The contribution of British Black and Asian actors to Shakespearean theatre in the UK is celebrated in a new book by Warwick researcher Dr Jami Rogers. Starting with the pioneering residency of the US actor Ira Aldridge in Coventry in 1828, Rogers sets out to trace the history of those performers of colour who followed Aldridge onto UK stages and whose contributions to British Shakespeare have largely gone unacknowledged.

The stories of 18th century Caribbean uprisings and Black prisoners held in an English castle will be told a new play by the National Theatre, created as part of a project involving the University of Warwick.

Theatre producers and champions of the arts Lucy Neal and Rose Fenton emphasised the ‘critical’ role of arts venues in society as they were awarded honorary degrees from the University of Warwick this week.

Rakie Ayola has received an honorary degree from the University of Warwick for her work in theatre and as a TV actor as well as her production company which aims to increase ethnic representation in the entertainment industry.

For many families, sitting down to watch a Christmas Special is as much a part of the holiday season as the Queen’s Speech, a carol service in the parish church, or a trip to the pantomime.But when did the tradition of a holiday-themed premiere start? Professor Paul Raffield of Warwick Law School argues that the Christmas special can be traced back to the creative mind of William Shakespeare, and specifically the premiere of The Comedy of Errors at Gray’s Inn on 28 December 1594.

Dr Anna Harpin and Dr Rachel Bennett from the University of Warwick have been shortlisted for the Health Humanities Medal, a new national award led by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in association with the Wellcome Trust.

A new exhibition, Hear the Ambassadors: The Performance of Diplomacy in the Age of Shakespeare, opened this week in Stratford. A collaboration between the University of Warwick and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, it is based on the work of Carol Chillington Rutter, Professor of Shakespeare and Performance Studies at Warwick.

Euripides’ tragedy about love, betrayal and revenge is coming to Coventry. The play will be produced by Classics students at the University of Warwick, and will be performed in the Main Stage of the prestigious Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.

Known as one the most tragic pieces of ancient Greek theatre, the play tells the story of the former barbarian princess Medea and her desire to exact revenge against her unfaithful husband, Jason.

Partying, pantomime, feasting and gift-giving are all established traditions of the Christmas season. At the same time of the year over 2000 years ago, Romans had the very same customs in celebration of a different festival – Saturnalia.

Researchers from the University of Warwick and University college Dublin (UCD) have teamed up with Coventry based theatre group Talking Birds to explore the devastating effect of solitary confinement in prison in a new play, Disorder Contained: a theatrical examination of madness, prison and solitary confinement.

The production forms part of part of a major four-year interdisciplinary project aiming to transform our understanding of theatre during the Napoleonic era by giving a clearer understanding of the complex interplay of art and politics in France at the beginning of the nineteenth century, lead by Dr Katherine Astbury of the University of Warwick's School of Modern Languages and Cultures.

A new permanent exhibition on Napoleonic prisoners and the theatre they built has been launched Portchester Castle, Hampshire with help from researchers at the University of Warwick – with scenes of an authentic play staged by the prisoners to be performed on the 5-6^th August.

Supported by the University of Warwick, Coventry will honour the achievements of one of the greatest figures in both black history and the history of theatre: the Lord Mayor Tony Skipper and the veteran actor Earl Cameron CBE will unveil a blue plaque commemorating the Midlands city’s unique links to the African American actor Ira Aldridge, who died 150 years ago.

Researchers from the Centre for the History of Medicine at the University of Warwick have teamed up with local theatre group, Talking Birds, to explore the devastating effect of solitary confinement in a new play, Disorder Contained: a theatrical examination of madness, prison and solitary confinement.

Dr Katherine Astbury Associate Professor of French Studies in the University of Warwick’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures is calling for amateur actors to take part in a theatrical melodrama on stage in the country’s most complete Georgian playhouse.

Royal Shakespeare Company actor Ray Fearon is to star in an event honouring the remarkable achievements of the African-American actor Ira Aldridge this week at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.

From beautiful landscapes to Embarrassing Bodies a new book by a University of Warwick academic examines what makes us stop and stare at the TV.

The award-winning producer of the films City of God and The Constant Gardener, believes that the study of film is more than just an academic discipline. Donald Ranvaud made the comment after being conferred with an honorary doctorate during one of the University’s 2016 graduation ceremonies.

Researchers from the Multicultural Shakespeare in Britain Project at the University of Warwick are set to launch a new online Shakespeare performance database on 15 Jan 2016 that holds three years of research which documents and contextualises BAME performers’ crucial yet undervalued contribution to our understanding of Shakespeare - our greatest cultural symbol of ‘Britishness’.

Warwick University’s Professor Tony Howard is discussing the history of Black and Asian Shakespearean theatre in Britain and introducing the exhibition ‘Tell my story’ which celebrates Black performers’ crucial but undervalued contribution to our understanding of Shakespeare - the greatest cultural symbol of ‘Britishness’.