Fresh from their performance at the Refugee Week Conference, poetry collective Bards Without Borders (BWB) will be performing at RichMix London on 23 April to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.

The show has something for everyone. Merging old and new poetry, live music and puppetry, the crowd will be immersed in a mock wake for the iconic bard, 400 years to the day since he died. The evening of revelry will culminate in a boisterous commemoration led by a guest DJ.

Amid the colourful celebrations, 11 poets from refugee and migrant backgrounds will reflect on stories of journeys, loss, joy and displacement; themes which feature heavily throughout Shakespeare’s own work.

Theatre director Arne Pohlmeier, co-founder of BWB, says: “Even if you found yourself put off Shakespeare by school, you can’t help but be drawn into the stories and spectacle of Bards without Borders. The show is truly a not-to-be-missed event.”

BWB will then be peforming at several events during Refugee Week.

As Co-founder and poet Laila Sumpton said “Shakespeare is rightly linked with British culture and identity, but he is also truly global. Audiences all over the world have seen his works, so we can easily say that England does not ‘own’ Shakespeare. Our bards are exploring this concept and want to invite people to join the conversation when they perform.”

www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/bards-without-borders-shakespeares-dead-get-over-it/