“All the world’s a stage”: The Fleet Street Quarter celebrates the anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio with free lunchtime performances

No one in history has had such a great impact on English literature as William Shakespeare. Widely regarded as the greatest writer and poet in the English language, this year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio, one of the most valuable books in the literary world. The Folio was first printed in the Fleet Street Quarter in the City of London, and so to mark this historic milestone the Quarter will host a series of free lunchtime performances commemorating the Bard’s most celebrated work, delivered by Troubadour Stageworks, at Apex Temple Court Hotel and Stationers’ Hall.
Launching on Tuesday 8 August 2023 and running through until Tuesday 3 October 2023, Troubadour Stageworks will present a Shakespearean revue celebrating the wit and genius of the influential playwright. Local workers and visitors will be taken on a seamlessly woven tale travelling through the forests of Arden, Athens and Rousillon, the high seas of Illyria and the castles of Glamis and Elsinore. Audiences should expect music, laughter, lovers and rivalry to sing through the streets that he once walked.
Performances will take place, 12.30pm-1.15pm, at:
- Apex Temple Court Hotel, 1-2, Serjeant's Inn, Temple, EC4Y 1AG: 8, 15 and 29 August
- Stationers’ Hall, Ave Maria Ln, London EC4M 7DD: 22 August, 11 September and 3 October
Published 400 years ago, in an edition of around 750 copies, on 8 November 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death, the First Folio brought together the author’s collected plays in one volume for the first time. The Folio contains 36 plays, including 17 that were printed during his lifetime, one that was printed after his death, and 18 that might otherwise have been lost. Experts on Shakespeare’s life and work have asserted that if two of his friends and fellow actors, John Heminge and Henry Condell, had not gathered the plays together for the First Folio, half of them, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Tempest, and Antony and Cleopatra would have been lost forever.
Lucy French, CEO of the Fleet Street Quarter, commented, “In the year of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio, the Fleet Street Quarter is delighted to host lunchtime performances by Troubadour Stageworks, a company full of exceptional emerging talent. Productions are free, making the arts accessible to everyone. We encourage local workers and visitors to pop down over a lunchtime and enjoy some bite size scenes from the Bard!”'
From 1557, all legally printed works had to be registered at Stationers' Hall. The Stationers' Register thus provides a unique insight into the history of printing in England. This remarkable resource still resides at the Fleet Street Quarter’s Stationers’ Hall - and among its wonders is the page where Stationers Edward Blount and Isaak Jaggard registered their publication of Shakespeare's First Folio.
Set amongst a backdrop of beautiful architecture, Fleet Street Quarter is home to a whole host of iconic cultural locations, hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés. There’s also a great variety of pubs to be sought out in the Quarter, including Editor’s Tap, Old Bell Tavern, Old Bank of England and one of London’s oldest, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese which has been known to be frequented by other literary geniuses such as Charles Dickens, W.B. Yeats, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr Samuel Johnson, creator of the first English Dictionary. There are plenty of other literary charms to be discovered in this historic home of journalism – a visit to Dr Johnson’s House is a must-do.
To view the full programme of productions, please visit www.fleetstreetquarter.co.uk
Performances are 12.30pm - 1.15pm (guests are encouraged to arrive for 12.15pm)