YORK Shakespeare Project completes its mission to perform all 37 of Shakespeare's plays inside 20 years with its first tour, staging The Tempest across north and east Yorkshire from tomorrow (Friday).

Once described by Professor Michael Dobson, Shakespeare Institute director at the University of Birmingham, as "the most ambitious amateur Shakespearean venture in the country", the project has drawn 350 actors and 300 backstage crew since its debut with Richard III in 2002.

Parrabbola director Philip Parr, founding council member and chair of the European Shakespeare Festivals network and director of York International Shakespeare Festival, has the honour of overseeing YSP reaching its target with a company led by Paul French as Prospero, Effie Warboys as Miranda and Jacob Ward as Ferdinand.

"It's the final fling, putting pressure on Philip and Paul," says YSP chair Councillor Janet Looker, former Lord Mayor of York and a stalwart of the project since its inception in 2001.

"Certainly, it comes with issues of responsibility, not just for the production, but for the whole project," says Philip. "I don't think you can divorce the play from the event, or the nature of that event, the final production, so there's a responsibility to those who first thought of doing it 20 years to bring it to a conclusion that feels right.

"It's been impossible not to plan this production without thinking about the context of it being the end of this remarkable mission. We've been able to recruit a cast full of people who have performed in different YSP productions across the years, along with some who are performing with YSP for the first time."

Fiona Mozley, 2017 Man Booker Prize-nominated author of Elmet, Hot Stew and Soho (AnD) had hoped to re-join the YSP ranks for The Tempest but is no longer able to do so.

Bringing the stormy play's island setting and disrupted world to life through communal storytelling in a new interpretation that highlights colonisation, reconciliation and change, The Tempest is an ideal grand finale, argues Philip.

"Shakespeare's last play deals with many themes that are relevant both to this moment for YSP, but also ones that our society continues to grapple with today: disconnection, corruption, reconciliation and the difficulty of generational change," he says. "I'm excited about the way we're approaching telling this story, using the performing collective to create the island and the 'magic' that permeates it, and using the musical skills of many of the performers to ensure the 'isle is full of noises'."

The YSP committee had taken the decision to undertake a tour as the finale long before Philip was involved. "Originally, we'd always intended to do the last week at York Theatre Royal but the finances got too complex, so it was suggested, 'well, let's do something completely different': a tour. Being at the Theatre Royal on the last night will be the icing on the cake," says Janet.

"Doing this tour is an example of how YSP has never sat still but has always looked at new ways of doing things, taking on new challenges dynamically."

Philip adds: "It has a sense of reward for the project to finish at York Theatre Royal and to end with these eight performances, seven on the road, at six venues, concluding back in York. That's more performances than many productions get; a two-week run with a big cast to present it.

"It's a big commitment to make and it's a tour that comes with different demands: some venues have stage exits, some don't; some have lighting, some don't, so we'll be taking a small lighting rig to illuminate the stage.

"I haven't been to all the venues. I've been to some, had video tours of some, but it's not unusual for a tour."

The cast will feature no fewer than 18 Ariels. "You want to do a celebratory finale, so I had a rule that said, 'if you have been in a YSP production, you have the right to be Ariel', and it's been nice that so many people have come out of the woods!" says Philip.

The last word goes to Janet: "It's difficult to believe that it's been 20 years since our very first production. We thought we were being rather ambitious when we started would we really be able to keep this going for 20 years? And we weren't always sure we'd get there, especially with the events of the past two years.

"But the commitment of the many supporters who have participated in our productions over the

years has seen us reach this last play. We always knew we wanted to finish with something special, and this tour and a finale at York Theatre Royal will be an exciting and unique experience for all the actors and crew, and will give us a chance to share not just the story of The Tempest, but the community ethos of York Shakespeare Project, with a much wider audience. It is a very fitting way to mark the end of this journey."

The celebratory party the next day (October 2) will be well deserved.

York Shakespeare Project presents The Tempest on tour at Thorganby Village Hall tomorrow, 7.30pm; Strensall and Towthorpe Village Hall, Saturday, 2.30, 7.30pm; Helmsley Arts Centre, September 27, 7.30pm; Selby Town Hall, September 28, 7.30pm; The Junction, Goole, September 29; Acomb Parish Church Hall, September 30, 7.30pm and York Theatre Royal, October 1, 7.30pm. Box office: yorkshakespeareproject.org and venue box offices; York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

By Charles Hutchinson