One of the insults aimed at Hermia is that she is short, so Lisa and Rachael thought "Ok..if Shakespeare wants short..."

Lisa and Rachael also have never been cast in these roles in a “proper” production, so the idea of them just casting themselves in those roles in their own show felt cheeky and delicious.

Furthermore, Lisa and Rachael are not among those actors who venerate the bard. In fact it would be fair to say that their view and knowledge of Shakespeare is roughly in line with that of the non- theatre going public

Of course, the "unsuitability" of Lisa and Rachael for these roles is exactly what made the project so enthralling and fresh.

Using bits of Shakespeare from other plays and a few of our own lines in iambic pentameter as the insults made their way into a more modern (and also more Anglo Saxon) vernacula, produced a fascinating dynamic. Rachael and Lisa were not only doing very non-Shakespeare-y Shakespeare, sometimes their momentum took them off into another play and then off and away from Shakespeare altogether.

It was enjoyably disorienting to watch. Like a theatrical fairground ride that you're not absolutely sure won't come off the rails.

This project was supported by The RSC studio where Lisa and Rachael worked with Paul Hunter, Lee Simpson and Steve Edis.