Cast Set For UK Tour of WHO THE F--K IS SHAKESPEARE?

Following a sell-out run, four of Shakespeare’s (in)famous characters are back for a national tour and gearing up to tell their side of the story! In this radical reimagining of Shakespeare’s works, 20 Stories High will be blowing off the dust and breathing a new lease of life into Shakespeare’s classics. Tackling stories steeped in racism, patriarchy and violence, these old tales will be repurposed with punchy verses and punky attitudes for the next generation. All shows will be creatively captioned, with one BSL interpreted show per venue, as well as featuring integrated audio description.

This female and non-binary-led cast will star Mary Savage (Richard, My Richard, Shakespeare North Playhouse; The Boy and The Bird, Liverpool Theatre Festival) as Lady Macbeth, alongside North Irish actor Beca Barton (Perverts, Kings Head Theatre; Our Last First, The Space) as Viola. They will be joined by Brummie-born creative Jada-Li Warrican (The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, Birmingham Rep; We Could All Be Perfect, Sheffield Theatre) in the role of Ophelia, alongside Harriett O’Grady (Richard III, Liverpool Playhouse) as Cleopatra.

Striving to break down the stigma around Shakespeare, who the f--k is shakespeare? will retell a range of Shakespearean classics to diversify and encourage lovers, haters and newcomers of his work to explore and hear their stories first hand. Audiences will hear stories from Ophelia in Hamlet, Lady Macbeth from Macbeth, Cleopatra from Antony and Cleopatra, and Viola from Twelfth Night - but not as you know them! In this retelling, they are relatable, young and questioning their place in the world. All their lives, they have been told a specific narrative of who they are, but for the first time they will own the space to figure this out for themselves.  

Established in 2006, Liverpool’s award winning 20 Stories High are recognised as one of the leading theatre companies in the UK making work with and for young people and adults. They believe that “everybody’s got a story to tell... and their own way of telling it.” Their ambition is simple-to create bold, excellent theatre, music, and art experiences with culturally diverse, working-class communities, emerging artists, and world-class professionals. Telling stories that bring joy, empower, and enable social change that inhabit a wide variety of spaces, from theatres, community centres, and schools to digital spaces, living rooms, and bus stops.

Writer and Director for who the f--k is shakespeare? Ameera Conrad comments, I absolutely love Shakespeare - as a lover of language, how couldn’t I? But as a decolonial activist, I also have to question him. who the f--k is shakespeare? is my way of unpacking Shakespeare's stories to make space for voices which are largely excluded from the canon of theatre. This piece is a political occupation; we're taking these stories and turning them over to see new sides of these characters. I invite you to reconsider their narratives, and yours. This show is an opportunity to recontextualise and take over a language that can feel impossible to wrap your head around. It's an opportunity to question what we know about these stories, and write new ones too!

 

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