Pop-up Shakespeare Forsooth!

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Do you love to act the fool? Now you can do it at the library!

Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand will have actors from various local theatre groups to come in to Central Library at 11am-12pm on one Saturday per month for the rest of this year.

They will be performing scenes from selected plays, with four plays per event. Anyone’s welcome to join in -trust us, it’s a lot of fun!

Check out the dates and plays for Pop-up Shakespeare;

May 21: Henry VI, Richard III, The Taming of the shrew, The Two Gentlemen of Verona
June 25: Love’s Labour’s Lost, Richard II, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
July 23: The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV, parts 1 & 2
August 20: Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It
September 17: Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Troilus & Cressida, All’s Well That Ends Well
October 15: Measure For Measure, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth
November 12: Antony & Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens, Pericles, The Two Noble Kinsmen
December 10: Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, Henry VIII, Cardenio

To see if other Shakespeare events at Wellington City Libraries are coming up, go to Shakespeare lives at the library

New fiction for children – Get your hands on them now!

More new books! It’s like they are just flying in the doors simply so they can fly back out again in your hands. You know what to do… find them in your local library or seek them out on our catalogue.

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsPAX by Sara Pennypacker “After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back”– Provided by publisher.

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsWaiting for Callback by Perdita and Honor Cargill Geek Girl meets Fame meets New Girl in this brilliantly funny new series! When Elektra is discovered by an acting agent, she imagines Oscar glory can’t be far away, but instead lurches from one cringe-worthy moment to the next! Just how many times can you be rejected for the part of ‘Dead Girl Number Three’ without losing hope? And who knew that actors were actually supposed to be multi-lingual, play seven instruments and be trained in a variety of circus skills? Off-stage things aren’t going well either – she’s fallen out with her best friend, remains firmly in the friend-zone with her crush and her parents are driving her crazy. One way or another, Elektra’s life is now spent waiting for the phone to ring – waiting for callback. Can an average girl-next-door like Elektra really make it in the world of luvvies and starlets?

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsThe nine lives of Montezuma by Michael Morpurgo This is the story of the nine lives of a very special cat, from impetuous young kitten to the king of the farmyard. Wherever Montezuma goes, adventure and excitement are sure to follow.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsElectrigirl by Jo Cotterill Holly Sparkes was just your average 12-year-old, that was, until she’s hit by a bolt of lightning. Now Holly is EXTRAordinary. Like a human battery Holly can generate a massive amount of electricity in seconds, which could come in handy if she’s ever going to solve the mystery of her best friend’s disappearance. Because when you’re dealing with the likes of Professor McAvity and her mysterious CyberSky corporation, you need all the help you can get!

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsJust my Luck by Cammie McGovern Since entering fourth grade, Benny Barrows worries that he will never be good at anything, that he is responsible for an accident that sent his father to the hospital, and that his attempts at winning a school contest will never be noticed.

New Non Fiction – get crafty!

image courtesy of syndeticsCraft it up : Christmas around the world : 35 fun craft projects inspired by traveling adventures.

It’s less than 85 days until Christmas. Why not get cracking with ideas on sort of Christmas themed projects you can tackle just in time for the holiday season. Stuck on ideas? Then check out Craft it up : Christmas around the world : 35 fun craft projects inspired by traveling adventures and get lots of fantastic ideas on creative projects, Christmas gift ideas and baked goods inspired by many countries around the world.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndetics10 Minute Halloween Crafts.

Halloween is around the corner. A time of ghouls, ghosts and spooky creatures.  This book is jam packed full of craft ideas to teach children  how to make Halloween decorations such as bat hangings and black cat lanterns and create spookily brilliant zombie finger puppets and witches on broomsticks, plus lots more amazing Halloween ideas. A book that is bound to keep children entertained from now until Halloween.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsRoald Dahl’s The Witches: Plays for Children.

