To celebrate Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, we are presenting a free screening series from BBC Worldwide North America, including one historic BBC production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1971); a modern version of The Taming of the Shrew (2005); and the hugely popular historian Simon Schama’s insightful documentary Shakespeare and Us (2012). See the schedule below.

Saturday, April 23
5:00 p.m. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1971) – NR – 120 min
Starring Lynn Redgrave, Edward Fox, Robert Stephens, Michael Gambon, Eileen Atkins
Directed by James Cellan Jones
An all-star production of Shakespeare’s famous comedy about mismatched lovers in an enchanted forest set in Edwardian England and filmed in and around Scotney Castle, Kent.

7:00 p.m. The Taming of the Shrew (2005) – NR – 90 min
Starring Shirley Henderson, Rufus Sewell, Twiggy, and David Mitchell
Directed by David Richards
In this modern retelling of Shakespeare’s comedy considered “deliciously far-fetched” by The New York Times, Katherine Minola (Shirley Henderson of Trainspotting and Bridget Jones’s Diary) is a temperamental yet successful politician, and everyone, from her party chairman to her sister and her mother (Twiggy), wants her to get married. Is passionate eccentric Petruchio (Rufus Sewell) the answer to her prayers?

Sunday, April 24
5:00 p.m. Simon Schama’s Shakespeare and Us (2012) – NR – 120 mins
Featuring Judi Dench, Tim Pigott-Smith, Andrew Scott | Directed by Ashley Gething
In this riveting documentary, acclaimed historian Simon Schama argues that it is impossible to understand how Shakespeare came to belong “to all time” without first understanding just how much he was of his time.
“Yes, it’s been said before, but Schama said it better.” – The Telegraph

Admission to all three screenings is free. We greatly appreciate donations to help us cover our costs and keep great content on our screens. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and we are not able to take reservations.