Grand Central has lifted the curtain on their special ‘William Shakespeare’ train this week on the Bard’s birthday.

This comes after the announcement of Europe’s first ever pop-up Shakespearean Theatre in York.

The company joined Welcome to Yorkshire Chief Executive Sir Gary Verity and Lunchbox Theatrical Productions CEO James Cundall, at the national media launch for Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre in York, which was held on Monday (23 April) near London Kings Cross station.

To celebrate this, Grand Central is naming one of its newly refurbished Adelante (Class 180) fleet after the world’s most famous playwright for the duration of the landmark theatre event which runs this summer in York.

Passengers can now travel in the William Shakespeare train to York with Grand Central for performances of Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Richard III and A Midsummer Night’s Dream – performances of which run 25th June to 2nd September.

What did the officials say?

Noreen Allen, Marketing & Communications Manager at Grand Central, said:

“We are delighted to be announced as the title sponsor for Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre and it is fantastic to celebrate with the unveiling of our William Shakespeare train.

“York is a true centre for culture and this incredible event running throughout the summer will draw thousands of people to the city from far and wide. It offers people of all ages the chance to experience the timeless works of one of the world’s greatest playwrights and discover something new. The community and education programme which we are supporting will help introduce Shakespeare to school children who wouldn’t normally get to see such plays and be part of such a great event.

“We are looking forward to transporting people to the event, which also coincides with the rollout of our newly refurbished fleet of Adelante trains, offering people greater comfort, smarter surroundings and enhanced onboard facilities. We’re thrilled to be supporting the event and helping people experience it for themselves.”

James Cundall, CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical and originator of the Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre project, said:

“William Shakespeare never knew trains in his day but if he did I am sure he would have been delighted that Grand Central has honoured him by naming one of its trains after him and would have thought it the perfect birthday present.
“He would have loved a non-stop service to London and York in under two hours as it would have made his research so much easier!

“With just two months to go until the curtain rises on our incredible summer of Shakespeare in York, we are delighted to welcome Grand Central as our title sponsor of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre. Their support reaffirms the importance of this project to Yorkshire and the North of England.”

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