The 14th Leeds Shakespeare Festival is taking place from July 29 to August 15 and will be bringing A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing to the abbey cloisters.

The productions will feature My Family star Gabriel Thomson as Lysander and Claudio, Steven Blakeley from Heartbeat as Puck and Verges, Brazilian actress Daniela Lavender as Titania, Mark Arden as Peter Quince and Dogberry, and Robert J Williamson as Bottom and Benedick.

The British Shakespeare Company, founded by Leeds-born Robert J Williamson, is the UK's best known and most successful open-air Shakespeare company and, as a performer of the Bard's works, is only second in size and reputation to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

A Midsummer Night's Dream will be performed on July 28 and 29, August 5, 6, 9, 11, and 12 (all 7.30pm) and August 1, 2 and 15 (3pm and 7.30pm).

Much Ado About Nothing is July 30 and 31 and August 4, 7, 13 and 14 (all 7.30pm) and August 8 (3pm and 7.30pm).
Tickets, costing from £12 to £22, are available by calling or 0844 848 2701 and online at britishshakespearecompany.co.uk