NICK Bagnall and Gary Cooper are making their mark on the North Yorkshire arts scene as co-artistic directors of the revitalised Milton Rooms at Malton.

This month, however, they are in Yorkshire for a different reason.

Nick is directing Shakes-peare’s Globe’s presentation of Shakespeare’s three Henry VI plays under their original titles – Harry The Sixth, The Houses Of York & Lancaster and The True Tragedy Of The Duke Of York, while Gary will be playing the Duke of Gloucester in York from Wednesday.

These plays begin with the death of Henry V and chart the entirety of his son’s turbulent reign, encompassing the stories of Joan of Arc, who is burnt at the stake at the end of Harry The Sixth, and Jack Cade, whose short-lived peasant rebellion is depicted in The Houses Of York & Lancaster.

At the heart of all three plays is the struggle between York and Lancaster. The black comedy that builds with each reversal of power in The True Tragedy Of The Duke Of York ultimately sets the stage for the ascent of Shakespeare’s demonic Richard III, a play that York Theatre Royal will be producing separately in the autumn.

The Globe will be conducting its Henry VI dress rehearsals at York Theatre Royal, where Nick’s production of the first part of Shakespeare’s Wars of the Roses series will open its British tour before its transfer to the open-air Globe in London.

“This is the first time I’ve directed anything for the Globe,” says Nick. “I’ve known Dominic [Globe artistic director Dominic Dromgoole] for 20 years; as an actor I’ve come across him quite a lot, and he invited me to do a play for the Globe.”

Nick suggested he should do Part III of the Henry VI plays. “But Dominic said, ‘You can’t just do Part III; go away and read all of them,” he recalls.

“He then gave me the brief for this production: ‘14 actors and cut the plays to two hours each’, so when we do all three in a day [as they will in York on June 29, July 6 and July 13], it’s six hours with gaps in between.”

Six hours on a Saturday?

“They’re such thrilling plays that they really race by,” says Nick. “The difficulty with these plays is that there are hundreds of locations, hundreds of characters, and the challenge lies in not confusing things for the audience, so colour-coordinating becomes very important.”

Not only will Shakespeare’s Globe be performing at York Theatre Royal but the production will be staged in the open air at Towton, England’s bloodiest battlefield near York, on Sunday, July 14.

“We’re going to four battlefields in all: Towton, St Albans, Barnet and Tewkesbury,” says Nick.

Ti Green’s set design is so flexible that it can be taken everywhere, whether to a battlefield or a theatre.

“Nothing really changes with the set in the field but vocally we will need a lot of muscle on that day at Towton,” says Nick. “But we’re up for the battle, whatever the weather.

“My assumption is that there’ll be a picnic blanket feel to the day and hopefully there’ll be a falconry display too.”

• Shakespeare’s Globe’s Henry VI runs at York Theatre Royal from Wednesday to July 13; for performance times, more details and bookings, contact York Theatre Royal box office on 01904 623568 or visit yorktheatreroyal.co.uk