The festival is the brainchild of, and is being presided over by Jude Rawlins. Jude Rawlins is best known as lead singer and songwriter of London based rock band Subterraneans, but is also an acclaimed author whose books include the controversial 2005 collection "Divine Images: The Words of William Blake".
Influences
John Milton, Alexander Pope, Andrew Marvell, dreams, visions and prayers...
Noon
Birthplace
Gathering
William Blake House, corner of Broadwick Street and Marshall Street W1.
1pm.
Tate Britain
The 21st annual
birthday gathering in the Blake Room
&
Mental Fight Club Showcase, including live music, poetry,
exhibits and films.
5pm.
St. Giles-in-the-Fields
Service of
Thanksgiving for the life and work of William Blake
6pm.
St. John's Waterloo
The Live Literature Company
presents Songs of Innocence and of Experience read by Janet Whiteside
Elliot Hayes' play Blake
Tickets £8 (£5 concessions) at the door.
7pm.
St Olave
Hart Street EC3 Blake Songs Michael Bojesen: The voice of the ancient bard (2002),
Thomas Dunhill: Memory (1902)
Alan Gray: My Silks and Fine Array; Love and Harmony (1900s)
John Ireland: A Cradle Song (1912), John Tavener: The lamb (1985), Judith Weir: My
Guardian Angel (1999)
Tickets: £8 (concessions £5)
7.30pm.
The House at Blake Corner
William Blake House, corner of Broadwick Street and Marshall Street W1,
for the dedication of THE BLAKE CAKE at 7.45pm, the moment of Blake's
birth.
10.30pm
'til 3am. William Blake's 250th Birthday Party
The 12 Bar,
Denmark Street.
Across the street from St. Giles-in-the-Fields there stands a tiny forge
building that was old even in Blake's day. Today it is home of the
legendary 12 Bar rock club, and tonight it will unleash a raucous ensemble of poetry, loud music and celebration.
New
Players Theatre
The Theatre of
Eternal Values' current production William Blake: Divine Humanity (see
below) will have an extra-special flavour this evening, with an
after-party
DIVINE HUMANITY New Players Theatre, Charing
Cross, London WC2 20th November - 2nd December 2007
International
theatre company The Theatre of Eternal Values
present their latest production, which combines
the timeless genius of William Blake&146;s
prophetic works with the breathtaking immediacy
of physical theatre. Let WILLIAM BLAKE'S DIVINE
HUMANITY take you journey of the soul, where you
will be carried on the wings of Blake&146;s
visionary world, through the industrial mire of
the &145;dark satanic mills&146; of 18th
century London towards Great Eternity and beyond
&145;the doors of perception&146;.
This
new production uses as its basis the eternal
story of the prophet Job and Blake's own
prophetic work "Jerusalem", interwoven
with re-enactments of key moments of Blake&146;s
life and the times he lived in, incorporating his
songs and poems.
William Blake’s Divine Humanity
A dramatisation of Blake’s Life and Work
PERFORMANCES
Nightly 20 November – 2 December, at 7.30 pm
Preview performances Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 November
World premiere Thursday 22 November
Blake's birthday celebrations Wednesday 28 November
Matinee performance Saturday 1 December, at 2.30 pm
TICKETS: £15, £12 (concs.) and £10 (preview tickets, and groups of 10 or more), online at
www.newplayerstheatre.com
or from on 08444 77 1000 (groups: 0844 844 9990)
The performance on Monday 26 November will be a rehearsed reading of
"BLAKE: A PLAY" by Paul Duncan. (Tickets £5 on the door.)
"I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land."
BLAKE 250 is a series of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of mercurial English poet, artist and mystic William Blake.
William Blake - poet, painter, visionary, and mystic - was born in Broad Street (now Broadwick Street), Soho, London on 28th November 1757, and died, less than a mile away, in Charing Cross, London, on 12th August 1827, singing "songs of joy and triumph" as he did so. In his lifetime he was largely unrecognised, but in the years since his death he has become one of the most famous and influential artistic figures in English history, rivalling even Charles Dickens as the greatest English literary figure since William Shakespeare. Yet despite his immense popularity, Blake has remained the people's poet. There are as many different Blakes as there are people appreciating Blake. There is no "correct" Blake, but only the Blake which one personally needs. Those who come under his spell emerge with not only with the benefit of his artistic prowess and power, but with a greater understanding of themselves. As such, whether he is merely the messiah of the written word, or in fact a conduit for some deep and personal spiritual growth, William Blake's influence has filtered through into every aspect of contemporary art, from poetry and prose, to popular music, film, theatre and multimedia.
Here now is the opportunity to help us celebrate this influence.
London was William Blake's town. Blake 250 is about bringing William home. Artists and Blake enthusiasts of all mediums are invited to deliver their own Blake-influenced work back to the London streets that nurtured and influenced Blake himself. We shall attempt to fulfill, at least for a short while, Blake's vision of an artistic utopia - his "Jerusalem" - on his very own doorstep. There will be seven major events, one for every decade of Blake's life, and many more smaller events, utilising venues from small Bloomsbury bookshops to the major locations of his life.
We are constantly updating the full programme of events for Blake 250. Any suggestions or contributions? Please email us at blake250@london.com.
"I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land."
being on the spiritual path. being on the spiritual path is having the hunger that makes us seek and ask..and the spiritual is the beautiful and whatever makes us dance and laugh..the spiritual path is like a river and how water wears away the stone..of the islands we are stranded on all alone..and like a child running and playing in the rain..a sunflower on a cloudy day waiting for the sun to shine again..the growing pains and is our souls giving birth..to a new heaven and a more perfect earth.
being on the spiritual path. being on the spiritual path is having the hunger that makes us seek and ask..and the spiritual is the beautiful and whatever makes us dance and laugh..the spiritual path is like a river and how water wears away the stone..of the islands we are stranded on all alone..and like a child running and playing in the rain..a sunflower on a cloudy day waiting for the sun to shine again..the growing pains and is our souls giving birth..to a new heaven and a more perfect earth.
The great Dudley Sutton! This is really good stuff. Me and my mate Jo have recorded a bunch of Blake's poems. Check a couple out on our page. We should get a gig together!
Thank you so much for adding us. Blake is the greatest influence on my thought. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is, in my opinion, THE greatest mystical work of art ever.
