A new production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will weave BSL, captions and audio description into the storytelling. Each show will be performed in a relaxed environment by an ensemble of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent actors.
This collaboration between Shakespeare North Playhouse, the Graeae company - which champions the best in deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent - and Theatre By The Lake in Keswick, is at SNP from September 13-October 5 and TBTL from October 12-26.
Jenny Sealey OBE, artistic director at Graeae, said: "Someone said ‘here’s a novel idea; do a Shakespeare with an all-disabled cast and sell tickets only to disabled people. Good luck with that’.
"Well I am indeed doing a Shakespeare with an all deaf, disabled and neurodivergent cast, but it is a play for the audiences of the NW, whether they be deaf, disabled, neurodivergent or able. Romeo and Juliet is a play that can touch us all."
Laura Collier, creative director at Shakespeare North Playhouse, said: "Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most famous of all stories to crushingly explore the conflict of youth. In this new production I want all the audience to feel like all of us can be Romeo, and all of us can be Juliet."