Welcome to Yorkshire
Inspiration • September 10th, 2026
|This November, audiences in South Yorkshire and the North West are in for a unique theatrical experience as the acclaimed Sheffield ensemble, Forced Entertainment, embarks on a regional tour with their innovative production, Selected Works: Table Top Shakespeare. This exciting project brings the classic tales of Shakespeare to life in a completely new way, using everyday household items as stand-ins for characters. The tour will make stops at several venues, including Sheffield Theatres, Cast in Doncaster, Barnsley Civic, and Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot.
Tour Highlights
The Northern tour will take place across four venues throughout November 2026, giving theatre lovers plenty of opportunities to enjoy this inventive performance style:
Sheffield Theatres: 10–12 November
Cast, Doncaster: 13–14 November
Barnsley Civic: 17–19 November
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot: 26–28 November
Each venue will showcase a different selection of plays, allowing audiences to experience a range of Shakespeare's works, from comedies to tragedies, all performed in a condensed and accessible format.
Unique Storytelling Approach
Forced Entertainment's Table Top Shakespeare is not your typical theatre show. Instead of elaborate costumes and sets, a single performer sits at a one-metre table, using common objects—like salt shakers and sponges—as the characters in the story. This approach transforms the way audiences engage with Shakespeare's plays, making them more relatable and enjoyable.
Artistic Director Tim Etchells explains:
“The table top Shakespeare pieces are pretty unusual in the body of our work, but they’re a fantastic introduction to the playful performer-led approach we have. They are really accessible and dynamic tellings of the Shakespeare stories in everyday language.”
By using simple objects, the performances become both humorous and thought-provoking, inviting audiences to connect with the material in a whole new way.
Breaking Down Barriers
Shakespeare's works can sometimes feel intimidating due to their complex language and themes. However, Forced Entertainment aims to break down these barriers. The performers condense the original narratives into engaging one-hour shows that are easy to follow, even for those who may not be familiar with Shakespeare's writing. “It’s an intimate, playful celebration of what theatre can be using minimal resources,” Tim notes. “Audiences don't need prior knowledge of Shakespeare to engage with it.”
A Collaborative Spirit
For more than 40 years, Forced Entertainment has cultivated a unique collaborative practice among its six core members. Each artist contributes to the creative process, leading to a vibrant and experimental approach to theatre-making. Tim Etchells describes their method: “We tend to try a lot of different alternatives as we’re making a show. We say we’re eliminating possibilities from our inquiries! You do the work to the point where it becomes clear what the direction needs to be.” This open-ended exploration allows the team to create performances that are not only entertaining but also deeply engaging for the audience.
Creating Shared Experiences
One of the core philosophies of Forced Entertainment is to create performance spaces where audience members feel involved and engaged. “I want to create a field of energy that is funny, unsettling and playful, where the audience negotiates the politics, the emotion, and the reality of what’s in front of them,” Tim elaborates. This commitment to audience interaction ensures that each performance is a shared experience, making it memorable for everyone involved.
As the tour approaches, excitement is building for what promises to be a series of thought-provoking and entertaining performances across Yorkshire. With tickets expected to sell out quickly, theatre enthusiasts are encouraged to secure their seats early for this one-of-a-kind theatrical event. The Selected Works: Table Top Shakespeare tour not only showcases the talent of Forced Entertainment but also invites audiences to rethink how they experience and connect with classic literature.
