Merely Theatre come to Stantonbury Theatre on Thursday (March 16) as part of their second national tour of gender-blind work with two of Shakespeare’s best loved shows performed in rep: Romeo & Juliet and Twelfth Night.
Presented in Merely Theatre’s signature stripped-back style, the plays overflow with energy and urgency, seeking to blow the cobwebs off Shakespeare.
Merely’s productions are raucous and joyous, stirring and visceral with their commitment to gender-blind practice means actors rehearse their five-hand productions in male-female pairs, generating twice the amount of ideas for each role, while halving the rehearsal time for each individual.
A man and a woman play each set of parts alternately across the venues on the tour; a male Juliet, a female Malvolio - any combination is possible.
Much has been made of the death of repertory theatre. Doing multiple shows at once, working with the same actors, learning a huge breadth of parts, immersion in the classics, and stretching an actor’s range are just some of the advantages of which theatre luminaries have mourned the loss. For some, that loss was too much to take.
So, Merely Theatre started as a way for a company of actors to work together discovering the best way to put on Shakespeare’s plays. Rep is not dead, it has evolved.
ROMEO & JULIET
Merely present young love in all its raw and savage beauty. The show drives through action-packed thrills and tender intimacy to crushing loss. Five actors create a stirring, visceral theatrical experience.
TWELFTH NIGHT
Unlikely lovers collide in a tale of identical twins, multiple disguises and mistaken identities in a production that proves raucous and joyous, witty and moving.
An authentic Shakespearean experience for the 21st century dripping with energy, packed with ingenuity, delivered for (and with) the audience.
Twelfth Night goes live at 1.30pm, Romeo & Juliet, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £14.50 & £12.50, and the performances come with guidance advice - suitable for ages 10 years and above.
To book click here
