Birmingham Heroes: What makes a good Shakespeare actor?

In the sixth Birmingham Heroes lecture, Professor Sir Stanley Wells reflected on the qualities required of great Shakespeare actors, based partly on his own long theatre-going experience and also on written accounts and actors' anecdotes from over the centuries.

Alumni, donors and friends attended this highly entertaining and informative lecture, which took place at the Globe Theatre in London, and was hosted by Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute. Following the lecture, attendees had the opportunity to meet and speak with Sir Stanley at a drinks reception. Photos of the event can be found on our Flickr site.

The Shakespeare Institute is an internationally renowned research institution based in the heart of Shakespeare's beautiful Stratford-upon-Avon. It was established in 1951 to push the boundaries of knowledge about Shakespeare studies and Renaissance drama.

Being based in the heart of Stratford upon Avon, the Shakespeare Institute enjoys close and developing relations with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. It has its own purpose-built world-class research library, run by a priceless team of expert librarians. It plays host to the most prestigious international Shakespeare conference in the world, as well as to the biggest postgraduate conference in Shakespeare studies. Students are taught in an international environment by academic staff working at the forefront of their subjects.

For further information about the Institute and research being carried out, please visit the website.