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British High Commission in Brunei Darussalam Celebrated the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and his spouse, Datin Hajah Kalshom binti Haji Suhaili cut the anniversary cake. Also seen in the photo is H. E. David Campbell, the British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF PELITA BRUNEI (Mohd. Zul-Izzi Haji Duraman)
April 28th, 2016 | 05:57 AM | 3031 views
KG JERUDONG, BRUNEI-MUARA
The British High Commission in Brunei Darussalam celebrated the 90th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, last night at The Empire Hotel & Country Club, with a unique theme in honour of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare.
Present as the guest of honour was Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and his spouse, Datin Hajah Kalshom binti Haji Suhaili.
This year marked the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and the British High Commission celebrated the occasion through 'Shakespeare Lives', a major global programme created by British Council and the GREAT Britain campaign, celebrating Shakespeare's works and his influence on culture, education and society.
H. E. David Campbell, the British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, made a speech highlighting the particular strengths in the relationship between Brunei and the United Kingdom. He also spoke about Shakespeare's continuing influence in the modern world, with his plays being regularly studied and performed across schools in Brunei Darussalam.
Students from the Jerudong International School (JIS) performed abridged versions of the Bard's plays, with Florence Holmes as the fairy queen Titania from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'; Eden Chiam as the love of Juliet from 'Romeo and Juliet'; and Mahmud Baharudin declaiming 'All the world's a stage' in both English and Malay, while playing Jacques from 'As You Like It'.
As a gift for the guest of honour, the British High Commissioner presented the minister with a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare; and Datin Hajah Kalshom with a fine-bone china commemorative plate, hand-manufactured in Staffordshire, England. The plate was commissioned by the Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, and has a coat-of-arms painted exclusively for the occasion.
Vintage MINI cars, supplied by the MINI Classic Owners Brunei (MCOB), lined up at the entrance of the venue, while the theatre foyer displayed a gallery of pictures illustrating the warm friendship between Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
As guests entered the Empire theatre, a video series of 'The Guardian's Shakespeare Solos' - some of Shakespeare's greatest speeches performed by British actors Adrian Lester, David Morrissey and Eileen Atkins, to name a few - began playing alongside a mini-display of Shakespeare quotes and 'Shakespeare Lives' posters.
Large screens in the theatre also featured contemporary re-imaginings of the Bard's works by the British Council, together with recent footage of a lightshow display in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare.
Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM
by BruDirect.com
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