RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for the next in his regular Connect Radio theatre reviews.

This week Vidar was taken to an island full of strange sounds and wondrous sights with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest in Stratford upon Avon on Saturday 18 February at 1.15pm with audio description by professional Audio Describers Ellie Packer and Annette Stocken. 

A mother and daughter struggle to survive on an island full of strange sounds and wondrous sights. Then one day, their long-lost enemies sail into view on the horizon.

The world is out of kilter. Political unrest and an unsettled climate make for troubled times. People are out of kilter, too. Sibling rivalry and family rifts cause heartache and uneasy souls.

The Tempest asks us to examine the delicate balance in our personal relationships as well as with the fragile ecosystems around us. What damage do we do to each other — and to the natural world? In the end, young love brings hope for a better life: perhaps healing ourselves and mending the planet are one and the same thing.

Alex Kingston returns to the RSC to play Prospero in Shakespeare’s elemental tale of survival and forgiveness. Elizabeth Freestone (former Artistic Director of Pentabus Theatre Company; The Rape of Lucrece, Swan Theatre; Crooked Dances, The Other Place) makes her Royal Shakespeare Theatre debut.

For more about access at the Royal Shakespeare Company and details about audio described performances do visit the access pages of their website - https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/access

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