Cast announced for UK Tour of Who the Fuck is Shakespeare?

Four of Shakespeare’s most famous characters are back for a national tour - this time, they're going to be telling their side of the story in Who the Fuck is Shakespeare?

Tackling stories steeped in racism, patriarchy and violence, these old tales will be repurposed with punchy verses and punky attitudes for the next generation.

The female and non-binary-led cast will star Mary Savage as Lady Macbeth, Beca Barton as Viola, Jada-Li Warrican as Ophelia, and Harriett O’Grady as Cleopatra.

In the retelling of their tales, the characters are relatable, young and questioning their place in the world. All their lives, they have been told a specific narrative of who they are, but for the first time they will own the space to figure this out for themselves.

"I absolutely love Shakespeare - as a lover of language, how couldn’t I?" explains the show's writer and director, Ameera Conrad. "But as a decolonial activist, I also have to question him. who the f--k is shakespeare? is my way of unpacking Shakespeare's stories to make space for voices which are largely excluded from the canon of theatre. This piece is a political occupation; we're taking these stories and turning them over to see new sides of these characters. I invite you to reconsider their narratives, and yours. This show is an opportunity to recontextualise and take over a language that can feel impossible to wrap your head around. It's an opportunity to question what we know about these stories, and write new ones too!"

Who the Fuck is Shakespeare will be touring the UK during September and October