Compere Francesca Mepham
An icon of stage and screen, immortalised for his ability to truly connect with language worked with, Welsh legend Richard Burton – born on the 10th November 1925 would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Set to follow in the footsteps of Laurence Olivier, Burton’s tumultuous path would become synonymous with his body of work, to a point overshadowing it – his high profile marriages to Elizabeth Taylor and his battle with addiction elements of fame contended with. Embodying a resonance made for the stage, wrestling with the rich and complex nature of Shakespeare’s verse – Burton very quickly marked himself apart from the rest as a true master of performance.
Prior to his much documented career in Entertainment, he served as Aircraftman in the RAF for 3 years. A student of Exeter College, University of Cambridge, he studied English – this is where he’d also develop his love for the stage, starring in various productions hosted by the Oxford University Dramatic Society. In celebration of Burton’s centenary, the Centenary Projects Poets Squad will start off a double-billed evening at the Ye Olde Rose and Crown pub theatre on Saturday 8th November reciting poems which currently form part of an anthology titled Poems for Rich, published by SJH Media UK, available to purchase here.