A CAST made up of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent actors will perform William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick later this year.

Together with Shakespeare North Playhouse and Graeae, Theatre by the Lake has announced a new production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for this autumn.

Directed by Graeae’s artistic director Jenny Sealey, the production will open at Shakespeare North Playhouse on September 13, where it will run to October 5, before moving to Theatre by the Lake from October 12 to 26.

This contemporary 'play within a play' retelling of Shakespeare’s tragic story of star-crossed lovers seamlessly weaves British sign language (BSL), captions and audio description into the storytelling.

Each show is performed in a relaxed environment by an ensemble of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent actors.

Laura Collier, creative director at Shakespeare North Playhouse, said: "We are thrilled to embark on this incredible collaboration with Graeae and Theatre by the Lake. 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. Together, we will celebrate humanity, challenge preconceptions, and shine a light on what ultimately brings us together - love."

Jenny Sealey OBE, artistic director at Graeae said: "Someone on Twitter told me, ‘here’s a novel idea - do a Shakespeare with an all disabled cast and sell tickets to only disabled people. Good luck with that’.

"Well I am indeed doing a Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet with an all deaf, disabled and neurodivergent cast but it is a play for the audiences of the north west whether they be deaf, disabled, neurodivergent or non-disabled.

"Romeo and Juliet is a play that can touch us all. I am very excited to be working on this with my wonderful cast and creative team and to play at Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre by the Lake."

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