Off the Ground Theatre – Love’s Labour’s Lost

It may have been 2 long years coming, having been postponed due to Covid-19, but Off the Ground Theatre are overjoyed to finally be able to bring their production of Love’s Labour’s Lost to audiences across the north west of England and Wales this summer.

This summer will also see OTG return to Ireland for the first time since the summer of 2019, making this production all the more exciting.

Shakespeare’s most poetic play, this is a comedy all about love in its many forms, and what hapless, beautiful young people will do to find it. Ferdinand, King of the idyllic Navarre region of Spain, has sworn a vow with his three closest friends, and most trusted advisers, to avoid the company of women, too fast and to sleep just three hours a day for three years, so they can devote themselves fully to their studies. No sooner have they sworn this vow but the Princess of France arrives with her three ladies-in-waiting.

What follows is a summer of carnival fun and games in the pursuit of love. There’s singing, dancing and an utterly outrageous Spanish courtier making filthy jokes, before the touching and unexpected ending. As our lovers learn more about themselves and about love, who will end up together? And in a Kingdom where there is no judgement, where love can be love, does it matter at all?

Come along to your local venue this summer and find out! Bring something to sit on, a picnic and your favourite beverage. Soak up the sunny evenings and be transported to the Spanish coast where decadence and poetry, Abba and Shakespeare, go hand in hand.

Founded in 1994, Off the Ground Theatre have been taking outdoor shows on tours of the UK and wider Europe for nearly 30 years. From Shakespeare to Terry Pratchett, the stories have evolved and been presented in numerous forms. Based on the Wirral, they had been specialising in adventure stories for the years before Covid, bringing such swashbuckling tales as Sinbad, Around the World in 80 Days, Zorro and The Musketeers to audiences across the UK and Ireland. Just before Covid-19 put a halt to all things theatre, they had made a return to Shakespeare, with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Turntable Theatre’s Chris Tomlinson directing a modern version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2019.

Young people are crucial to what Off the Ground Theatre are all about (and where they got their name), and this year’s touring company are no different. We are delighted to welcome recent graduates of Cronton 6th Form College’s esteemed Professional Theatre Programme, as well as Young Everyman & Playhouse (YEP) graduates to our cast, as well as graduates from OTG’s own youth theatre contingent. This year’s production is being directed by OTG graduate Connor Wray, who has also written for the company in the past, penning Sinbad, Zorro and The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Pre-booking from www.offtheground.co.uk is strongly advised, as tickets are limited at all venues. Some may be available on the door.