9th Annual Bookish Ball & Shakespeare’s 452nd Birthday
When:
Saturday, Apr 23, 2016 12:00p -
5:00p
Saturday, Apr 23, 2016 12:00p -
5:00p
Where:
Harvard Square (various locations)
Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA 02138
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Date Idea, Festivals & Fairs, Kid Friendly, Performing Arts
Event website:
http://www.harvardsquare.com/
The Harvard Square Business Association, Cambridge Historical Tours and the book stores of Harvard Square welcome you to join us on Saturday, April 23rd for the 9th Annual Bookish Ball and Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration. This free, family friendly festival will feature book store strolls, Shakespearian performances, birthday cake and more!
The festivities kick off at noon with a Shakespeare Sonnet Slam on Brattle Plaza (in front of Brattle Square Florist, 31 Brattle Street) in honor of the 400th anniversary of his death. Historians believe that Shakespeare was born and died during the month April – so here in Cambridge we are honoring both! Within five hours, all 154 sonnets the Bard wrote will be read aloud and readers from all walks of life are encouraged to participate and share his works in a fun, casual, and accessible way. Want to read a sonnet? Register here . The event will also include live music performed by the Willow Flute Ensemble!
Join us there from 12-5, or follow the Lovers and Rude Mechanicals (from A Midsummer Night's Dream) as they romp from bookstore to bookstore through literarily savvy Harvard Square. Scenes will be performed in front of the book stores by actors from Cambridge Historical Tours and the Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare Cast (who will be sober as judges that afternoon!), fresh off several years of immense success in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Honor the English language's greatest wordsmith by grabbing a book at our book stores, then join us at 3:30pm on Brattle Plaza for some birthday cake…old Willy turns 452 on the 23rd!
Finally, raise a pint at John Harvard's Brew House (33 Dunster Street) for an hour-long Indoor Shakespeare Slam at 4:00 with highlights from his greatest works.
Book it to the Square on the 23rd and have a Ball!
Complete Schedule -
12:00pm – 5pm Sonnet Slam on Brattle Plaza – in front of Brattle Square Florist, 31 Brattle St.
12:00pm Hermia and Lysander plan to run away! Helena interrupts - at Grolier Poetry Book Shop – 6 Plympton St.
12:30pm Helena and Demetrius in the woods – at Harvard Book Store - 1256 Mass Ave.
1:00pm Hermia and Lysander fall asleep in the woods and with a little fairy dust, Lysander falls in love with Helenda – at The Harvard Coop – 1400 Mass Ave.
1:30pm Hermia tries to drive off Demetrius – at Raven Used Books – 22 Church St. (please note that this is a new location for Raven)
2:00pm Rude Mechanicals meet to rehearse a play – at Schoenhof’s Foreign Books – 76A Mt. Auburn St.
2:30pm Rude Mechanicals rehearse, poorly - at The World’s Only Curious George Store – 1 JFK St.
3:00pm The Rude Mechanicals perform – at The Pit – by The Out of Town News Kiosk
3:30pm Birthday Cake on Brattle Plaza in front of Brattle Square Florist, 31 Brattle St.
4:00pm Shakespeare Slam at John Harvard’s Brew House, 33 Dunster Street
