大象传媒

Six actors with learning difficulties have created a new theatre piece celebrating the role of jesters in history.

The play, All The King's Fools, is influenced by historical research revealing that some of the most famous jesters of the mid sixteenth century had intellectual disabilities.

鈥淭his is really important work uncovering a hidden chapter in the history of popular entertainment. We aim to show the true skill of these historic performers and the debt owed to them by comic entertainers over the last five centuries,鈥� says Director Peet Cooper.

The show is to be performed at in Surrey in the courtyards and cloisters where jesters entertained the Tudor Court nearly 500 years ago.

Inspiration for the project came after Cooper was asked by Hampton Court Palace to play the role of Henry VIII鈥檚 fool Will Somer.

When he discovered Somer was said to be a 'natural fool鈥� or 'innocent鈥�, Cooper felt he couldn鈥檛 play the role authentically and decided to contact actors who could help.

The performers are from , a theatre company which provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities, and who work to challenge discrimination.

Penny Lepisz, Maude Winkler Reid, Marsail Edwards, Paul Prangly, Bill Loveridge and Greg Tibbets incorporate traditional fooling and clowning techniques with their own style of performance.

Music is by musician Sarah Moody who has worked at the Theatre Royal in Bath, the Nottingham Playhouse and for 大象传媒 Radio 4.

Marsail Edwards said: 鈥淸the audience] will learn that people with learning difficulties can act. They don鈥檛 think we can act very well and also they think the words 鈥榣earning difficulties鈥� means we can鈥檛 do a lot, but we can. I think, most of all, people will find our performance moving.鈥�

All The King鈥檚 Fools starts on Thursday 24 February 2011 and runs to Sunday 27 February. There are performances at 11.00听and 14.00听each day.