Now, make your own version of Shakespeare plays

You can pick scenes, costumes, characters, in the game

For literature-lovers who have always dreamt of directing a Shakespearean play, the dream will soon come true.

The British Council India will be launching the Indian edition of “Mix The Play”, a game which will let you pick the scenes, costumes, characters, and make your own version of the great bard’s play.

“It is the 400th death anniversary of William Shakespeare this year, but he is still as relevant today as he was in the 16th century. The game will bring the rich culture and traditions of India into a classic Shakespearean play,” said Alan Gemmell, the new Director of British Council In India.

Quoting the growing number of Youtube users in the country, he spoke about the initiatives by the Council to engage more people on the digital platform.

Another project - “Mix the City”, curated by Sonya Mazumdar, will have four music videos featuring musicians from different Indian cities. It will also be available as a game in which players can create their own remix.

Launch next year

While the Shakespeare application will be ready by November this year, “Mix the City” will be launched in January 2017. With an aim to increase their online audience to 50 million by 2017, the Council is inviting ideas from India for digital projects and those which meet these objectives will be provided a seed fund of 10,000 pounds.

“To celebrate what will be more than 70 years of UK’s relationship with India, 2017 will be a year of cultural exchange between the two countries. We want to connect with young Indians and reconnect with the alumni of various UK universities in India,” said the new director.

Also, looking at increasing the number of Indian students going to universities in the United Kingdom, this year 500 scholarships are being provided by the British Council, details of which are available on their website. As part of the cultural exchange, students from UK are pursuing short-term courses in Indian Studies and Women in India at Jain University and Christ University in the city.

Clearing any confusion on the fate of international students after Brexit, Gemmell added, “UK is open to Indian students today as it was a month ago. I can assure students that they will have a wonderful experience as UK has top-class universities which have international research in their faculty.”