Potions, Performance and Passionate Volunteering! Shakespeare's Folio comes to Smethwick

One of the first ever copies of Shakespeare’s collected plays and poems, printed in 1623, is on tour in the West Midlands. On Saturday it was at the Dorothy Parkes Centre in the heart of Smethwick, and it certainly drew an audience.

The teams at Dorothy Parkes and at Bearwood Community Hub had got together to create a day of activities for all the family alongside the opportunity to see the folio itself. You could make your own Elizabethan sweet smelling herbal sachet or lavender bag …

… brew up a potion or two with a generous dose of ‘Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble …’

… and try your hand at writing with a quill

Jenny from Bearwood’s Bear Bookshop was there, opening up the world of Shakespeare to adults and children alike, the Oddbodies Theatre Company performed their one-man King Lear, Kurly McGeachie Birmingham Poet Laureate finalist, was on hand as MC and poet-in-residence for the day, and Rachel Green, Drama Queen hosted a cheeky family workshop where you could create create your own fun insults inspired by the words of the Bard!! At lunchtime, the party mood was kept up by Members of Gloriana Living History performing a series of dances from the days of Elizabeth I.

It was a great event that drew a fantastic crowd, benefitting hugely from the superb team of volunteers that were on hand meeting and greeting visitors, getting the auditorium ready for performances and the spaces ready for the workshops, and generally being on hand all day with a friendly smile and helpful advice. Well done to everyone involved and thank you for making it happen.