Pop-up Globe secures naming rights sponsor

Pop-up Globe, host of one of the biggest festivals of Shakespeare ever staged in the Southern Hemisphere, has announced that leading law firm Anthony Harper has secured naming rights for this year’s Shakespeare Season.

Marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death, this theatrical season will showcase some of his most famous plays Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Much Adoe About Nothing, Hamlet, Titus, Antony & Cleopatra and Henry V.

Anthony Harper Managing Partner Malcolm Hurley explained “we are very excited to be supporting this unique event.

"This represents the first time in 374 years that an audience will be able to watch Shakespeare's plays being performed in a replica of his own theatre."

Hurley added that Anthony Harper has a long history of supporting the arts, although this has until now been focused in Christchurch, the site of their first office.

He explained “while we cannot claim a history of over 374 years (New Zealand had only just been spotted by Abel Tasman), we are proud of our 150 year lineage.

"The firm is well known for its sponsorship of the arts in Christchurch, from our support of COCA, over a number of years, to our long standing sponsorship of the Anthony Harper Summer Theatre."

Having been looking to sponsor an event in Auckland for a long time, Hurley comments “the combination of the largest season of Shakespeare's plays in the Southern hemisphere, in a unique setting, open to all – from over 20,000 school children to Shakespeare aficionados – and being a bit different appealed greatly to us.”

Love of the theatre is shared by Anthony Harper staff who themselves have an abundance of theatrical talent. From a senior associate who appeared in Miss Saigon at the Civic, a partner who was a member, along with Racheal Weisz, of the Cambridge University European Touring Group, to a partner who appeared in the Phantom of the Opera.

Pop-Up Globe Artistic Director Dr Miles Gregory says he is delighted that Anthony Harper has chosen to present the Auckland Season at Pop-up Globe.

Gregory stated “with a 150 year history of their own, Anthony Harper have a deep understanding that incredible results come through blending tradition with innovation.

“Thanks to their support, tens of thousands of people will enjoy the largest Shakespeare festival in Australasian history - in a theatre that blends the latest construction technology with 400 year old design. From our perspective, it's a perfect match and a great example of how the arts mean business."

Pop-up Globe is the world’s first full-scale working replica of the second Globe theatre, Shakespeare’s Theatre. Marking the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death, it will pop up in the heart of Auckland City, host a season of the bard’s masterworks and then disappear again.

Anthony Harper is an award-winning national law firm. 

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