Much Ado on the High Street

Commissioned by the Forest Hill Society, Teatro Vivo worked with the local community to perform Shakespeare around the streets in a free promenade performance. 

Shakespeare was brought back from the dead to write a new sonnet about Forest Hill. He wasn't sure where to begin and enlisted the help of a local audience to escort him down the high street to discover things to write about.

As they travelled the audience came across scenes and characters from some of Shakespeare’s plays:

From Beatrice and Benedict arguing in a car park to Anthony seducing Cleopatra in a local pub, Much Ado on the High Street collaborates with local businesses and spaces to create a Shakespearean adventure.

The show culminated in a performance of Shakespeare’s newest sonnet about the neighbourhood.