The show is a co pro with Compagnie du Passage in Neuchatel, Switzerland. After the London run, it will tour to Swiss theatres.

Bill writes - Shakespeare's most famous comedy is rooted in tragedy.

Within the first quarter of an hour we meet a young woman confronting the horrific possibility that her twin brother is drowned, a young man in an agony of rejected love, and a household servant who believes fate has made him a slave when he should be a lord.

The genius of the play lies in how the author weaves these stories together in the music of comedy while the principle characters experience life through the grating noise of tragically unfulfilled desires, self deceit, and constant humiliation. This emotional juggling act could only have been pulled off by a great writer at the height of his power.

The Chronicle Theatre Company is proud to offer its audience one of the world's greatest plays in a simple, lean and accessible production suitable for all ages and dedicated to clarity, honesty and laughter.

https://tabard.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173657791/events/428668629

We look forward to seeing you at the show.

#TwelfthNight  #TheTabardTheatre  #CompagnieduPassage

Following the success of our 2024 summer school on King Lear, we are delighted to announce that we will be running our first ever winter school! 

Karen Newbold from the Women's Support Centre, Surrey and Mary Chater will work with ladies in Bronzefield from the beginning of November until just before Christmas. We will stand excerpts from scenes up in workshops from Othello, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, while having fun and asking plenty of questions as we go.

We ran a taster session in the prison in August that was a big success and hope to build on the engagement created that day.

The John Armitage Charitable Trust has given the company funding which enables us to work in UK prisons and schools.

The start of the workshops has been delayed but as of November 9th we are hoping to start on Friday 15th November.

The 2025 Snacking on Shakespeare sessions begin again on Friday January 24th.

In 2014 Shakespeare in Italy held it's first summer school in Urbino in Le Marche, central Italy.

We recently changed the name to The Chronicle Theatre Company to reflect the fact that we are no longer based in Italy.

As a UK registered charity we offer scholarships for the summer course. Please apply for one if you are in financial difficulties and would like to join us.

Our 2025 summer school details will be available soon.

In March 2025 we will be running our first ever winter school. Michael Corbidge will lead workshops on As You Like It.

We hope you’ll join us at SCRUM Studios for three days of intensive exploration of this extraordinary play.

Dates: 5th-7th March, 2025, 10:00-17:00

Location: SCRUM Studios, 191 Talgarth Rd, Hammersmith, London W6 8BJ

Cost per day: £80

To register, or for more information, please contact info@chronicletc.org.uk.

As part of the launch of our winter school, we are also thrilled to announce the inaugural Julian Curry Bursary. Julian was one of the co-founders of The Chronicle Company, and he led a life dedicated to the theatre, and especially to Shakespeare. Julian made his professional debut walking on in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Romeo and Juliet in 1961 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. During almost 60 years as an actor, he worked on stage in a wide variety of plays both classical and modern, for the RSC, the National Theatre and in London’s West End. His numerous Shakespeare roles included Angelo, Horatio, Macbeth, Polixenes, Lear’s Fool, Antonio in The Merchant of Venice, Oberon, York in Richard II, Malvolio, Cymbeline, Pandulph and Leontes.

The bursary will offer one prospective participant to take part in the winter school free of charge, and is available to drama school students, as well as to those whose opportunities to participate in theatre workshops would otherwise be limited. Applications for the bursary may be sent as part of a registration of interest in the winter school, and should briefly outline the applicant’s interest in participation, as well as their eligibility for the bursary. 

Shakespeare belongs to everyone, and it is our hope that the Julian Curry Bursary will allow us to make make this a reality, at a time when connection, openness, and accessibility are more important than ever. 

The Julian Curry Bursary has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the John Armitage Charitable Trust.

From May - October 2024 The Women's Support Centre, Surrey is working with those attending Friday's Art Class to make work for the annual New Beginnings Art Awards. Open to women in the community and in the three female prisons in Surrey, the awards focus on a journey of expression, healing and recovery. The theme for this year's competition is Past, Present, Future.

Mary Chater is leading drama workshops on the concept of Time in Shakespeare to complement the art work being made. We are aiming to devise a group piece for the evening of the presentation of the award. This year the event will be held on October 8th at The Watts Gallery near Guildford.

The piece devised by the ladies includes elements of Lady Macbeth's story, Mexico's Day of The Dead ceremony and their lived experience of domestic violence. 

Sally Varah (chair of the Michael Varah Memorial Fund) was in the audience on October 8th and said "Congratulations on the eloquent and moving drama presentation."

The WSC provides specialist, practical and emotional support to women, by women. The centre works with women, with their truth, experiences and needs from a Trauma - informed, client led and professional approach.

They welcome women who are in contact with or are at risk of being in contact with the criminal justice system. They offer a holistic approach providing support and advocacy on a wide-range of services both targeted and universal including groups, programmes and courses. www.womenssupportcentresurrey.org.uk

The Chronicle Theatre Company heard in September that we have been awarded a grant by Third House to work with the WSC. We are thrilled.

Below is their grant giving policy -

The THIRD HOUSE fund provides support to charitable organisations engaged in the positive rehabilitation of ex-offenders, in particular, those suffering with mental health problems, who find it difficult to access funding from the statutory authorities.

For all grants we are looking for charities that can demonstrate an enthusiasm and determination to meet immediate and emerging needs of ex-offender and young offenders.