I, Shakespeare: I, Malvolio; I, Cinna; I, Peaseblossom; I, Banquo; I, Caliban

Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, and The Tempest... in a way you’ve never seen them before. Away from the rest of their plays, Malvolio, Cinna, Peaseblossom, Banquo, and Caliban tell their tales, each in a solo-show written for younger audiences, by acclaimed playwright Tim Crouch. No longer burdened by iambic pentameter, these five can finally speak their truth... Fusing Shakespeare with meta-theatre, multimedia, creative tasks, and philosophical playfulness, Crouch reimagines these secondary Shakespearean characters in a way that is accessible and engaging to young audiences. Featuring an introduction from Crouch that explains the origin of the five plays and their performance processes, the I, Shakespeare collection provides a fresh perspective on some of theatre’s most well-known stories, finding the parallels between the Bard’s time and present day.

Tim Crouch is a UK theatre artist based in Brighton. He writes plays, performs in them and takes responsibility for their production. He started to make his own work in 2003. Before then he was an actor.

Tim works with a number of associates and collaborators to produce his writing. There isn’t a company structure; things and people are brought together when they are needed. The starting process has always been a text written by Crouch. Early work was made in response to a self-generated impulse to tell a story or explore a form. This impulse is still the first motivation but, lately, it’s become slightly more formalized through the involvement of various commissioning theatres and organizations. Tim’s work tours extensively to UK and international venues and festivals.