Bramley Park will prove all the world’s a stage when it hosts unique pop-up performances of Shakespeare’s classics next summer.
Leeds theatre company Front Room Productions will give some of The Bard’s most beloved scenes a contemporary twist during the free, open air shows in Middleton Park, Reginald Park in Chapeltown, Bramley Park and Roundhay Park.
The performances have been made possible thanks to funding from Leeds Inspired, who provide grants for hundreds of grass roots arts projects making a difference in communities across Leeds.
Leeds-based Front Room’s producer Alice Barber said the hour-long performances, featuring live music, would be an opportunity to make Shakespeare more fun and accessible in an unconventional setting.
She said:
“We describe it as Shakespeare’s best bits and we do it in a way that’s fun, a bit more modern, but still has at its core all of those same incredible stories and characters that have become such a wonderful part of our heritage .
“The themes of Shakespeare’s plays are timeless, but they can also be difficult to get your head round. By putting these performances on in a local park and bringing them a bit more into the 21st century, alongside some familiar pop hits that fit the context of the scene, we can give people a new way to enjoy these fantastic works of literature in a much less formal environment.”
Front Room’s performances will include excerpts from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, with audiences also getting the chance to pick a random scene out of a hat for the cast to perform on the spot.
Part of Leeds City Council, Leeds Inspired manages two grant schemes and have been supporting arts events and projects in Leeds since 2012.
Based at Leeds Town Hall, the team have funded more than 500 projects across the city and worked with a range of audiences, artists and communities.
