Victoria Clow (Witch)

My introduction to Shakespeare was entirely through my school. I was lucky enough to have some passionate and enthusiastic Drama and English teachers (Mrs Williamson, Mrs McDermott and Mrs Longmuir – thank you!) who brought Shakespeare to life in many forms.

The first Shakespeare play I ever read was Macbeth in my English class and, while writing many, many essays on it may have dulled its spark at the time, it has always had a special place in my heart. It feels very apt that it is now the first piece of Shakespeare that I will perform professionally – and what a stage to do it on!

I was very fortunate to benefit from a trip to the Globe with my school to see Love’s Labour’s Lost and a few other plays in London. The experience was incredible – standing in the yard and getting swept away by the action and truly pulled into the world was an experience I will never forget. I still have the ticket stub and a threepenny piece that I was given by one of the actors. The first piece I performed was technically A Midsummer Night’s Dream in school. I believe I was a fairy who had no lines …

Simeon Desvignes (Malcolm)

My introduction to Shakespeare was in Year 9 at school, when I was cast in my first-ever production, as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. This happened to also be the first Shakespeare play I’d read. Initially, I felt that Shakespeare was supposed to be performed in a traditional style with period costumes. However, I now know that Shakespeare is accessible to everyone and I look forward to seeing modern adaptations of his work.

Roxy Faridany (Macduff)

My introduction to Shakespeare was reading Romeo and Juliet at school. I think my first impression was, ‘I don’t understand everything.’ Now I appreciate the poetry in every line of Shakespeare and the intricacy of the language, which still rings so powerfully true today.

Roann Hassani McCloskey (Lady Macduff)

I first came across Shakespeare at school. I fell in love with analysing and comprehending the words, it felt like learning another language. It still does! I have seen the words come alive in productions at the Globe and at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Henry V is my favourite… then pretty much every one of the comedies and Macbeth, which is just epic and I’m so excited to be in it!

Jasmin Hinds (Messengers, soldiers, servants)

I played a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream when I was seven. I had no idea what was going on but loved my dress. Studying King Lear at GCSE helped me realise there was a whole universe contained within these stories. The Marvel universe is infinite, as are the worlds of Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Red Dead or The Lord of the Rings. The Shakespeare universe contains all of these in one.

Lucy Johnson (Witch)

The first play I read was actually Macbeth, for GCSE English! Although at first it was tricky to break down the language, getting the play up on its feet made all the difference. I love how Shakespeare gives you so much detail about how the characters think, feel and operate – once you unlock the text and treat it (more!) like normal speech. My favourite thing about Shakespeare is how much the plays can change depending on where you set them. I’ve seen Macbeth performed in Shakespearean costume, in a war bunker, an old hospital and a futuristic, totalitarian world – each time the story is transformed, and you get to discover new characters, emotions and meanings all over again.

Hanora Kamen (Lady Macbeth)

My first introduction to Shakespeare was through getting free tickets to the Globe, where I saw an incredibly bloody Timon of Athens and spent the whole show wishing I was on stage with the actors. Even though I didn’t fully understand the play, the energy of the production and the conviction of the actors meant I was hooked the whole way through.

I adored Shakespeare from then on and loved studying Macbeth at GCSE. The first professional Shakespeare show I was in was Timon of Athens, and it was fascinating to spend time rediscovering the play from when I was 16.

Louise Lee (Ross)

Playing Bottom as a kid at school in A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a hoot. I loved the language – it felt like I was a detective transported into the past to examine the thoughts of these bold characters and make sense of them. I studied Richard II for A-Level and fell deeply in love with Shakespeare, how he effectively translated Richard’s feelings into poetry and still managed to make them relatable. I’m still that same detective, I think, and loving every moment of it!

Patrick Osborne (Macbeth)

I was in a great drama club and when I was 10 we did A Midsummer Night’s Dream and I played Peaseblossom. I’d never seen a Shakespeare play before and found the language very complicated and hard to say and to listen to. I saw the play performed by the great theatre company Propeller years later and understood that Shakespeare can be funny and playful when we blow away the cobwebs and don’t think we’ve got to speak it ‘correctly’.

Robert Penny (Banquo)

I played Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night in my primary school play, which had lots of dancing, singing and a couple of gymnastics tricks added in for some excitement!

Now, almost 20 years later, it has been an honour to revisit Shakespeare at such an iconic venue, with this caring and incredibly talented company and creative team. There may even be a few acrobatic surprises too, even after all these years!

Rhiannon Skerritt (Witch)

I first read Romeo and Juliet at school, when I felt I was much too young to understand it. As someone with dyslexia I felt like I had no connection to the words in front of me. As an adult who has lived through the turmoil of adolescence, I simply adore the imagery and the depth of understanding that Shakespeare brought to those two hormonal teenagers.