The greatest show on earth is how the RSC's Artistic Director Michael Boyd describes his hopes for the Complete Works Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon. As the festival gets underway, Paul Allen and guests explore the Royal Shakespeare Company's function in the 21st century.
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The Royal Shakespeare Company is embarking on a year long project to bring the "complete works" of Shakespeare to the Stratford stage - the biggest festival in its history.
Thirty seven plays, many produced by the RSC, and featuring big name stars like Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, and visiting companies from around the world. Tonight, Night Waves explores the current health of the RSC and its relationship with the country's greatest playwright.
Does the RSC have a monopoly over Shakespeare and is that healthy for the rest of the nation? Do we need a designated Shakespeare theatre at all? Joining Paul Allen to discuss the RSC are the critic Susannah Clapp, the RSC's executive director Vikki Haywood and the Shakespeare expert Professor Carol Rutter of the University of Warwick .
The Pulitzer-prize winning novelist Philip Roth, considered by many to be America 's finest living writer, has a new novel. 'Everyman' takes it title from a 15 th Century English allegorical play whose tragic hero is the personification of mankind. Roth's short novel describes the life of an advertising artist from New York and his flawed relationships, a story of loss and regret. Christopher Bigsby reviews the book on tonight's 'Night Waves'.
Also on the programme; a new documentary dares tackle the complexities behind the spectacular collapse of the Texas based energy company Enron; and a trilogy of films on British television in which leading actors tell dramatic real life tales - of murder, rape and prostitution - in the words of real people.
Additional Information:
The RSC's 'Complete Works of Shakespeare' runs from April 2006 to April 2007 at Stratford upon Avon.
'Everyman' by Philip Roth is published by Jonathan Cape.
'The True Voice of....' series starts at 9.00pm from 18 April on More 4.
'Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room' is released nationwide on 28 April.
