A BOLD new forward thinking theatre company breathes fresh life into two Shakespeare masterpieces as part of the Old Laundry's first ever spring and summer season.

Merely Theatre productions are raucous and joyous, stirring and visceral, and specialise in bringing a new dimension to Shakespeare, promising audiences they will ‘get it’ first time.

In association with The Production Exchange, Merely stages two of the Bard's best loved plays, Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night, in its signature stripped-back style in rep at the Bowness theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 21/22 (2.30pm and 7.30pm).

A newcomer to the Old Laundry, the theatre company’s commitment to what it describes as 'gender-blind practice' means actors rehearse their five-hand productions in male-female pairs, generating twice the amount of ideas for each role, while halving the rehearsal time for each individual. A man and a woman play each set of parts alternately across the venues on the tour; a male Juliet, a female Malvolio - any combination is possible.

In staging the two classics with the same actors, Merely's artistic director Scott Ellis says that they had done their best to recreate the same atmosphere and attitude from the old repertory theatre system - the discipline, the technique, and the focus: "We put in the work, we sweat it hard, and out of that pressure cooker come some extraordinary things. It’s an exhilarating way to work. We are doing raw, pure Shakespeare, the kind people get swept up in and excited by.”

The new season also features a recital by talented pianist Young Choon Park on Friday, April 7 (7.30pm), performing Beethoven's Sonata No 17 in D minor op 31 No 2 The Tempest and Sonata No 31 in A flat major and Chopin's Sonata No 3 in B minor.

The South Korean born pianist Young-Choon Park started studying piano at the age of four and gave her first full recital when she was seven. She played the Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra at the age of nine and went on to study at the Juilliard School in New York; these days she performs at major venues across the world.

Come May, and the Old Laundry is putting on A Marvellous Mozart Weekend Festival, celebrating the music and life of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with a programme of chamber music from Sheffield-based Ensemble 360.

Staged in association with Sheffield’s Music in the Round, the opening concert will be on Friday, May 19, (7.30pm), featuring Mozart at his most irresistible with his Piano Trio in B flat, Violin Sonata in A, and two string quartets.

The Saturday (May 20) events feature Marvellous Mozart: Music for Mini Maestros - a morning workshop suited to mini maestros as their first introduction to classical music with 45 minutes of songs, games and hands-on musical fun for children and the professional musicians from Ensemble 360.

The day also includes an early evening lecture (5.15pm), where Ensemble 360 shed new light on the music which will be heard in the evening concert as the musicians explore a little more about the musical genius of Mozart;

Ensemble 360's Saturday evening recital features Mozart's Piano Trio, Divertimento in B flat, his String Quartet in D minor, plus Piano Quartet in G minor.

The Marvellous Mozart weekend continues on the Sunday (May 21) with a morning Bring and Sing, raising the Old Laundry roof with the beauty of Mozart’s music at its most poignant in apparently simple pieces such as the motet Ave Verum Corpus. Enthusiastic singers are invited to join the session led by Simon Berridge, choral animateur and member of the acclaimed ensemble The Sixteen.

As part of the Bring and Sing choir those taking part will be giving an informal performance of Ave Verum Corpus with Ensemble 360 as part of its afternoon concert, which also includes Mozart's String Quartet No 16 in E flat major and Piano Quartet in E Flat Major.

As the popular and enterprising Old Laundry Theatre celebrates its 25th birthday this year, the inaugural spring/summer season provides another milestone moment, and marketing manager, Sarah Melhuish, says "there's a real buzz about the place."

She adds: "For the first time, rather than just our traditional autumn season, we're hosting a lively programme of theatre all year round.

"There’s so much in the programme this year and even more in the planning, all made possible because we recently opened The Laundrama, the new Old Laundry Studio space in the old Rayrigg Rooms just across from the theatre.

"This traditional community hall, which we lovingly renovated, complements the main theatre, which means we can hold smaller events like comedy nights, cabaret style events and functions there, freeing the main theatre space and giving us the versatility to programme so much more."

This year is really shaping up to be an absolute cracker for the Old Laundry team with the exciting news that its anniversary autumn production will be the biggest show ever staged in the Bowness venue's versatile and multi-purpose space - By Jeeves, the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn musical, which Mr A will direct himself.

And in summer the smash-hit stage show of 2016 inspired by Beatrix Potter's world famous stories, Where is Peter Rabbit? returns to the Old Laundry.

Meanwhile, one of the UK's leading laughter makers Dave Spikey opens the Old Laundry's 2017 season with his new Juggling on the Motorbike Comedy Tour playing the Bowness venue on Friday, March 10 (7.30pm).

Box office 015394-40872 or book online www.oldlaundrytheatre.co.uk.