Hosted by former Muswellbrook High School teacher and 2017 Muswellbrook Shire Citizen of the Year Tony Neate, All The World’s A Stage will take place at the Upper Hunter Conservatorium of Music on Sunday, August 12, from 2pm.

Mr Neate’s entertaining review of the life and times of the Bard of Avon will be supported by a number of exciting local players providing a feast of stories, sonnets, sentences, speeches and songs.

“I was asked to do it as a fundraiser, but I find William Shakespeare is such an interesting character,” he said.

“He’s widely regarded as the greatest playwright in the English language.

“And, it’s incredible he wrote about 39 plays (including tragedies such as King Lear, Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth), 154 sonnets, poems and verses before he died at the age of 52.

“Don’t forget, in the late 1500s and early 1600s, they were dangerous times to live in, too.

“For an old English teacher, there was always something about Shakespeare and the way he described things – he’d put his words in such a way. 

“The more I learn about him, the more respect I have for him.”

Mr Neate said the audience could expect a “surprise” on Sunday.

“It will be a one-off show that they’ve never seen before,” he explained.

“I’ve devised all of it; 12 people are also joining me, including five students.

“So far, we’ve sold about 80 seats for the performance, which is quite pleasing.”

Tickets, $10 per person, are available from the Upper Hunter Conservatorium of Music, located at Campbell’s Corner.

All money raised from All The World’s A Stage will be allocated to the purchase of new science equipment for Muswellbrook High School.