpool Everyman, 10am-4pm | Liverpool Everyman, 10am-4pm |
| Henry VIII | Tourist Information Centre, Albert Dock, 10am-5.30pm | Tourist Information Centre, Albert Dock, 10am-5.30pm |
| Julius Caesar | Pump House, Albert Dock, 10am-11pm | Pump House, Albert Dock, 11am-11pm |
| King John | Hall of Remembrance Liverpool Town Hall, 10am-4pm | Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, 10am-4pm |
| King Lear | St George’s Hall, 10am-5pm | St George’s Hall, 10am-5pm |
| Love’s Labour’s Lost | Liverpool Playhouse, 10am-4pm | Liverpool Playhouse, 10am-4pm |
| Macbeth | Ziferblat, Albert Dock, 10am-7pm | Ziferblat, Albert Dock, 10am-7pm |
| Measure for Measure | BBC Radio Merseyside, 10am-5pm | BBC Radio Merseyside, 10am-4pm |
| The Merchant of Venice | St George’s Hall, 10am-5pm | St George’s Hall, 10am-5pm |
| Merry Wives of Windsor | The Beatles Story, Albert Dock, 9am-7pm | The Beatles Story, Albert Dock, 9am-7pm |
| Midsummer Night’s Dream | Tate Liverpool, 10-5pm | Tate Liverpool, 10-5pm |
| Much Ado about Nothing | Waterstones, Liverpool ONE, 9am-7pm | Waterstones, Liverpool ONE, 11am-5pm |
| Othello | Cosmolodge (Kazimier Garden) 12noon-midnight | Cosmolodge (Kazimier Garden) 12noon-midnight |
| Pericles | Winter Gardens, Granby 4 Streets, 1-3pm | Winter Gardens, Granby 4 Streets, 1-4pm |
| Richard II | Tourist Information Centre, Liverpool Lime Street, 9.30am-4.30pm | Tourist Information Centre, Liverpool Lime Street, 11am-3pm |
| Richard III | World Museum, 10am-5pm | World Museum, 10am-5pm |
| Romeo and Juliet | Bluecoat, 9am-7pm | Bluecoat, 9am-7pm |
| Taming of the Shrew | dot-art, 10am-6pm | Merseyside Dance Initiative, 12-5pm |
| Tempest | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 10am-3.30pm | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 10am-2.30pm |
| Timon of Athens | Vinea, Albert Dock, 11am-6.30pm | Vinea, Albert Dock, 11am-8.30pm |
| Titus Andronicus | Liverpool Playhouse, 10am-4pm | Liverpool Playhouse, 10am-4pm |
| Troilus and Cressida | Granby workshop, Granby Four Streets, 1-4pm | Granby workshop, Granby Four Streets, 1-3pm |
| Twelfth Night | Aloft, 10am-5pm | Aloft, 10am-5pm |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | Liverpool Central Library, 9am-12.30pm | Liverpool Central Library, 10am-4.30pm |
| Winter’s Tale | Marriott Hotel, 10am-5pm | Marriott Hotel, 10am-5pm |
For more information about The Complete Walk visit www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/thecompletewalk or like @culturelpool on Twitter of follow Culture Liverpool on Facebook.