Shakespeare Undressed

produced by Sara Knight

directed by the Company

David Knight, renowned local actor and Shakespeare enthusiast, challenged his friends to perform Shakespeare in jeans and tshirts, letting the words of the Bard stand for themselves.  Two years after his death, and in his memory, over 25 of his fellow actors at the Quay Theatre have risen to that challenge!  And risen still further; in Act 1 they are performing seven extracts from different plays all round the theatre, and audiences will tour round to each in turn, visiting places rarely seen by the general public.  You might be able to guess where you will find Romeo and Juliet if you are familiar with our location, but where will you encounter Macbeth’s witches?  Imagine where Beatrice and Benedick might end up exchanging banter, or Jaques muse on the nature of life.  What else might we have chosen to set before you?

The extracts in the second act are set in the auditorium but with equally experimental approaches – for example with songs, physical theatre and dance, as well as conventional speeches.  The directors have designed pieces for the Edinburgh Fringe as well as for local theatres, so anything is possible.