ANN ARBOR—Michael Boyd, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, will discuss “Why Shakespeare Matters to Me,” in a lecture at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Ann Arbor District Library. Boyd will greet attendees at a reception that will follow. The event is free and open to the public. Boyd’s visit as artistic director is an important part of the lead-up to the second RSC Residency at the University of Michigan in March 2003. The company will perform the U.S. premiere of Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children,” and repertory performances of Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Coriolanus.” The residency, a joint effort by the University and the University Musical Society, will also include many educational events open to the community.

Boyd, formerly associate director of the RSC, won Britain’s prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director for his productions of Shakespeare’s first history tetralogy, “1,2,3 Henry VI and Richard III.” These four productions made up the RSC Residency at the U-M in 2001. The cycle formed the final part of the company’s ground-breaking millennium project, “This England—The Histories,” when eight of Shakespeare’s History plays were performed over the course of a single season. Boyd’s visit also celebrates his appointment as adjunct professor in the departments of English and theater.

Phone: (734) 764-7260