I could not but help think of these words this morning as I walked through crisp snow along the path that now leads from Holy Trinity Church to the Theatres. Although the recent heavy fall of snow has been inconvenient for colleagues trying to get into work at the RSC or patrons trying to get to either performances of MATILDA or Theatre Tours, the severe weather certainly does reflect the winters that William Shakespeare must have known when visiting or staying with family at Wilmcote.
What further splendid images he conjures up at the end of LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST!
“And milk comes frozen home in pail”
“When birds sit brooding in the snow”
Mind you, he also talks of “When blood is nipped and ways be foul”, as a reminder that a cold winter can certainly have an uncomfortable side. I hope I do not appear as an incurable romantic, but when I gazed at the Christmas card scene between Church and Theatres, I could not but help thinking of other splendid words used by Shakespeare to describe this special time of the year:
” Some say that ever gainst that season comes
Wherein our saviour’s birth is celebrated.
The bird of dawning singeth all night long…
The nights are wholesome ..so hallowed
And so gracious is the time “.
I hope all who read this (wherever you spend Christmas ) have a truly merry one and a very happy New Year. As we all prepare to join in the RSC’s 50th birthday celebrations, we know we have so much to look forward to, and to reflect on this my next blog will have a Janus like approach. To be continued…
Season’s greetings to all!
Tony Boyd-Williams
RSC Friends 
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