Diever and Shakespeare have been inseparably linked through the theater for more than 75 years. But residents are also noticing more and more of the famous writer outside the theater. In addition to various works of art, there is now also an audio tour.
“We have become richer in a special art from Diever,” says Monique Smidt of Village of Shakespeare. “We initially just wanted a walk, but over time the idea has evolved.”
The goal according to Smidt is to use Shakespeare more as a brand. “It is for the environment to benefit more from this. Economically and for recreation.” If visitors come to Diever for the theater, they also have other activities to do.
The route is 3.5 kilometers long and passes various sights in Diever. Via an app on their phone, walkers can listen to a story starring William Shakespeare himself.
Dorien Folkers and Marinus Vroom are the creators of the audio tour. The script comes from British film writer Chris Mitchell. “He delved into it and of course already had basic knowledge of Shakespeare,” says Folkers.
Listeners are told a plot that cuts through different layers of time. Whether Professor Van Giffen, the father of the dolmens or a modern podcast maker, the walk literally ‘takes a walk with time.’
The story contains 56 quotes from Shakespeare. According to Folkers, it is an art to trace them all. “All the texts he speaks come from a play or a sonnet. Everyone would recognize Romeo and Juliet, but there were also a lot of quotes that I thought: I have never heard them.”
Some regular faces from the Shakespeare Theater have provided the voices with great dedication. “It was recorded in a short time and was immediately ‘spot on’,” Vroom explains. “The actors of the Shakespeare Theater are an enormous asset.”