Anyone who is a fan of Roald Dah and who enjoyed his book, The Witches will absolutely love these seven short plays enclosed in this new book. Enclosed in this book are a collection of seven short plays to read and perform. It includes notes, props and costumes. The plays are easy to perform, ideal for acting at school or at home and guarantees lots of fun.

 

Time Travel, House of Horrors and All the world’s your stage.

Here’s some new non fiction for the New Year.

Lighting Our World: A Year of Celebrations.

Whether its setting off fireworks in celebration of a historic day or lighting a lantern in remembrance of a loved one that has passed away, every culture has its unique set of customs. Filled with beautifully detailed illustrations, Lighting our world shines a light on familiar and unusual festivals that are celebrated each month of the year. Learn about holidays celebrated around the world from the one’s you know, like Easter, Halloween, Christmas and Hanukkah to the less known, like Las Fallas, Buddha’s birthday and Obon: Festival of the dead.

 

 

 

On Stage Theater Games and Activities for Kids.

Think you got what it takes to be an actor? Or you have a speech to prepare for and want to boast your confidence? Then with this exciting new read, all the world’s your stage. On Stage Theater Games and Activities for Kids is filled with acting and theater games that help children learn how to express themselves with their voices and bodies, as well as enhance children’s self esteem and manage public speaking fears.  Also filled with games and activities to cover basic theater vocabulary, puppetry and pantomime, sound effects, costumes, props, and makeup.

 

Doctor Who: The Official Doctionary.

Do you ever have moments when you wonder what someone else is talking about, especially if that someone happens to be Doctor Who talking about the Blinovitch Limitation Effect and regeneration? Not to fear, In this book, the Doctor takes you through all those tricky Time Lord words and phrases to teach you everything you need to know for travelling through time and space in the Time And Relative Dimension In Space (TARDIS) with him. The Doctor’s dictionary is the  essential book for all budding time travelers and intergalactic companions. Great for ages 7 to 12 years and anyone who is a fan of Doctor Who.

 

 

 

Horrible Science: House of Horrors.

Welcome to the House of Horrors! This book isn’t about just any house, it’s about your house and its uninvited guests. You will read and learn all the revolting facts like what bugs eat their own poo, how many litres of wee can a mouse produce a year and why you would hire a giant centipede that will be enough to scare you out of your own house and put you off your food… for life!

 

Harlem’s Little Blackbird.

This biography is a  tribute to a little known but much loved member of the Harlem Renaissance elite, Florence Mills, a performer whose story may have faded from the history books, but whose influence resonated long after she sang her last song. Florence Mills’ story  includes coverage of her youth as a child of former slaves, her singing and dancing performances that inspired songs and entire plays, and the struggles with racism that prompted her advocacy of all-black theater and musicals.

 

 

 

Julie Andrews’ Treasury For All Seasons: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year.

We remember her as Mary Poppins and Maria from The Sound of Music, but now Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton have put together this beautiful book of poems and songs that celebrate every moment of the year. This keepsake collection includes poems written by famous poets such as Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson,  Walt Whitman and even some written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton that will encourage an early love for poetry.

 

 

Shakespeare in the Theatre

Shakespeare was a member of a theatre company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. He was their chief playwright, writing about two plays per year, and he also appeared as an actor. Shakespeare was also a shareholder in the acting company.

 

As only men were allowed to act onstage, all theatre companies were made up of men, with a few boys aged 8 – 12 who played the female parts.

 

In 1597 the theatre company’s lease on the theatre they were using ran out. Their landlord wanted to pull down the theatre and use the timber for something else! So what they did was this: they gathered together in the middle of the night, dismantled the theatre piece by piece, and transported the timber across the Thames River, where they rebuilt the theatre south of the river.

 

The new theatre was called the Globe; it had twenty short sides so it formed a circle. It could seat 3,000 people. Shakespeare also owned a share in the new theatre.

 

The theatre was attended by everyone, rich and poor. It was one of the few places where everyone could meet on equal terms.