First Encounters Tour 2025
A king announces that he will divide his kingdom between his three daughters according to how much they love him.
Our First Encounters with Shakespeare production, makes Shakespeare’s play about family, power and betrayal relevant for a new generation of theatregoers.
This 80-minute version of King Lear uses an edited version of the original play to create the perfect introduction for young people aged 7+ and their families.
First Encounters: King Lear will tour to theatre, schools and community venues. The show will play in the Swan Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon from 23 to 31 October 2025.
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King Lear focuses on the story of Cordelia, Lear’s youngest daughter who fails his test of love at the start of the play which results in fighting, uprisings and ultimately tragedy.
King Lear, which looks at the dividing of a Kingdom, can be a great way to look at the history of Britain and there are lots of themes you can use as routes into the text, including:
- Family and loyalty
- Leadership
- Belonging
You can discover more about these themes and where they appear in the text as well as others in our Themes Resource.
There are so many different ways of exploring the text but you may find the following particularly useful in introducing the text:
Below you can also watch the First Encounter production of King Lear from 2013, directed by Tim Crouch, in full. The First Encounter productions are edited versions of Shakespeare’s plays designed and performed for younger audiences.
