The anniversary 30^th edition of the international Shakespeare Festival begins on 23 July. Audiences watching performances from Canada, the UK, Romania, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Poland will be accompanied by the festival newspaper ‘Shakespeare Daily’, which will be produced by staff and students from the University of Gdańsk.

This year’s edition of the Shakespeare Festival has a special significance. It is not only the event’s 30th anniversary, but also an opportunity to commemorate its founder – prof. Jerzy Limon, who was associated with the University of Gdańsk for many years. As the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, emphasises: ‘Professor Jerzy Limon also holds a unique place in the history of the University of Gdańsk. An outstanding English scholar, Shakespearean scholar, humanist and academic, he helped shape the prestige of our university for decades, inspiring successive generations of students and researchers. At the same time, he created an institution that has become one of the most important symbols of modern Gdańsk. Thanks to him, the University of Gdańsk and the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre are linked by much more than mere proximity. They are united by a shared history, shared values and the memory of a man who left a lasting mark on both these worlds. The Festival’s 30th anniversary edition is therefore more than just another artistic event. It is a story of the power of ideas that can stand the test of time. It is also an expression of gratitude to Professor Jerzy Limon, a man who had the courage to dream and who realised his dreams with remarkable determination.’

A fresh take on Shakespeare’s plays

Dr hab. Konrad Knoch from the Institute of Media, Journalism and Social Communication at the University of Gdańsk will oversee the work of the editorial team of the festival newspaper ‘Shakespeare Daily’. Under his guidance, students will prepare successive issues of the newspaper, learning to work in an editorial office operating under time pressure during an international festival.

‘I am very keen to ensure that young people have the space for self-development and the opportunity to publish their own articles, to learn about working in the media and to gain an understanding of the specific nature of media work,’ says the editor-in-chief of ‘Shakespeare Daily’, dr Konrad Knoch.

The first issue of ‘Shakespeare Daily’ will reach readers on the opening day of the Shakespeare Festival. Over the following days, the newspaper will accompany the audience, documenting the most important events of this anniversary edition and presenting the festival from the perspective of young journalists.

Work experience in an international environment

‘The festival isn’t just alive on stage. It also lives on in the conversations after the performances, in the debates, the rapture, the disappointments, the discoveries and the questions that stay with us long after we’ve left the theatre. Our newspaper is precisely a space for careful observation, for listening to fresh voices and for very personal encounters with the arts,’ adds the Director of the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, Agata Grenda.

The editorial team of ‘Shakespeare Daily’ consists of ten volunteers. They come not only from the University of Gdańsk, but also from the Theatre Academy in Warsaw, the University of Warsaw, the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

To join the editorial team, in addition to filming a one-minute video about themselves, candidates had to submit two reviews of theatre productions of their choice (any productions). One was to be positive, and the other critical. The selection panel also assessed candidates’ punctuality and availability during the festival.

The project did not come about by chance. The collaboration between the University of Gdańsk and the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre has been developing for years and encompasses both artistic and educational initiatives. ‘From the involvement of the university choir in a production staged at the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre to the organisation of festival events on the university’s premises and with the university’s organisational support. This year, the question arose – not even “whether” we would collaborate, but “how we could collaborate”, so that it would be interesting and worthwhile for both parties. The Festival Newspaper, which the Theatre would not have been able to publish on its own this year, proved to be the ideal solution. It is a space for collaboration between professionals (editors, proofreaders, graphic designers) and students. It allows them to gain professional experience in an international environment, to meet artists, but also academics from all over the world,’ says Marta Nowicka from the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre.

When the curtain falls each evening, the working day will continue for the ‘Shakespeare Daily’ editorial team. A few hours later, the finished issue of the newspaper will reach the festival audience. For festival-goers, it will serve as a guide to the events, whilst for the students, it will be a unique lesson in journalism that cannot be replicated in a lecture theatre.

Programme of the 30th Shakespeare Festival