A RETIRED York vicar and a former Lord Mayor are each playing a part in an ambitious Shakespeare project being launched in the city next year.

The retired vicar of Clifton, the Rev Robin Fletcher, will play the Archbishop of York and City of York Councillor Shan Braund, former Lord Mayor of York, will take to the stage as the Duchess of York.

They will be performing in Richard III - the first of 37 Shakespeare plays to be staged in York over the next 20 years as part of a scheme by The York Shakespeare Project.

The popular and the lesser-known Shakespeare works will be tackled, ending with a performance of The Tempest in 2020.

Richard III, who was on the throne from 1483 to 1485, was a great benefactor of both the city and of York Minster and he was a hugely popular figure among local people.

But his reputation has been so tarnished by accusations of murder, most famously of his two nephews Richard and Edward, that he has become a reviled historical figure.

Shakespeare's play, regarded by some as Tudor propaganda, also portrays the King as a villain.

Mr Fletcher said: "I think the decision to do Richard III, who is regarded in some ways as the local boy, is a good one.

"Shakespeare portrays him as an absolute villain, but the message of Richard III is still a relevant one."

Coun Braund, who is a trained actor and will appear under her stage name of Shan Edryd, last acted in 1993 when she played Portia in The Merchant Of Venice for the local Phoenix Players.

She said: "I am going from one part of York history - being Lord Mayor in Millennium year - to another, being the mother of Yorkist kings."

Updated: 09:43 Saturday, October 06, 2001