THE gardens of Giggleswick School will be the setting for a performance of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays by the world’s first cycling theatre company.

The HandleBards’ all-male troupe will perform an outdoor production of the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream at 6.30pm on Saturday, August 5.

Since 2013, the HandleBards' two troupes (one all-male, the other all-female) have pedalled over 6,000 miles across the UK to perform their unique brand of “charmingly chaotic, environmentally sustainable, bicycle-powered Shakespeare”.

Producer Paul Moss said, in usual HandleBards style, the audience can expect “riotous amounts of energy, a fair old whack of chaos, and a great deal of laughter” from the show.

The HandleBards, who have been hailed as as “uproariously funny” by Sir Ian McKellen, pride themselves on how accessible they make Shakespeare and his plays.

“The key is not to take it all so seriously,” explains Paul. “We only ever cast four actors in our productions, for the very reason that it’s nearly impossible to perform a Shakespeare play with just four actors - attempting it always leads to hilarity both on and off stage, it’s really a lot of fun.”

This year marks The HandleBards’ fifth UK summer season, having begun their adventure in 2013 with a 967-mile cycle from Glasgow to London.

Back then, it was theatre on a shoestring - and not meant figuratively - the boys used shoelaces and a sponge to attach their trailers to their bikes.

Since then, the group have gone from strength to strength, having grown from a set of friends with cheap bikes and a rickety old trailer to an internationally successful theatre company, who have performed their brand of fast-paced, bicycle-powered Shakespeare in 12 countries across three continents.

They were nominated for a Stage Award at the end of 2016.

“We’re on a journey to become the world’s front-runners in sustainable theatre,” said Paul. “This year we’re planting trees to offset 100 per cent of our carbon emissions.”

The HandleBards also work hard to grow real engagement with local communities. They invite local musicians to play at their shows, and encourage people to see their show as an opportunity for the whole community to get together.

Doors for the show open at 5.30pm. To book tickets visit giggleswick.org.uk/rwt