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.

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.

Next year we intend to work on #TheTempest with Bill Alexander and Michael Corbidge who are back by popular demand.

Provisional dates are arrival Sunday August 31st - departure Monday September 8th 2025.

We spend the first three days getting to know the text then have a day off followed by the second three day module.

We will return to Cagli theatre where we were in 2022 - it's gem of a 500 seater theatre with perfect acoustics.

Cagli is a beautiful small working town in Alte Marche surrounded by stunning, unspoilt countryside. It's close to the border with Umbria and a short distance from Fano on the Adriatic coast. One of our founders, Sandro Pascucci runs the theatre for the local people and the comune.

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.

We are offering a six day ‘full immersion’ on King Lear, considered by many to be Shakespeare’s greatest play, from September 9th – 14th in London.
The course will take place at The Playground Theatre, Latimer Road W10 from 10:00 – 17:00 each day.

The workshops will be led by two directors that have worked with us on numerous occasions.

Bill Alexander is our Artistic Director and an Honorary Associate Artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He directed many notable productions at the RSC over a long period and later at Birmingham Rep. Bill directed Corin Redgrave as Lear at the RSC in 2004. One of the most acclaimed directors of Shakespeare working in the English language, Bill has a hotline to Shakespeare, it’s in his DNA. His book Exploring Shakespeare - A Director’s Notes from the Rehearsal Room was published last spring by Nick Hern Books. Bill will lead the workshops on September 9, 10, 11.

Michael Corbidge is an RSC voice coach and community theatre specialist. He led the 2021 summer school at The Playground Theatre on Twelfth Night and Two Merchants of Modena with director Lucy Bailey. He ran the module on Measure for Measure with Sue Tordoff for our summer school last year in Volterra. Michael leads Shakespeare workshops worldwide and has his own company in Kent. He will work with the summer school participants on September 12, 13 and 14.

How to sign up for this unique opportunity –

Anyone over the age of 16 from anywhere in the world who is fluent in English and has a passion for Shakespeare is more than welcome to join the summer school.

We ask for an £80 non refundable deposit to secure your spot.
The price of the course is £480 i.e. £80 per day.
The deposit will be deducted from the overall cost.

Your full fee must be paid by July 9th which is eight weeks before the summer school begins.

You can sign up for as many or as few days as you like however to get the full benefit of a deeper insight into the play, we recommend six days.

We take a maximum of 22 people so that the group doesn’t become unwieldy.

Please email Mary Chater at info@chronicletc.org.uk to sign up.
Places are starting to go quite quickly so don’t delay paying the deposit if you’d like to join us.

The closest tubes are Latimer Road and Ladbroke Grove.

There is an excellent Thai restaurant across the road from the theatre with a small Tesco and other food shops close by on North Pole Road. The theatre serves tea, coffee, soft drinks and alcohol at the bar.

Theatre website - theplaygroundtheatre.org.uk has directions on how to get there.

Bill's new book Exploring Shakespeare, A Director's Notes from the Rehearsal Room, was published by Nick Hern Books in May this year.

' Bill Alexander is a brilliant director, whose work has powerfully shaped my understanding of Shakespeare's plays, Richard III most of all'

James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare



The cost is £225 for the 3 days of workshops - £75 per day. We will work from 10.00 - 4.00 with 30 mins for lunch each day. 

Bill says any edition of the play is fine to bring along.

16 - 18 year olds free places available on application.

Please email Mary Chater at info@chronicletc.org.uk for details of how to enrol and any questions you may have.