“Sun & Moon Theatre’s work is marked with emotional intelligence and passionate intensity” RemoteGoat
“You can tell, through the attention to detail, that Sun and Moon Theatre know how to perfectly relocate Shakespearean plays to different eras” Razz Magazine
“A speaker is but a prater, a Rhyme is but a Ballad; a good Leg will fall, a straight Back will stoop, a black Beard will turn white, a curl’d Pate will grow bald, a fair Face will wither, a full Eye will wax hollow: but a good Heart … is the Sun and the Moon” Henry V (First Folio)
Based in the South West, Sun & Moon Theatre specialise in Shakespeare, intensive solo work, ensemble practice and working with Quarto and First Folio scripts as a springboard to our actors’ development. We produce indoor productions, open-air productions, workshops and one-to-one sessions.
Our company ethos is:
– Making Shakespeare for all
– Breaking down barriers that put audiences (young and old) off Shakespeare
– Making Shakespeare’s works relevant and accessible by creating detailed theatrical concepts
– Exploring and playing with text and asking ‘Why this play now?’
– Embracing the actor-audience relationship and adapting to a range of audiences and spaces
– Embracing the significance of process as well as performance, valuing our ensemble and the collaborative nature of rehearsal
– Entertaining and inviting the audience to share in brilliant stories, text and characters that have stood the test of time
Previous productions and work:
Our previous productions and projects, both indoor and open-air, include Swindlers, Follies and Schemers (2011), Let’s Misbehave: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2013), Twelfth Night (2013), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (with Brite Theater) (2014), Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off: Much Ado About Nothing (2014), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2014), The Sun and the Moon (2015), The Tempest (2015), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2016), Shakespeare by the Quay (2017), Twelfth Night (or What You Will) (2017-18), As You Like It (2018), All the World’s a Stage (2018-19), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2019)
Artistic Directors: Melissa Niamh Barrett & David Johnson
We are the Artistic Directors of Sun & Moon Theatre. We take an Actor Manager approach to running the company, in which we direct, produce and also perform in our projects and productions. We trained with the Year Out Drama Company in Stratford-upon-Avon from 2008-2009, in which we received training in Voice, Acting, Song, Dance, Text and Physicality from resident and visiting practitioners, including Royal Shakespeare Company and West End practitioners. We both studied at the University of Exeter; David studied Drama, while Melissa read English and gained a Master of Fine Art degree in Theatre Practice: Staging Shakespeare, which included residencies at Shakespeare’s Globe. When we graduated, we wanted to carry on creating our own theatrical work, making Sun & Moon Theatre our official venture.
