THE pedal-powered HandleBards are back on their bikes as the theatrical troupe of cycling players mount a 1,500-mile tour from June to September that has York in its sights.

After their Shakespeare-on-wheels shows in 2013 and 2014, the Bard boys are on track to arrive in North Yorkshire for their "1930s' indie- folk romps" through A Midsummer Night's Dream on Tuesday and Hamlet on Wednesday in the grounds of the Merchant Adventurers' Hall.

Beautifully British and bonkers, the four-strong, all-male troupe are pedalling the length and breadth of Britain to "do Shakespeare differently". Performing with eight very sore legs, Calum Hughes-McIntosh, Callum Brodie, Tom Dixon and cycling peloton newcomer Matthew Seager use their bikes to power various surprises and contraptions on stage, while playing all the parts in James Farrell's 'Dream' show and Emma Sampson's take on Shakespeare's rotten Danish tragedy.

Last year, The HandleBards broke new ground by becoming the first troupe to have performed Macbeth atop Dunsinnan Hill, where "the Scottish play" is set, and this summer they are staging shows in castles, on boats, at bicycle shops, on World Heritage sites and in the Royal Botanical Gardens at next month's Edinburgh Fringe.

York Press:

The HandleBards' Tom Dixon climbs a Yorkshire dale

 

This summer's tour from Sevenoaks to London via Scotland is their most adventurous so far. Not only will they cycle 1,500 miles to play 44 characters between them, they also will complete the entire escapade off-grid, using dynamos to store cycle power, making The Handlebards the first energy-positive touring theatre company on the planet.

On the road with their fast-paced farces from June 24 to September 12, the eccentric troupe will carry their set, props, costumes and camping equipment the entire way on the back of their bikes with no back-up vehicle in support, saving more than 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the process.

Already The HandleBards have proved themselves as pioneers of sustainable touring theatre, winning the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Award, but this is only the beginning, reckons tour manager Paul Moss. "We're now taking our shows to the next level by teaming up with Electric Pedals, the brilliant minds behind all sorts of pedal-powered installations," he says. "They've powered cinemas and radio stations by bicycles before, and now they're doing their first tour with The Handlebards. It's a big challenge, but neither of us could wait to get going."

 

York Press:

The HandleBards making an ass of themselves in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Before The HandleBards were formed, none of the boys could claim to be avid cyclists. As such, they were thoroughly unprepared for the thrilling adventure they now call their annual tour, especially the challenge of dragging two 60kg trailers for miles across the Yorkshire Dales in 32-degrees heat.

In fact their first ever cycle travels saw them break two cycle chains, three wheels, a trailer attachment and their director's coccyx. They have improved since, however, so much so that they have gone 18 months and 3,000 miles without a puncture. Touch wood.

"The tour's been going great so far: brilliant responses from audiences and brilliant weather to match," says artistic director Callum Cheatle, as The HandleBards' pedals and pentameters head for York. Tickets for the 7pm shows are on sale on 01904 654818 or via email to enquiries@theyorkcompany.co.uk