Stratford. The tour begins at the hotel in Stratford at 2.30pm with an introductory talk. A walk around Stratford includes the church of Holy Trinity where Shakespeare is buried. The RSC performs King John at the Swan Theatre, the smaller of the two RSC auditoria, directed by Maria Aberg. First of three nights in Stratford.

Stratford and around. In the morning there is an excursion to villages around Stratford associated with Shakespeare and his family, Wilmcote and Shottery. The key houses are remarkably well preserved and presented, and are set in beautifully maintained gardens. In the evening, Julius Caesar is at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, directed by Gregory Doran (RSC Chief Associate Director).

Stratford. After the morning talk there is a walk around Stratford to see more Shakespearean sites. The afternoon again is free. At the Swan Theatre, Richard III, directed by Roxana Silbert (RSC Associate Director).

London. Drive to London. A very special arrangement is being planned: details will be available in March. Check into the hotel in the City of London in the early afternoon. The evening performance at the Roundhouse in Camden is The Comedy of Errors, directed by Amir Nizar Zuabi. First of two nights in London.

London. There is a guided walk to this Shakespearean entertainment district on Bankside, the south of the Thames, including the fragmentary remains of the Rose Theatre (1587) and the reconstructed Globe (1599, 1997). The evening performance is at the Globe: Henry V, directed by Dominic Dromgoole with Jamie Parker in the title role.

London. The ten-minute walk from the City to the Theatre in Shoreditch passes from bombastic prosperity to bohemian dilapidation, a transition which replicates the experience of the Elizabethan audience at London’s first purpose-built playhouse. Fragments were discovered in 2009. Visit also the sites of Shakespeare’s most documented lodging and of the indoor theatre at Blackfriars, second only in importance to the Globe. The tour finishes at the hotel by 12.30pm.