SHAKESPEAREAN self-guided tours of Liverpool are taking place this weekend to mark the playwright’s birthday on Thursday.
Actors and musicians will be placed at locations around the city centre performing a selection of the Bard’s Sonnets.
Members of the public will follow a map from the Unity Theatre to the Albert Dock, taking in the poetry along the way.
The idea was inspired by Mark Rylance’s Sonnet Walks for Shakespeare’s Globe, in London. Director Abigail Anderson has created similar events for London, New York and Truro.
“Many people know just one or two sonnets, but of course there are 150 of them,” says the Walks’ producer Andrew Girvan.
“The artists have chosen the sonnets themselves and they are about all different things.
“We have people talking about their love of people who have left them and others about their love of alcohol.”
The map will also include information about Liverpool’s history, giving those taking part the chance to see some of the city’s features in a new context.
“It’s also about seeing Liverpool in a different way,” explains Girvan. “The city has so much history, but often people walk past interesting buildings and don’t realise what they were once used for.”
The performances are “interpretations” of the Sonnets, rather than straightforward recitals.
Students from LIPA will be tackling two pieces while the rest will be delivered by professional actors and musicians.
“Urban Strawberry Lunch will be at St Luke’s Church with a music-based interpretation and Ruth Gould, from Dada, will be reciting a Sonnet in sign language at the Bluecoat.”
Each of Shakespeare’s Sonnets are composed of 14 lines, each containing 10 syllables and written in iambic pentameter.
They cover a range of themes including love, beauty politics, and mortality, and are thought to have been written over a period of several years. Much speculation surrounds the dedication inside the only edition of the Sonnets published during the Bard’s life- time.
The 1609 Quarto, which contains 154, is dedicated to “Mr WH” – “by our ever living poet”.
The Liverpool Sonnet Walk, which takes around 90 minutes to complete, was produced last year by Lodestar Theatre Company, who hope to turn it into a regular feature on the city’s cultural calendar.
Anderson adds: “Shakespeare’s Sonnets depict love, in all its forms, and as such are timeless and speak to everyone.
“We feel that Sonnet Walks in Liverpool celebrate the city.
“The Sonnet Walk brings the modern and the classical into dialogue, creating a piece of theatre that is different to any other theatre event.”
SONNET Walks take place on Saturday and Sunday, with groups leaving the Unity Theatre every 15 minutes between 1pm and 3.15pm.
Tickets priced £7 (£5 concessions) are available from the Unity box office.
