The hottest tickets for 2014's autumn theatre season in Manchester are productions of Shakespeare from two of the region's leading theatre companies.

The Royal Exchange Theatre production of Hamlet is directed by artistic director Sarah Frankcom starring popular stage and TV actress Maxine Peake in the title role. When we spoke to Sarah and Maxine with two and a half weeks to go before opening, this had already become one of the theatre's most popular productions.

Hamlet runs at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester from 11 September to 25 October 2014. For more information, see royalexchange.co.uk.

Manchester's new arts centre, Home, is presenting a series of site-specific productions in the run-up to the opening of its new purpose-built venue next spring.

After Angel Meadow, the second of these is new artistic director Walter Meierjohann's directorial debut for the company, a production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet performed in Manchester's historic Victoria Baths, which sold out before opening night.

In this episode, you can hear director Walter Meierjohann, dramaturg Petra Jane Tauscher and actors Alex Felton and Sara Vickers who play Romeo and Juliet.

Home Manchester's production of Romeo and Juliet runs at Victoria Baths from 10 September to 4 October 2014. For more information, see homemcr.org.