Discover Amelia Marriette's Comedy Drama about Shakespeare and The First Folio – Nay, Remember Me!
2023 marks the 400th anniversary of the Publishing of the First Folio
For the Western World, at least, there is no mightier figure than William Shakespeare. The First Folio – which is a volume of 37 of Shakespeare's plays gathered together for the first time - was published in 1623, 7 years after the death of William Shakespeare.
This large Folio edition - about the size of an A3 page - was unique for the time. Plays had never been published in such a handsome volume before. The idea for the Folio was the brainchild of two actors, John Heminges and Henry Condell, who worked with William Shakespeare for many years.
The full title of the First Folio is:
Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories, & tragedies. Published according to the true originall copies.
As a tribute to their friend, Heminges and Condell wanted to put forward the best possible version of Shakespeare's plays, so they used original prompt books, quartos, and original notes to collate the final collection.
If you run a theatre company or are involved with an amateur dramatics group, why not get ahead of the game and take a look at Amelia Marriette's comedy-drama Nay, Remember Me! and celebrate the 400th anniversary of the First Folio with a production of Amelia's play?
Amelia Marriette's Play, Nay, Remember Me! charts to the TRUE story of the making of Shakespeare's First Folio. Nay, Remember Me! was first performed as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Fringe Festival to sell-out audiences in 2001, directed and designed by Chris Bassett. Amelia Marriette then reworked and extended the piece. It was produced by Malvern Theatre Players (MTP) in 2010 and performed at the Coach House Theatre in Malvern, also directed and designed by Chris Bassett. It then toured to the Spanish Barn Theatre at Torre Abbey in Torquay. Where it was nominated for a prize by NODA for the Best Regional Production Award for Best Drama.
Nay, Remember Me! is the perfect piece for amateur and professional casts alike. It has it all: Shakespeare appears as a ghost, there is cross-dressing, one of Will's plays is destroyed during the printing process, there is a death, babies are born, someone goes blind, wives get upset! And the play also pops over the Atlantic to meet Folger, the oil baron who spent a fortune on collecting First Folios and spent millions of dollars setting up the Folger Library. The action occasionally takes a peep at modern-day Stratford-upon-Avon to marvel at Shakespeare's legacy, just to keep the audience on their toes!
Nay, Remember Me! is published by Lazy Bee Scripts: Amelia Marriette (lazybeescripts.co.uk)
N.B.The prompt book, photographs, lighting plans and a video of the 2010 production are available upon request.
Props and costumes can be hired from the Malvern Theatre Players (MTP).
On February 8th, 2022, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) based in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birth town of the playwright William Shakespeare, announced that they will be looking for 37 plays to be performed by the RSC (script in hand) to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the First Folio of Shakespeare's Plays (1623-2023).
You can also take a look at Amelia's Shakespeare lectures.
Amelia has over twenty years of experience as a lecturer. She has an MA in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute (University of Birmingham).
All her talks are illustrated using a laptop, and a digital projector, the images, film and audio clips are designed to aid both enjoyment and learning. They usually last approximately one hour.
List of Lectures
William Shakespeare
Shakespeare at the Movies
A brief look at the history of Shakespeare on film, looking at and set designer choices for As You Like It (1936 & 1992) Henry V (1944 & 1989), Romeo and Juliet (1968) and West Side Story (1961). Film clips enhance the experience.
Shakespeare Today: Exploring Shakespeare's Cultural Legacy
This was written to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 2016. I discuss the impact that Shakespeare has on our daily lives. The English language was greatly enriched by Shakespeare: he invented 1,700 words. I talk about how Hamlet has affected our culture. How Othello changed world history and even helped put Obama in the White House. This is a fascinating topic that will really make you appreciate why the Bard is still so treasured.
Shakespeare at the Colosseum
A very brief history of Shakespeare on film, looking at set and designer choices. I consider Antony Cleopatra (Directed by Trevor Nunn, 1984); Julius Caesar (Director Joseph Mankiewicz, 1953, with Marlon Brando as Marc Antony) and Coriolanus on Film (Directed by Ralph Fiennes, 2010). Film clips are included.
Shakespeare and the Curse of Macbeth
I look at Shakespeare's use of the curse, how the play became so cursed that even the name of the play cannot be uttered in a theatre. I look at the apparently cursed stage history of the play.
Shakespeare: Was he the Author?
This is the one question I am always asked. I look at how this phenomenon started and why this has become such an important question. I offer my own views supported by recent scholarship, to prove that William Shakespeare, the man from Stratford-upon-Avon, is the man who wrote the most celebrated plays in the Western Canon. After hearing this talk, you will be able to answer this perennial question once and for all.
Recommendation:
Shakespeare: was he the Author?
"Interesting, informative and amusing - one of the best talks we have had in years. Amelia's lectures are unmissable!"
Liz Dawes, Dillington House, 2017
Shakespeare's Classical Education
The (Latin) Grammar Schools of the Tudor period provided young schoolboys, Shakespeare included, with a Classical Education so advanced that today a Classics graduate has a comparable education to a Tudor, school child. I look at how Latin authors inspired and informed Shakespeare.
Shakespeare and Ovid
A consideration of Shakespeare's use of Classical Texts and especially Ovid's Metamorphoses. Ovid was the single greatest influence on Shakespeare. For everything was in "ceaseless flow." Shakespeare takes this idea and conjures up amazing characters, many of whom are in the process of metamorphoses. A Midsummer Night's Dream, Venus and Adonis and Romeo and Juliet feature in this talk.
Shakespeare and Rome on Stage
Shakespeare's Roman plays, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar; Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus at the Royal Shakespeare Company - a consideration of productions using rare production images and assessing critical responses. I worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company for some years and therefore have some insider knowledge.
Shakespeare and Renaissance Italy
Around 1300 there was a revival in Italy of ancient classical influences. Italy became for Shakespeare not only the settings for many of his plays but also the place that most inspired his imagination. From Dante to Petrarch to Machiavelli, Renaissance values fuelled Shakespeare, with over 800 references to Italy in his plays. This talk discovers the links and explains why Italy was so important to him.
Recommendation:
Shakespeare and Italy Course
"I have been studying Shakespeare for many years, but Amelia explained the plot of Coriolanus so well that I not only understood the play for the first time, but I also began to care about the characters."
Wendy, Coach House Theatre, 2017
Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon
Building on my ten years working for the Royal Shakespeare Company, this talk offers the history of performance in Stratford-upon-Avon, from 1769 to the present. I have an excellent working knowledge of the old and new theatre buildings in Stratford.
Please Note: I am now working with PROMENADES TRAVEL in the UK as a specialist guide in Stratford-upon-Avon
Find out more about Amelia's Lectures here: www.ameliamarriette.com/lectures
Amelia Marriette is the Author of the bestselling book Walking into Alchemy: The Transformative Power of Nature. Please visit www.ameliamarriette.com/walkingintoalchemy
Malvern Theatre Players Royal Shakespeare Company First Folio
First Folio 400th anniversary William Shakespeare
Nay, Remember Me Stratford-upon-Avon
Playwright on Attachment for Malvern Theatre Players
UK
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