PERFORMERS from Cumbria and Lancashire will be appearing in a brand-new musical which will be showing at Lancaster’s Grand Theatre. 

Star Crossed Summer will be playing on August 19 and 20 this year, based on a play by William Shakespeare. 

Written and directed by Connie Evans, 19 from Wray, the show was inspired by her favourite Shakespeare play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.

The show includes a series of catchy songs and dance numbers with the cast of players from Lancaster and Cumbria. 

Connie said: “Star Crossed Summer’ is a brand-new musical I wrote through the pandemic. I based it off my favourite Shakespeare play, ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ but modernised it and set it in the Lake District. 

“The premise of the show is that fourteen teenagers go on a two-month trip to the Lake District after finishing their A-level exams.

“Following the traditional plot of ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ there are two main couples; the couple that are made for each other and the couple that are in complete denial and have to be pushed together. 

“It’s a comedy musical with lots of upbeat original songs and humorous characters.

“Rehearsals for the show have been going very well, we’ve got a really good and hardworking cast. 

“I’m playing the character ‘Florence’ who is based off the character ‘Beatrice.’ She’s witty, intelligent and I identify with her sarcastic streak. 

“She’s very much a character whose bark is worse than her bite and I love the banter between her and the character ‘Freddie.’ She has lots of funny lines but also many layers to her personality.” 

John who plays Freddie, inspired by Benedict, said: “I've wanted to be an actor since I was quite young. I always enjoy performing on the stage and hearing the live audiences. 

“The rehearsals for the show are going great.

“It's nice to see the development of my character throughout the show and how the other character's impacts alter his own personality.

“I have done a lot of theatre shows with a wide range. 

“The largest of which is probably the Christmas pantomimes which is very heavy for singing, dancing, acting, and keeping high stamina. 

“These are also skills that are transferable to the musical.”

Daisy, who plays Tia, said: “This is very different to anything I’ve played in the past and it’s not the character I was initially auditioning for. 

“I wouldn’t say I have anything in common with my character and I think Caitlin would agree with that in terms of playing Lea. 

“That all makes it all the more fun for us to do, though. 

“We’re very sassy and although we’re not the most likeable characters in the plot, we definitely add humour and are favoured by the audience for that reason. 

“It’s good to get involved in different things and challenge your current acting abilities.”

Dylan, from Lancaster, said: “The main reason I love acting is because my mum does a lot of shows and I want to follow in her footsteps. 

“I wanted to do this show because I thought it would be a good start for me to get the experience of being on a stage. 

“I think Dom is a wonderful character for me. Because he suits me to a tee. Mainly because I like to think of myself as a people pleaser and I always put others before myself. Dom does this really well.”

Codie said: “I’ve been in shows with Connie a few times in the past and have always enjoyed working with her, so I was very excited for the opportunity to work on one of her own personal projects as I knew it would be something amazing, and I can’t wait to see the hard work of all of the cast and our teamwork pay off to put on a fantastic show for a great cause.”

Playing at the Lancaster Grand Theatre on August 19 and 20, and tickets can be found on the Grand’s website.