BATH FESTIVAL TREATS FOR AUTUMN

Bath Festivals is thrilled to welcome one of our most beloved actors, Sir Simon Russell Beale, to Bath for a special event celebrating the launch of his memoir, A Piece Of Work: Playing Shakespeare and Other Stories.

Spend a captivating evening with one of the finest actors of his generation, as he delves into his life, his extraordinary career on stage and screen, and his enduring fascination with the world’s greatest playwright. 

Simon Russell Beale has played many roles on stage, film, television and radio, from Winston Churchill to Stalin, George Smiley to King Arthur. But ever since his appearance at school as a glamorous Desdemona, he has been captivated by Shakespeare. He studied English at Cambridge University before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been garlanded with many accolades, including Olivier and BAFTA awards.  

Simon will reveal what it is to approach and live with some of Shakespeare’s most famous characters, drawing on his experiences as a man who has played many parts, and attempt to get under the skin of the playwright and find out what drove him – how collaborative was Shakespeare? Was he an instinctive ‘conservative’ or, rather, gently subversive? Did he suffer from insomnia and experience sexual jealousy?  

He will also take us backstage, sharing fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the great and the good – including his friends Sam Mendes, Nicholas Hytner, Stephen Sondheim and Lauren Bacall – and revealing some of his own surprising sources of inspiration. 

Join us on Monday 30 September, from 7:30pm at The Assembly Rooms, Bath for an evening in what promises to be delightful, entertaining company. His memoir A Piece of Work: Playing Shakespeare and Other Stories is published on 5 September. 

Ticket, £13 (£9 concessions) plus booking fee,  from: An Evening With Sir Simon Russell Beale – The Bath Festival : The Bath Festival (bathfestivals.org.uk) 

Or by phone, 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday: 01225 463362. Or in person during those hours at Bath Box Office counter, 1a Forum Buildings, St James’ Parade, Bath BA1 1UG. 

David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas at 20 

We are delighted to announce that we have been able to reschedule a visit from author David Mitchell, originally planned for the May Bath Festival, and now taking place on Thursday 3 October, from 7:30pm at The Assembly Rooms. 

The genre-defying, Booker-shortlisted, bestselling novel Cloud Atlas is 20 years old this year and to celebrate this anniversary, we’re welcoming its author David Mitchell to Bath for an evening in conversation with author, journalist and composer, Mat Osman (The Ghost Factory). 

Cloud Atlas was originally published in 2004 and is comprised of six interconnected tales, each written in a unique style and told from a differing perspective. David will reflect on his literary masterpiece, and what it meant for his writing career. He’ll also discuss the challenges of turning one of the most complex novels into a Hollywood film.  

‘I remember so clearly the sheer pleasure of reading Cloud Atlas for the first time. It was one of those rare books that expand your idea of what literature might be capable of. I’m still in awe of its scope and ambition, its readability and its heart, so I’m delighted to have a chance to talk to David about it.’ – Mat Osman 

Tickets, £11 (£8 concessions) plus booking fee, from: https://bathfestivals.org.uk/the-bath-festival/event/cloudatlasat20/ 

Or by phone, 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday: 01225 463362. Or in person during those hours at Bath Box Office counter, 1a Forum Buildings, St James’ Parade, Bath BA1 1UG. 

About the speakers 

David Mitchell has written eight novels, as well as essays and a novella and has adapted his work for the stage and screen. 

Cloud Atlas (his third novel) was his breakthrough novel. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize and listed for many other awards. The work was acclaimed by critics and readers alike.  He has been nominated for the Booker Prize five times. In 2018, he won The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence, given in recognition of a writer’s entire body of work. 

Mat Osman is the bassist and founder member of iconic British rock band Suede and a composer of music for TV and films. He also worked as a culture journalist during the noughties, writing about art and travel for papers, magazines and online. He is the author of bestselling novel The Ghost Theatre, published in 2023. 

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About Bath Festivals   

Bath Festivals is a charity that inspires and connects communities through the power of the arts.  Its work is primarily funded by individual donors, corporate sponsors, trusts and ticket sales. Tickets are currently on sale for Bath Children’s Literature Festival, which runs from Friday 27 September to Sunday 6 October, featuring more than 80 live events.

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