Upcoming Events

Shakespeare@Peters 2025

5 July 2025

College alumni

Shakespeare@Peter's

Look to be edified and entertained as Shakespeare@Peter’s returns, by popular demand!

This year's focus: Twelfth Night.

‘Dost thou think that because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?’

In December 2023, we hosted a sold-out afternoon programme of Shakespeare@Peter’s talks, music and performances, followed by an exclusive Shakespeare Gala Banquet animated by performance interludes. The afternoon and evening included a lively illustrated talk by the Master, Professor Judith Buchanan, with audience participation, and guest appearances by Sir Greg Doran, Dame Janet Suzman, the College Choir and Royal Shakespeare Company actors. You can watch selections from the 2023 programme here.

Shakespeare@Peter’s 2025 will focus on Shakespeare’s riotous festive comedy, Twelfth Night. There will be more audience-participation moments, and we will be joined by, among others, distinguished actor and director Samuel West. Sam West’s recent performance as Malvolio for the Royal Shakespeare Company (fitted in around playing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small) has been universally praised. In St Peter’s, he will be in conversation with the Master about playing Twelfth Night and will rehearse younger actors in scenes from the play as part of a masterclass workshop.

The Gala Banquet in the evening will once again be punctuated by performance moments.

Early-bird registration opens Friday 4 April 2025.

Note: This event is reserved exclusively for alumni and current College members. Invitations will be issued by email.

Programme details

Learn more about the event programme and ticket prices below. Early-bird pricing (£5 discount on all tickets) is available through 4 May 2025.

Afternoon programme (2.45pm-7.15pm)

Tea, coffee, biscuits before the session starts and mid-afternoon, and a closing drinks reception are included with all afternoon programme tickets.

  • Professor Judith Buchanan - Twelfth Night: an illustrated talk with audience participation
  • Music from the College Choir
  • Interval and refreshments
  • Sam West in Conversation with Prof Judith Buchanan - On Playing Malvolio
  • Masterclass workshop with Sam West - Sam West workshops a Twelfth Night scene with actors
  • Drinks reception 

Afternoon programme tickets

  • General alumni/concession: £30/£20 (early-bird price: £25/£15)
  • St Peter's College student, staff or SCR member: free entry

Evening programme: Shakespeare Gala Banquet (from 6.45pm)

Directly following our afternoon programme, we are pleased to offer a limited number of tickets to an exclusive, three-course gala banquet in the St Peter’s Dining Hall. The dinner will feature musical and dramatic interludes between courses with a Twelfth Night focus.

The dress code for the banquet is semi-formal.

Please note that space is limited in our Dining Hall, therefore tickets for this portion of the event are sold separately. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Gala Banquet tickets

  • Banquet ticket: £90 (early-bird price: £85) 

How to book

This event is reserved exclusively for alumni and current College members. Invitations with booking instructions will be issued by email. Missed the alumni email? Contact development.office@spc.ox.ac.uk.

Sam West

This year, we are delighted to welcome actor and director Samuel West to Shakespeare@Peter's. 

Sam West

Shakespeare@Peter’s 2025 will feature the distinguished actor and director Samuel West. Sam West’s recent performance as Malvolio for the Royal Shakespeare Company (fitted in around playing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small) has been universally praised. In St Peter’s, he will be in conversation with the Master about playing Twelfth Night and will rehearse younger actors in scenes from the play as part of a masterclass workshop.

Image: Bruce Chatterton

Prof Judith Buchanan

Judith will host the event and present an illustrated, participatory talk on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Prof Judith Buchanan

Judith Buchanan is Professor of English at the University of Oxford, Master of St Peter’s College and Pro-Vice-Chancellor without Portfolio at the University of Oxford. She is the author of many works on Shakespeare performance history and on film history. She co-wrote and was Shakespeare advisor on the 2018 Viridian feature film Macbeth (directed by Kit Monkman). She has given the expert voice-over commentaries for many commercial releases of silent films, including for the British Film Institute's Play On! Shakespeare on Silent Film, and she leads an internationally focused silent film project called ‘Silents Now’. She speaks regularly to public as well as academic audiences about Shakespeare, and in summer 2022, she spoke at Sotheby’s New York about a rare copy of the 1623 Shakespeare Folio that was up for sale. At Shakespeare@Peter's, she will present an illustrated, audience-participatory talk on Twelfth Night.