This play is often called Shakespeare's greatest tragedy and it contains not only some of his finest poetry but also his most complete philosophical exploration of the human condition. It is also an exciting and fast moving story of pride, jealousy, betrayed love, madness, torture and murder.

Despite these qualities, the play often fails in the theatre, probably because it is so rich and complex and directors try too hard to modernise or interpret the work.

ITCL aim to use a similar approach to KING LEAR as to their multi award winning HAMLET. We will aim for an Elizabethan clarity, stripping the play down to its essentials in terms of staging and text and using resources that Shakespeare himself might recognise, including live music specially composed for the production.

This will be a King Lear that might be performed at Stonehenge, the world's largest stone age monument (situated in southern England). This is a pagan world struggling with both the absence of a recognised God and the almost beast like selfishness of humanity.

The play needs a sense of power, of vast natural and supernatural forces that are unleashed on weak humanity. The company will aim to release this energy through powerful physical theatre, bordering on dance. Shakespeare writes poetic drama and nowhere more so than in King Lear, we hope that by creating a poetic and symbolic performance style that calls on the imagination of the audience we can approach this extraordinary play with a fresh perspective. This is a masterpiece that needs not so much dramatisation as clarification. We hope to allow a worldwide audience to experience not only one of the greatest plays of Shakespeare but a drama that speaks to us all and asks us to reflect on the nature of good and evil.

The company have established an international reputation for creating original stagings of Shakespeare's major works. MACBETH, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, HAMLET and ROMEO AND JULIET Have toured over twenty countries worldwide including Britain, the USA, Japan, Germany and Scandinavia. There have been regular performances in major theatres from Singapore to Berlin and Malta to Dubai as well as in palaces such as Windsor Castle, Prague castle and Heidelberg Schloss. All the productions have been directed by Paul Stebbings, founder of TNT and ITCL. This year marks his thirteenth season of touring theatre in Japan.