‘I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange?’

Besotted young couple Claudio and Hero have fallen fast and are quickly engaged. Not everyone finds romance so straightforward – Benedick balks at the very thought of it and Beatrice agrees with him, on that if nothing else. But somewhere in this world, there’s someone for everyone, even if they’re right under your nose.

Shakespeare’s raucous comedy is directed by Robert Hastie (Coriolanus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Every performance features the use of integrated creative sign language, audio description and captioning. A pioneering initiative, Ramps on the Moon is a consortium of theatres which aim to enrich stories and the ways in which they are told by putting deaf and disabled artists and audiences at the centre of their work. Every performance features the use of integrated creative sign language, audio description and captioning.

After a run at the Crucible Theatre the production will tour to Leeds Playhouse (Tuesday 27 September – Saturday 1 October), Birmingham Rep (Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 October), Nottingham Playhouse (Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 October), New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich (Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 October), Theatre Royal Stratford East (Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 November), and Salisbury Playhouse (Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 November).

Playing the roles of Beatrice and Benedick are the previously announced Daneka Etchells and Guy Rhys. Joining them, the cast includes: Lee Farrell (Common) playing Verges, Laura Goulden (In The Willows) playing Margaret, Amy Helena (Antigone) playing Seacole, Karina Jones (Macbeth) playing Antonia, Kit Kenneth (London Road) playing Balthasar, Leo Long (I Used To Be Famous) playing Oatcake, Gerard McDermott (Frankenstein) playing Leonato, Taku Mutero (The Prophetic Soul) playing Claudio, Fatima Niemogha (Small Island) playing Don Joan, Caroline Parker (Oliver Twist) playing Dogberry, Dan Parr (Lava) playing Don Pedro, Shreya Patel (The Secret Garden) playing Ursula, Richard Peralta (Coriolanus) playing Friar, Ciaran Stewart (Tribes) playing Conrade, Claire Wetherall (Faith) playing Hero, and Ben Wilson (Oliver Twist) playing Borachio.