In 2011, Emily-Ann Elliot quit her day job as a journalist and set off on her very own grown up gap year, completing 30 challenges around the world before she turned 30. Emily-Ann thinks everybody, no matter what their age, should get the chance to experience a gap year and when she returned to the UK, she created The Grownup Gap Year to help to answer some of the practical questions about deciding how and when to take one, as well as pointing out some of the amazing places travellers might want to add to their own bucket list.
“To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
It’s hard to believe how many everyday words and phrases we use from Shakespeare. “Jealousy the green-eyed monster”, “I’ll not budge an inch” and “Fair play,” are all borrowed from the Bard.
This month people living in the UK will have more opportunities then ever to celebrate our most famous playwright, as Shakespeare’s 450th birthday is commemorated.
Events are taking place across the country but especially in Stratford, his home town. On Saturday people there will line the streets to watch a Birthday Procession of 1,000 actors, foreign diplomats and civic dignitaries. The celebrations will continue with a weekend of music, street entertainers and tours of the Shakespeare houses. Of course, this will then be followed by its usual summer season of performances.
And the festivities will continue elsewhere. At Shakespeare’s Globe in London a wide-range of events are planned for the Shakespeare at 450 season. This includes a series of lectures in which some of the world’s leading Shakespeare scholars explain what the anniversary means to them, as well as productions of Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, The Comedy of Errors and Titus Andronicus.
Nationally, the Northern Ballet will be touring with its adaptation of a Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Reduced Shakespeare Company has even broken a world record for the highest theatrical performance, after putting on an abridged version of his works on a flight from London to Verona.
Later in the year I’ll be going along to an outdoor performance of Love’s Labour’s Lost at my local park. We’ll take along a picnic to enjoy and I’ve already chosen my outfit. I’ll be wearing my ladybug Audrey Karina dress which always makes me feel like I belong on the stage.
Online homes: The Grownup Gap Year // Twitter // Facebook
Leave a comment