This weekend will mark the launch of 'Breaking Bard' - a new, original comedy about Shakespeare at St Mary's Creative Space.

It is the first collaboration between Livemak Theatre and Live History, a local group specialising in immersive walking tours in Chester City Centre.

The story, first developed by director Mike Lockley during the 2020 lockdown, follows William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage and servant (and aspiring actor) Bert in the year 1608 as the trio find themselves unable to return to London, due to it being in lockdown. Thanks to a couple of local ladies, the group end up performing abridged versions of Shakespeare's most popular plays in Chester however things do not go according to plan.

"There are references to a William Shakeshaft receiving play clothes and musical instruments in the will of John Cottom, a Stratford schoolmaster, from the 1580s", says Tom Hudson of Live History. "At this point, both Hoghton Tower and Ruffed Old Hall claim that Shakespeare was working in Lancashire as a school teacher whilst some even believe that he visited Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire."

If the latter were true though, would Shakespeare have visited Chester?

"In reality, we just don't know. People can't even be sure about Shakespeare's identity", says Tom.

Shakespeare remains a shady character with countless theories surrounding him, whether they be linked with Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, right up to Shakespeare being a black, Jewish woman called Emilia Bassano Willoughby.

The group's take on Shakespeare seems to follow the traditional, established one in that he was a playwright from Stratford-Upon-Avon but that the play is a piece of fiction.

Audience members can expect to see excerpts from A Midsummer Night's Dream through to Hamlet, the former allegedly having been written by the bard to be performed for the first time at a Stanley wedding - a family with local connections, notably through Stanley Palace.

In similar fashion, this will be the first time that Live History has branched out into local theatre.

Recently, the group released their third self-guided audio tour in Chester ('Chester Children's Tour II: Leeches to Fashionistas'), introduced a new Viking character to their Lancaster Time Travel Tours (formerly Family Tours) and have announced plans to launch tours this autumn in the border city of Carlisle.

For more information on what Live History do, people should visit their newly updated website www.livehistory.co.uk...but where can you get tickets for Breaking Bard?

Chester Visitor Information Centre are selling tickets face-to-face, tickets can also be purchased online at https://www.ticketsource.com/breakingbard and customers can even buy tickets on the night on the door.

If football isn't your thing, then why not try something a little different this weekend?

Breaking Bard will be at St Mary's Creative Space at 7:30pm on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th June.