Epstein’s Shakespeare double bill continues

This week there's still time to catch two home-grown Shakespeare adaptations from two exciting female fringe playwrights.Helen Jeffery's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which premiered last year, and Romeo & Juliet, adapted by Trisha Duffy, each form part of an ambitious, fully immersive, alternating repertoire at the Epstein Theatre, which sees the cast perform the two plays back to back in the same day.Helen Jeffery's first play The Brink was an honest look at post natal depression, while Trisha Duffy's excellent Broken Biscuits has been performed in the city several times since its 2014 debut.Produced and directed by Liverpool-born Blood Brothers and West End star Daniel Taylor, the run of plays aims to "offer a fresh and immersive experience, with settings chosen to resonate with modern audiences and appeal in particular to newcomers to Shakespeare’s work".Relocating Shakespeare’s classic from fair Verona to 1880s Liverpool, Romeo & Juliet explores the destructive impact of religious sectarianism close to home. In this adaptation, two star-crossed lovers are caught between their feuding noble families, the Catholic Montagues and Protestant Capulets, resulting in tragic consequences.The updated version of Midsummer is described as "high energy and laugh-out-loud".Daniel Taylor said: “We’re thrilled to welcome back a whole host of brilliant local actors who helped make such a success of the Epstein Theatre’s first ever Shakespeare production last year, and we are also delighted to bring some incredibly talented and driven new additions to a magical team.”Catch performances of each show until Saturday (April 21). For tickets and performance times, see www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk.