The Castle Players – Shakespeare in Love

The Castle Players invite you to experience a heart-warming tale of love, theatre, and passion, set in the beautiful surroundings of Raby Castle, Park and Gardens.

Based on the Oscar® winning film, Shakespeare in Love follows young Will Shakespeare, a penniless playwright struggling with writer’s block. In debt to theatre owner Philip Henslowe, Will agrees to give him his new comedy, Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter. But everything changes when Will meets the daring Viola de Lesseps, a noblewoman with a secret passion for acting. Disguised as a man, Viola auditions for Will’s play, and what follows is a whirlwind romance that inspires the legendary love story, Romeo and Juliet. Expect sword fights, mistaken identities, and a barrel of laughs in this enchanting tale of poetic love!

The Castle Players are a community theatre company based in Barnard Castle, County Durham. Founded in 1989, they have an established reputation for presenting large-scale, high-quality outdoor productions each summer. To date, they have performed over thirty Shakespeare plays, alongside new works, adaptations of classic texts, irreverent cabaret and traditional fireside tales.