Three North Yorkshire open-air venues are getting ready to welcome The Dukes Theatre, one of the country’s leading touring companies with their bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy.
Starting at Scarborough’s Esplanade on Wednesday 22nd, then moving on to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens on Thursday 23rd, the final North Yorkshire performance takes place at Ripon Races on Friday 24th July at 7pm, promoted by Ripon Theatre Festival. The performances are part of a multi-date national tour of stunning locations from the cliff-top theatre at Minack in Cornwall to Scottish Castles and stately homes, gardens, abbeys and parks across the UK, playing to over 40,000 spectators.
Blending dynamic staging, evocative sound, and the enduring power of Shakespeare’s verse, this retelling illuminates the passion, peril, and youthful intensity at the play’s core, inviting audiences to rediscover the world’s most famous star-crossed lovers. Known for bold, high-energy productions in spectacular outdoor settings, The Duke’s Theatre Company sets the benchmark for quality and ambition.
The cast of six is headed by Alfie Jameson as Romeo and Molly Marr-Johnson as Juliet with Joe Carrick as Mercutio and Lady Capulet, Sam Claridge as Tybalt and Paris Emily Juler as Nurse and Prince and Joshua Merara as Friar Lawrence and Benvolio. All other roles will be played by members of the company.
Directed by Joseph Pitcher (Gypsy & My Fair Lady at The Mill at Sonning, Associate Director Matilda The Musical) with design by Diego Pitarch (Sunset Boulevard & Spend, Spend, Spend, London) the production has original music by award-winning composer Rob Millett (Ballet Rambert, The National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe)
For Ripon Theatre Festival the performance will provide a stunning finale to a season of more than 160 events in July.
