Shakespeare Lives

In 2016, the British Council and the GREAT Britain campaign launched Shakespeare Lives to mark 400 years since the playwright’s death. As Arts Project Manager with British Council Lebanon, I led a year-long national programme of activities in collaboration with local and international partners.

Working with AUB, AUT, Al Bustan International Festival, Grand Cinemas, Cinemaiyat Festival, Masrah Al-Madina, and the UK Embassy, we brought Shakespeare to audiences across Lebanon through theatre, storytelling, music, film, lectures, and dance.

Highlights included King Lear in Arabic at AUB, a Shakespeare-themed Queen’s Birthday Party with the Embassy, concerts and workshops at Al Bustan Festival, and screenings of classics like Romeo and Juliet.

The celebrations reached diverse audiences, from school groups to festival-goers, and opened up Shakespeare’s work in new, locally relevant ways. It was a chance to showcase the enduring power of literature to connect cultures and spark creativity.

A pink poster announces a screening of Shakespeare in film, celebrating the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. It mentions the British Council and Grand Cinemas presenting Romeo & Juliet (Franco Zeffirelli) on April 26, 2016, at 8:00 PM at Grand Cinemas in Ashrafieh. The poster includes logos of the British Council, Great Britain, and Grand Cinemas, and features a still image from the film of a young woman and a young man embracing outdoors.
Group of young people dancing and socialising in a classroom or seminar room with chairs, a projector screen, and a pink British Council poster in the background.
Musicians practicing in a room with posters about Shakespeare and the British Council, with a piano, sheet music, and a woman singing.
A woman wearing glasses and a yellow hat with a purple shirt labeled British Council and a green 'STAFF' badge stands on grass holding a microphone, with a large group of children in purple shirts and yellow hats in the background.
Three women in formal dresses standing together in a room, two holding bouquets of flowers, smiling at the camera.
Four people standing together and smiling at a formal event with a backdrop featuring logos and text, including "GREAT Britain," "BRITISH COUNCIL," and "SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE 2016".
A promotional poster of "King Lear" play in Arabic featuring a black and white portrait of an elderly man with a beard and serious expression, with Arabic text and logos overlaid