A new festival exploring madness in Shakespeare’s plays will take place in Aldeburgh from 29 to 31 May, bringing together leading artists including Dame Harriet Walter, Sir Jonathan Bate, Mark Lockyer, Stefan Bednarczyk and Colin Hurley.
Mad About Shakespeare will be held across Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall and Aldeburgh Cinema. Curated by theatre director Nick Hutchison, the weekend aims not only to celebrate Shakespeare but also to raise funds for Second Stage, a charity providing training and employment pathways for people leaving prison.
Ahead of the festival, Second Stage and Regeneration Theatre will run a training course at HMP Hollesley Bay, using Hamlet as a foundation to teach up to 15 men technical theatre skills. Participants will prepare for future employment and, in some cases, on‑site training while released on temporary licence.
Earlier this year, Second Stage held an Industry Awareness Day at the National Theatre, attended by theatre leaders and employers from across the sector. Speakers included Lord Timpson, Rosie Brown, Kate Varah, Prison Governor Emily Thomas and actor Michael Balogun. The event strengthened the charity’s employer network and highlighted opportunities for supporting prison leavers into backstage roles.
Since launching in early 2025, Second Stage has engaged with 65 men and placed six into work, including two in full‑time roles and four in crewing positions. The charity was founded in response to national skills shortages across backstage theatre departments and rising prison populations, identifying a trained but often overlooked potential workforce.
The festival programme includes Lear’s Shadow, devised and performed by Colin Hurley, a conversation with Sir Jonathan Bate, an Aldeburgh Cinema screening of A Midsummer Night’s Dream introduced by director Michael Hoffman, and The Play’s The Thing: A One Person Hamlet performed by Mark Lockyer. Dame Harriet Walter will perform passages from her book She Speaks – What Shakespeare’s Women Might Have Said, followed by “Brunch with the Bard and Bednarczyk”.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
