High street closes for Shakespeare street theatre

Guildford High Street will be closed every evening for three weeks to accommodate an immersive take on Romeo and Juliet.

The production, which began on Friday, is to mark 18 years of the Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC).

Audiences have been asked to follow the action - from the Guildhall balcony to the Tunsgate Quarter - as the story unfolds.

Director and GSC founder, Matt Pinches, described taking over the streets as a "thrilling prospect".

The first half of the show takes place across seven locations, with theatregoers asked to walk 1,500m between scenes.

Castle Gardens hosts the second half of the show.

Alongside a professional cast from the theatre company, a "youth ensemble" from local schools and GSC's drama clubs play the street gangs of Montagues and Capulets.

A group of adult community actors also play the guests at the Capulets masked ball.

Mr Pinches added that the play was "a story bursting with passion, with hope, and with heart".

"I hope that audiences will feel swept up in the same whirlwind of excitement as these two young people find themselves".

GSC said it was creating a knife awareness programme alongside the main production, which would see it visit schools with awareness workshops.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.