Wives murdering husbands, parents abandoning newborn babies and teenagers falling helplessly in love against their family’s wishes. With such arresting, universal themes it is no wonder William Shakespeare – the bard from middle England – has made such an impact all over the world. So confident in his identity, the writer is capable of transporting and transforming himself through time and space with the ability to stay fresh and true.

The British council estimates that over half the world’s school children study the bard’s plays, and Iraq is another far-flung destination where they are oft read. Fusing the country’s rich traditions of poetry, music and ritual with the playwright’s famous text, Baghdad’s Iraqi Theatre Company brings a refreshingly different version of Romeo and Juliet to Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford.

But they're just one troupe bringing the bard's works to life with a cultural twist. From April 23rd to September 9th in venues all over the UK – including the original Globe Theatre on the south bank of the River Thames – The World Shakespeare Festival will see companies from 35 countries performing Shakespeare's works in 37 languages. These include Henry IV, Part Two in Argentine Spanish, Antony and Cleopatra in Turkish and Coriolanus in Japanese.

In the production, a stupendously large 9-metre chandelier, composed of 10,000 glittering Swarovski elements and 3,000 LED lights, is held aloft by a crane over a stage built right on Sydney Harbour, echoing the city’s twinkling night lights reflected in its waterways.

Throughout the performance, the lighting creates even more magical effects on the chandelier, which evokes the heady bohemian brilliance of a Parisian salon. Set designer Brian Thompson’s vision also embraces the chandelier as a dynamic prop, lifting Violetta up into the sky as she sings her famous aria, vowing to a life of spirited decadence.

While it's true that every present says, 'I was thinking of you,' it's also unavoidable that every particular type of gift delivers its own implicit message. A kitchen gadget, for example, says, 'I want you to cook us something.' An item of clothing says, 'I want you to wear this,' and a set of tools says, 'I want you to fix stuff.' But a game? That says, 'I want to spend time with you.' Taking the 'aww' factor to an even higher level is the gift of a bespoke game board – personalised specifically for the receiver – which really says, 'See? I have been listening to you all along.'

Designer Alexandra Llewellyn, whose line of exclusive handcrafted backgammon boards has earned her game-world acclaim, is now taking individualised commissions for one-off pieces that convey just that message.