Shakespeare in Leigh

THE Southend Shakespeare Company will be bringing their unique and popular interpretations of the bard to Leigh this July.

Having celebrated their 70th anniversary last September, their annual open-air plays are a regular feature of the town’s cultural calendar, which sees them pitch up in Leigh Library Gardens for a week-long showing following an Essex tour.

This year they are performing a production of William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’, directed by Cathy Memery.

The play follows Rosalind (Katie Bysouth) as she faces banishment from her aunt, being forced to flee the court with her cousin Celia (Tracey-Anne Bourne) and pose as a brother and sister of the forest. Whilst disguising herself as the, notably male, shepherd Ganymede, she reencounters Orlando (Ben Smerdon) who has fallen in love with Rosalind.

How will Rosalind keep Orlando close without revealing her true self? How will she juggle all of the chaos in the forest around her? Including, but not limited to, the melancholy Jacques (Shaka Bunsie), the bickering Phoebe (Charlotte Upton) and Silvius (Parker Jace Martin), and Touchstone (Elliot Bigden), a fool from the court who stumbles into love.

Madeleine Spink of the company explained: “While not being one of the first plays that comes to mind when you think of Shakespeare’s work, it is undoubtedly full of his familiar wit and humour, with some of his most famous and recognisable lines, such as ‘all the world’s a stage’!”

As You Like It will be performed all around the Southend area, but in the Leigh area specifically, the company will be performing at the Belfairs Woodland Centre on Saturday July 8 at 6.30pm, and Leigh Library Gardens from Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15 July at 7.45pm.

Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children.

Attendees can ‘pay ‘on the door’ and are asked to bring their own seating.

“We hope to see you there.” Added Ms Spink.

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