Liverpool Shakespeare Festival moves to Royal Court

Interesting news from the Royal Court, which has announced two new shows in conjunction with Lodestar Theatre Company and The Liverpool Shakespeare Festival. This Autumn, the bard will be back at the venue for the first time in 15 years, with productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream running alongside each other from September 21 to October 13.  Lodestar, who have been running the Liverpool Shakespeare Festival since 2007, will be bringing the shows into the theatre and working with the Royal Court production team to reach the widest possible audience.  The productions will be set in modern day Liverpool but performed in traditional Shakespearian language, with each one running at less than two hours including an interval, in a bid to appeal to school groups as well as those who wouldn't usually head out to see the work of The Bard. It sounds like a great idea -- not before time, the Royal Court gets to diversify its steady diet of Scouse Plays; and the Shakespeare Fest has a chance to tap into the venue's massive audience base, which perhaps explains why they have gone for such safe bets on the bill. Max Rubin, director of Lodestar Theatre Company said: “We are very proud to working with the the Royal Court and to be collaborating with their amazing creative team. It is often referred to as 'the people's theatre' and we can't wait to bring the Liverpool Shakespeare Festival to a beautiful new venue and a whole new audience. "Historically, we have chosen grand and mythic setting for our shows. This year will see a grittier, more contemporary approach with both stories set clearly in modern Liverpool. More than ever, we'll show how Shakespeare's incredible writing has the power to speak clearly about our own lives today.” Kevin Fearon, chief executive of Royal Court Liverpool said: “Everyone around the building is very excited to be a part of these new productions. The Liverpool Shakespeare Festival and Lodestar have great, well deserved reputations for producing high quality shows and we are really looking forward to working with them. Shakespeare traditionally wrote for the people in the street so we want to make the shows accessible for everyone and our newly renovated auditorium will be the perfect setting.”

Tickets and information for all productions are available from www.royalcourtliverpool.com or on 0870 787 1866