Imagine the lead character in your favourite Shakespeare play.
Now imagine it played by someone of the opposite gender. Chances are your favourite Shakespeare character has just become a woman.
Women make up just 16 per cent of Shakespeare’s characters, and The Reversed Shakespeare Company has come up with a novel way to change this.
In its “gender-reversed” adaption of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s male characters are played as women, by women, and his female characters are played as men, by men.
The play wants viewers to ask themselves whether women and men are capable of the same actions, feelings and beliefs.
The company was set up in 2015 by drama school graduates Lindsay Dukes, Cassie Web and Matthew Maltby.
Matthew said: “We thought men would find it valuable to see and experience the sort of vulnerability afforded to Shakespeare’s women but not to his male characters.”
As well as experiencing Shakespeare like you’ve never before theatre-goers can also participate in panel discussions.
The play will be held at The Pleasance Theatre, in North Road, from Wednesday.
More information can be found at reversedshakespeare.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here