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.
On Sunday 13th July, we’ll be celebrating 12 years as a publication. Starting Theatre Full Stop in 2013, I was personally inspired to explore our contemporary, new writing landscape, especially post my East 15 training where we were guided to create new work reflective of the world around us, exploring socio-political issues seldom explored. As a publication, we’re intrigued by the stories that shape where we are now and how best to move forward from lessons learned.
As we approach 2 years this July of our commitment to integrating and exploring what it means to look after our wellbeing, we just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported the journey so far! Thank you to Megan Mattravers who has been at the forefront of guiding us all on what it means to observe the present moment in our fast paced world and to Francesca Mepham who has been vital in helping spread the word with her vital PR campaigns and belief in what we’re looking to achieve!
