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The Stafford Gatehouse Theatre has announced that next year’s Stafford Shakespeare production will be Hamlet.

Running from 24 June - 5 July, the ghostly tale of murder and revenge includes some of the most famous lines in stage history, including ‘To be or not to be, that is the question’ and ‘To thine own self be true’ and ‘The lady protests too much, methinks’.

The 33rd annual production will star Stafford actor Benedict Shaw, who recently appeared in the hit BBC drama Boat Story and Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate, in the title role.

Benedict, who grew up in the Rowley Park area and attended Blessed William Howard High School, is a former member of the Gatehouse Youth Theatre.

He said: "I’m delighted to be making my Stafford Shakespeare debut at the Gatehouse. This is where it all began for me many years ago and it feels like things have come full circle to be back in my home town at a theatre that means so much to me."

The production will be directed by award-winning Richard Cheshire, who has a long history with the Gatehouse and Stafford itself, and has been directing on both sides of the Atlantic since the 1980s.

Richard, who is a Senior Lecturer in Acting and Directing at Staffordshire University, said: "It’s a dream to have the opportunity to direct a Stafford Shakespeare production. I couldn’t be happier and I’m looking forward to working with the wonderful Gatehouse team to create something very special in 2025."

Theatre Manager Gary Stevens said: "We’ve had two wonderful productions since moving Stafford Shakespeare to the Gatehouse and I’m sure that will continue with Richard at the helm next year.

One of the things we’ve been looking to do is to provide a platform for local talent and it doesn’t get much better than Benedict, who started out at the Gatehouse Youth Theatre and has now got a successful stage and TV career.

There will be one or two familiar Stafford Shakespeare faces in the cast, but we’ll also be showcasing some of the rising stars from within Staffordshire too.

When the Shakespeare project began back in 1991, there was a very large community involvement and we want to get back to that spirit of engagement within the town and the wider county - we’re putting the ‘Stafford’ back into Stafford Shakespeare."

Further cast announcements will be made in due course.

Tickets for the shows start from just £10 and run to £34, with discounts for concessions and schools. They are available now from the Gatehouse Box Office 01785 619080 or online at gatehousetheatre.co.uk.