Details

Henry V will get its contemporary world premiere in Original Pronunciation in a staged reading by Ben Crystal's Shakespeare Ensemble, in this the 600th anniversary year of the Battle of Agincourt. In this performance lecture, Professor David Crystal, accompanied by Ben Crystal's Shakespeare Ensemble, will explore what French, Irish, Scots, and Welsh versions of Original Pronunciation might have sounded like. They will explore how the King and commoner might have been separated if there are no "posh" and "plebeian" accents to choose from. In 2004 David Crystal was Master of Pronunciation at the Globe. David helped reconstruct the accent of Shakespeare's day so that the Globe Theatre company could present an acclaimed production of Romeo & Juliet in Original Pronunciation. It was the first time the accent had been heard on a London stage for 400 years. Ben Crystal, curator of the British Library's CD of Original Pronunciation, is the foremost developer of OP practice since the Globe's first experiments a decade ago.

Creatives/Company

Presented by: Crystal's Shakespeare Ensemble