THE PLAYS
"Shakespeare made use of the plague quarantine to write King Lear and Macbeth.[...] Is it actually true? Well, maybe." The Guardian
Choose from our two original and exclusive play written and directed by our own Shakespearean maestro, Victoria Gartner. Help the greatest playwright of all time overcome his plague quarantine-induced writer's block.... and you must succeed, upon pain of boils and all our heads on sticks.
Both Bard in the Yard plays are solo shows performed by individual actors spread across England and Scotland. Follow William Shakespeare through stories of his life and times, and listen to excerpts from his works. Learn about Elizabethan England, Shakespearean legends, and the many colourful characters populating the Bard’s life.
KING LEONARDO
Help Shakespeare write King Lear
William Shakespeare is stuck. Like, blank parchment stuck. He is trying to write a new masterpiece, and has the weight of his company's eager return to the stage on his shoulders. What's more, his rival Ben Jonson, on top of making the best sourdough bread ever, also has a new play in the works... Not to worry, Will has a title already: "The Most Lamentable Comedy of King Leonardo, his Three Daughters and Their Dog". Since he might need a bit more than that, he has decided to pick your brains and make sure this new show is the smash hit it is promising to be.
'King Leonardo' is a 50-minute antidote to lockdown blues "delivered to perfection" (The Telegraph) that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of classic monologues and plague quarantine travails.
THE SCOTTISH PLAY
Help Shakespeare write Macbeth
Considering it was a plague year and all, William Shakespeare feels that he has written a pretty decent play that certainly seemed to please the audience, with this "King Leonardo" comedy. But now the King himself has requested some new entertainment: a show about his native Scotland, and it must be a triumph! The Bard is confronted to his blank parchment once more and is desperately looking for inspiration to create another hit... What do people even like, these days? Is it too soon to make plague jokes? How about plague songs?
Join the Bard on this new roller-coaster across classic monologues, Scottish landscapes and another year of plague lockdown for this "funny and moving, not to mention immersive" (The Independent) experience.
Bard in the Yard plays are about 55 minutes long, with no interval.
It is suitable for children aged 10+.
The Bard will bring their own props to your yard and can perform in any outdoor space.
Credits
Written by Victoria Gartner & William Shakespeare
Directed by Victoria Gartner
Executive Producer Charlie Mackellar
Associate Producer Tim Atkinson
PR & Education Beatrice Lawrence
Godmother of Bard in the Yard Dame Helen Mirren
They come to us from the National Theatre, the RSC, the BBC, The Hollow Crown, Outlander, Call the Midwife, Doctors, or Secret Cinema and they are spread all over the UK & Scotland. Our 2022 Bards are...
Alice Merivale | Caroline Mathison | Christopher Commander | Jonathan Blakeley | Kaya Bucholc | Luke Farrugia | Rupert Sadler
