All- male cast to perform famous play 'as Shakespeare intended'.

AN epic tale of passion and tragedy by William Shakespeare will be performed as he intended for the first time in more than 400 years.

The Lord Chamberlain's Men, an all-male open-air touring theatre company, will perform Romeo and Juliet at the Museum Gardens, York, at the end of this month.

Shakespeare's plays were written for all-male casts and many of them have been performed this way since his death.

But after extensive research the company believes theirs is the first production of Romeo and Juliet with no female actors since the 16th Century.

The exact date Romeo and Juliet was written is unknown. Scholars estimate Shakespeare put quill to parchment in 1595 or 1596, though some argue it was 1591.

Mark Puddle, company founder and creative director, said: "We've been doing a lot of research and we're almost certain this is the first professional all-male production of the original text in more than 400 years.

"The traditional cast brings the show to life in the way Shakespeare himself first envisioned the play. It's something very special indeed."

The play is being directed by the Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning female director, Lucy Pitman-Wallace, and will be her third collaboration with the company.

"It's got everything - comedy, passion, betrayal, heroism, tragedy," she said. "Combine that with the beautiful venues the company visits and you couldn't ask for anything more from a trip to the theatre."

The Lord Chamberlain's Men have been touring the country with the production since May and will continue until September.

It formed in 2004 and is the modern incarnation of Shakespeare's original theatre company of the same name.

By performing with an all-male cast, it aims to revive the traditions of Elizabethan theatre and bring to life the great works of drama as they would first have been performed.

The production will be performed from August 29 to 31. Audiences are encouraged to take along picnics, deckchairs and chilled drinks.

Tickets cost £14.50 or £7.50 for children under 16. They are available from the York Theatre Royal Box Office, or by calling 01904-623568 or visiting www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk