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.

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.