Shakespeare's Rebel Book Launch
DATE/TIME: July 22nd, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
LOCATION: Vanier Park, Vancouver
On the night of July 22nd, Bard on the Beach, together with Academie Duello, Canada’s premier medieval martial arts school will put on a swashbuckling night of swords and words!
Come join us at Vanier Park to celebrate the launch of Bard alumni C.C. Humphrey’s latest novel ‘Shakespeare’s Rebel’ – a rollicking tale of the Globe Theatre’s fight choreographer, John Lawley, and his adventures in London 1600 AD - a city on the brink of revolution and a theatre putting on a play that will change literature forever: the Tragedy of Hamlet.
Some of Canada’s finest swordsmen will perform fights from the novel and Shakespeare's plays. Members of the Academie Duello Performance Team will be among those showcasing their swashbuckling stage skills. Among the fight choreographers will be Academie Duello's own Stage Combat and Bartitsu instructor David McCormick who shall both display and analyze the creation of the fights that have thrilled audiences for centuries.
Devon Boorman, Maestro of Academie Duello, will conduct a ‘Prize Fight’, just as the Elizabethan Maisters of Defense would have done. There will be discussions of the extraordinary times and how they are reflected in the plays Bard is presenting this summer: Hamlet, and Elizabeth Rex, which concerns both the Queen and the mad Earl of Essex, two central characters in the novel. Bard Artistic Director Christopher Gaze and Humphreys will both read extracts and talk about how Humphreys has brought together two of his greatest passions – Hamlet and bladed weaponry – to shape what could be his most exciting adventure to date.
The night starts at 7pm and goes till 10pm and takes place at Bard on the Beach’s mainstage. So come join us for swords, for words – and an evening that looks at all things Shakespearean from an especially sharp angle!
Learn more about Shakespeare's Rebel and about the author at the official website of C.C. Humphreys.
Devon Boorman is the Co-Founder and Director of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay, which has been active in Vancouver, Canada since 2004. Devon’s expertise centres on the Italian swordplay tradition including the arts of the Renaissance Italian rapier, sidesword, and longsword, as well as knife and unarmed techniques. Read more from Devon Boorman.