The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare is a notable series of audio drama presentations of 38 of William Shakespeare's39 plays.[A] The recordings were released from 1998 onwards, first on audio cassette and then later on CD.
The plays are unabridged and based on The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, published by Penguin Classics. The music for all the plays was written and produced by composer Dominique Le Gendre.[1] The production features nearly 400 actors, almost all past or present members of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The logo on the box cover features a figure of Shakespeare composed entirely from books, reminiscent of the Renaissance Italian painting The Librarian by Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
The project spanned five years and cost $3 million. The series represents the collective vision of four individuals: Tom Treadwell, a Shakespeare scholar; Bill Shepherd, a film producer; Clive Brill, producer and director at the BBC; and Dominique Le Gendre, a composer.
The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare was published by Audio Partners.[3]
The cast members of each play are listed below.
Notes
^The series does not include Edward III, as that play has only recently been accepted, albeit with some dissent, as part of the Shakespeare canon.
