C.H. Booth Celebrates Shakespeare’s Birthday

William Shakespeare, the English poet and playwright, is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s preeminent dramatist. He was born April 24 1564, and to honor his birth, the C.H. Booth Library will be hosting three distinctive programs highlighting the bard’s life and works.

Newtown resident and history professor Dr Denise Kaiser will facilitate a Q&A highlighting some of the more interesting aspects of the Elizabethan era as they relate to Shakespeare and his tragedies Thursday, April 3, at 7 pm, in the Antiques Room of the library. Shakespeare may have been one of the most formidable wordsmiths and creative minds ever to wield a quill, but he plied his craft during a unique historical age. His tragic plays are suffused with allusions to past and contemporary events, local and foreign customs, high and low culture, religious beliefs, and politics. Discover answers to some frequently and not so frequently asked questions.

A family event with Shakespeare on the Sound is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, at 3 pm, at the Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street. The show is an interactive storytelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The live performance is suitable for children ages 8 and up. Reserve or pick up free tickets at the CH Booth Library circulation desk.

Finally on Sunday, April 27, at 3 pm, C.H. Booth Library will host a Shakespearean Festival for families of all ages. Celebrate with live music and dancing by The Reel Thing, a performance by C.H. Booth’s Mask & Wig Players, plus Elizabethan games, crafts, refreshments, a birthday cake for the Bard, and even a visit by “HRM Queen Elizabeth I.”