Buckinghamshire Shakespeare Festival returns this summer

Following acclaimed tours of Hamlet in 2022 and Much Ado About Nothing in 2023, Unbound are now embarking on a brand-new production of one of the Bard’s most incendiary plays, as Richard II visits all manner of Bucks venues throughout July.

As Unbound’s creative producer (and the festival’s director) Dario Knight explains: “We’ve tackled a tragedy and comedy, so now we’re delving into Shakespeare’s cycle of history plays. Richard II is one of his most politically-charged scripts, depicting the downfall of a king. When it was re-staged as a means of rallying ill-feeling toward Elizabeth I, it nearly got Shakespeare arrested!”

Edited down into a concise, gripping show with an added dose of action, the production features a cast of talented local actors, led by Andrew Peter Shaw as Richard, and Rhydian Sendall as Henry Bolingbroke.

The play charts the final years of Richard’s reign, in which a series of ill-advised decisions turn the country against him, Having exiled Bolingbroke and seized his ancestral lands, Richard soon finds his old adversary returning to English soil, determined to challenge the unchallengeable – the divine right of kings…

“Richard II is a proper political thriller”, says Dario. “And, like so much of Shakespeare’s writing, there’s a keen reflection of the here and now in it, too. The play asks what it means to be a leader, or a figurehead; it explores the abuse of power and status, and the fall that inevitably follows.”

The tour will commence at Queens Park Arts Centre’s Limelight Theatre for two nights (5-6 July) before heading to Bucks venues including Sunneyhill Barn, Rowsham (12 July), Wycombe Museum (14 July), Nag's Head, Gt Missenden (19 July), Buckingham Library (20 July), Waddesdon Manor (21 July), Trinity Church, Prestwood (26 July), Ascott House (27 July) and the King’s Head in Aylesbury (28 July).

“The tour includes a mix of ticketed and free performances,” explains Dario.

“Our aim is to bring the show to as many different people as possible – especially those who are a bit wary of Shakespeare. Come and give us a chance to change your mind! It’s a joy to visit such a variety of venues, too – from churches and libraries to museums and manor houses, each one gives the play a very different backdrop. We can’t wait to get the tour started!”

Audio and film versions of the production are also being worked on, the former part of Unbound’s ambitious project to bring the Complete Works of Shakespeare to the airwaves. Seven plays have been adapted thus far, with the eighth – Love’s Labour’s Lost – set to debut in weekly instalments during June. All of the plays are free to stream and download.

For full information about the Buckinghamshire Shakespeare Festival (and to listen to the Complete Works project), visit www.unboundtheatre.co.uk, or follow @unboundtheatre and #BucksShakespeareFest on social media. Tickets for the debut performances at QPAC are available at www.queensparkarts.com.