RSC to add six shows to BBC iPlayer for Shakespeare's birthday
© RSC, photo by Manuel Harlan
To mark Shakespeare's birthday on 23 April, the RSC will be releasing six shows on BBC iPlayer.
After their initial release, the shows will remain on the site for a number of weeks to allow users to watch all of them. The "box set" of shows marks a new collaboration between BBC Arts and the RSC, as part of a "Culture in Quarantine" initiative.
The productions are:
Macbeth with Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cusack
Othello with Hugh Quarshie in the title role and Lucian Msamati as Iago
Romeo and Juliet with Bally Gill as Romeo and Karen Fishwick as Juliet
The Merchant of Venice with Makram J Khoury as Shylock
Much Ado About Nothing with Edward Bennett as Benedick and Michelle Terry as Beatrice
Hamlet with Paapa Essiedu in the title role
The RSC will also be marking the day with the #ShareYourShakespeare campaign, a community-driven digital project to encourage audiences to show what Shakespeare means to them.
Dan McGolpin, controller of programming and iPlayer, says: "In these difficult times, people are using BBC iPlayer more than ever; to watch the latest news coverage, to learn something new and to sit back and be entertained."
