Shakespeare is recycled by ‘HandleBards’
AN all-female troupe of Shakespearean actors, The HandleBards, will be cycling into Manchester at the end of July to perform Romeo and Juliet on Sustrans’ Fallowfield Loop cycle and walking path.
The event, on Saturday, July 30, in the Levenshulme part of the Sustrans route, is part of the bicycle-riding theatre group’s ‘4 for 400’ season, a national tour which marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Four plays are each performed by four actors in more than 70 venues over the summer.
The two troupes of travelling bards feature an all-male and an all-female cast who will take all their costumes, props and sets by bicycle, using much of the 14,000 miles of cycle paths within our National Cycle Network.
The minimal set and costumes used by the actors are probably how people would have experienced travelling Shakespeare performances back in the Elizabethan times.
Most of the HandleBards’ audience will come on foot or by bicycle. In Manchester there will be three led bike rides to the show from either end of the Floop in Chorlton and Gorton, and from Heaton Chapel.
The actors, four women, will take their shows to castles, gardens, bicycle paths and stately homes across the UK, most of which are less than five miles from a national route.
The all-female troupe will also perform The Taming of the Shrew to audiences around Britain, while the men will tour with versions of Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III.
“With six plays and five thousand miles under our belt, we’re ready for our biggest and most ambitious season yet!” says producer and founder Paul Moss.
“In this anniversary year, as a way of celebrating the life of the great British playwright, we are excited to put our first ever all-female troupe on the road alongside our internationally acclaimed all-male troupe.”
The HandleBards will perform on the Fallowfield Loop (Crayfield Road entrance), in Levenshulme Manchester at 4pm on Saturday, July 30. Tickets are free. Please bring warm clothing, a rug and a picnic.
There will be three led rides to the play:
Chorlton: Meet at 2.45pm outside the Bar opposite Morrisons, Barlow Moor Road.
This is an off-road ride along the Fallowfield Loop, which is less than four miles.
Heaton Moor: Meet at 2.45pm at Heaton Moor Park at its Buckingham Rd entrance – please see map.
The route will be largely off-road on well-surfaced tracks, but will also use some quiet side roads and is less than two miles.
Abbey Hey: Meet at 3pm at the entrance to the Donkey Sanctuary at the end of Green Fold M18 8RJ.
This is a completely off-road ride along the Fallowfield Loop for 2.4 miles
Email karen.blakeley@ sustrans.org.uk or phone 0161 923 6050 to book a place on a ride. Some spaces will be available on the day.
For more information go to sustrans.org.uk/ events or handlebards. com for all show .