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A Wirral-based theatre company is marking its 30th anniversary by touring the very play that started it all, using two Birkenhead performances among the summer dates.
According to Birkenhead News, Off The Ground Theatre will perform Twelfth Night at Future Yard on Argyle Street on 29 July and at The Little Theatre in Grange Road the following day. The company first toured the show 30 years ago in 1995, a year after Off The Ground's founding in 1994.
But this production is different. The production will reimagine the shipwreck through the idea of Alice in Wonderland. Directors have reportedly described Illyria as the other side of a metaphorical rabbit hole. The show features a kaleidoscopic explosion of colour alongside pop hits from across the decades.
Co-director Kathryn McGurk said: "This is without doubt one of the stranger Shakespeare plays out there. Filled with intrigue and discovery, tenderness and heart, it really lends itself to the concept that Ben and I have applied."
She added: "The enormity of the characters allows for the Wonderland-esque weirdness to really come to the fore. We can't wait to see audiences' reactions!" She has been with the company for over a decade.
McGurk trained at Liverpool's Young Everyman and Playhouse Programme. Her co-director Ben Newman is an OTG Youth Theatre graduate who now works as Associate Director at Oxford Playhouse.
The Wirral-based company is based in West Kirby and provides access to drama for young people and uses cast members from its youth theatre group. This year's cast includes OTG Youth Theatre graduate Harry Clark and Morgan Lewis, a graduate from Storyhouse Young Company, who plays Orsino.
The tour extends beyond Birkenhead, heading to the outdoors at Queen's Park, Meols on 22 July and Claremont Farm on 26 July. And yes, the production also travels to Liverpool, Wales and Ireland through August.
For outdoor performances, audiences are encouraged to bring something to sit on, a picnic and their favourite drink.
Tickets for all dates are available at www.offtheground.co.uk.
