We were delighted when Sir Simon Russell Beale CBE agreed to be our first Patron in 2020. The critically acclaimed actor of stage and screen, who was knighted in October 2019, now lives locally. He has visited the Festival a number of times, appearing in 2016 prior to playing Prospero in the RSC’s production of The Tempest at Stratford.
Simon Russell Beale said: “I’ve watched from the outside as Marlborough LitFest has grown over the years into the vibrant event it is today. I’m very pleased to be involved with this gem of a local festival in the heart of Wiltshire which attracts internationally renowned authors.”
Russell Beale features in our video of 2021 festival highlights and recorded several readings for us from the work of local Victorian nature writer Richard Jefferies in 2020.
In our 15th year in 2024, Russell Beale gave a mesmirising sell-out talk at The Memorial Hall, Marlborough College, about his debut book, A Piece of Work, recounting his acting career with a focus on playing Shakespearean characters. Russell Beale was interviewed at LitFest by Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford, who has published and lectured widely on William Shakespeare.