Kampala, Uganda ~ The Book Club launched with the comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

Fast, wickedly funny, tender and quirky, Much Ado About Nothing was the perfect choice to launch our Book Club in Kampala. The new club members are enjoying performances of the play to illuminate their readings.

All of the members are new to Shakespeare, and they have been commenting that they never thought the Bard could be so easy to understand and enjoyable. Well done, and keep up the fun!

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Best Actor with Biggest Hands and Feet!

Join us next Saturday, 25 June 2011, for a performance of the award-winning Iron Man. Graeae Theatre Company is a very special group creating excellent quality, inclusive theatre. Don’t miss this show!

It’s free. We will pick up young people at various points in East London in plenty of time for the 13.45 performance at  the Greenwich Festival. As always, the disabled are very welcome.

Contact us to make arrangements:
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Email: info@malaikayouthproject.org.uk

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Photo: Roman London by Jim Shelton

Lucky Malaika Youth Project students personally viewed ancient Roman ruins around the City of London this half-term.

Led by a real-life archaeologist, we went on a fantastic tour of the Museum of London, learning about the way of life about 2,000 years ago, and seeing models of homes and grand buildings. Our group was surprised by the beautiful, sophisticated Italian-style buildings in Roman London.

Then we toured the remains of this remarkable civilization—at least, those parts visible above ground, such as the Temple of Mithras and parts of the City Wall.

Malaika Youth Project is pleased to take young people on fascinating and educational tours around their great city. Our activities are free. Contact us if you would like to join us! Disabled are always welcome; just let us know how we can accommodate your special needs.

(The above image is from Sean McLachlan’s excellent article on TimeTravel-Britain.com We recommend his books. )

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Starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the merrily warring couple, Benedick and Beatrice, this production of Much Ado About Nothing is perfect for Shakespeare newbies and nerds alike.

Set in 1980’s Gibraltar, complete with Michael Jackson and Indiana Jones costumes at the fancy dress party and Shakespeare’s songs set to 1980’s-style music, it is so well done that it makes Shakespeare immediate and accessible to almost anyone. We have been taking our pupils to see the play—their first ever Shakespeare—and they have absolutely loved it.

Those who have experienced the live participation of theatre—the feeling of being part of something extraordinary, the emotional and intellectual transformation—know that a single performance can change lives. We founded the Shakespeare Club to offer this joy to as many young people as we can.

We are very grateful to the cast and crew, and for the generosity of Wyndham’s Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh theatre, for making this possible.

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WWI Postcard of the Canteen, Shakespeare Hut

This week, we heard the moving story of the ‘Shakespeare Hut’ during World War I.

The lecture at on this little-known but important piece of Shakespearean history was a rare glimpse into a lost world. The talk given by Dr. Ailsa Grant Ferguson was excellent, and engaging. She included original artifacts from the National Theatre Archives which have not yet been catalogued.

This lecture was part of a series held every Wednesday called ‘Researchers Tales’ at the National Theatre Studio—come with us, or go on your own, because they are not to be missed. You can book tickets through the National Theatre site

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Malaika pupils got to go on a Harry Potter Tour of London. Walking through Westminster and getting an overview of 1,000 years of history, they also got to see places where Harry Potter films were made.

Mixed in with highlights of the Harry Potter films were quizzes and information about London’s past. We learned about Cromwell and the Civil War, how a bill becomes law, and saw many fascinating bits of history come to life.

Trivia

Did you know that Westminster Bridge is painted green, like the seats of the House of Commons? And that Lambeth Bridge, on the other side of Westminster, is painted red, like the seats in the House of Lords?

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We will be bringing a group to see The Iron Man at Greenwich this June. Who would like to join?

The extraordinary Graeae Theatre Company is playing The Iron Man at the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival on the 24th through 26th of June.

Graeae (pronounced ‘gray eye’) is an amazing inclusive theatre company in Hackney. Learn more about them here. This is what they have to say about The Iron Man:

Ted Hughes’s classic children’s story, The IRON MAN, clanks, crunches and munches its way across the country’s summer cultural festival season in a new street arts adaptation of this beautiful tale of understanding and tolerance.

The performances are free, and you are welcome to come with us for the show on Saturday at 2PM. For more information, download the flyer.

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