In the summer of 2022, Response Ability Theatre teamed up with The Grove DIY skate park to reimagine a much-loved classic with a little-known community of 16-30 year old grassroots artists.

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Located on the cusp between Dulwich and Peckham, these young people who took over an unused pub car park, built some ramps with their bare hands and made their mark with graffiti and random items of discarded furniture, were not universally met with approval. So we helped them hone their skills on and off their skateboards to create a dynamic, virtuosic and charming piece of theatre for the whole family, and show everyone around them the true community spirit and artistry that lives in this space that can otherwise be mistaken as aggressive, intimidating or rowdy.

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As the audience was led through the two skate spaces and the calming volunteer-kept garden and vegetable patch (that many locals didn't realise existed), they heard Shakespearean verse delivered expertly, music performed skilfully and delicately, and - of course - mad skate tricks pulled off with unreal DIY style.

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A number of our cast had barely seen any theatre before, let alone Shakespeare, and a great many had not done any acting since primary school. Many of them - as in most skateboarding communities - felt excluded from mainstream arts and vilified by society around them: we were honoured to be visited by the Ben Raemers Foundation for two workshops on mental health and wellbeing, to help them through their doubts, insecurities and other emotional barriers along the way. We were so proud to see them find confidence in their skills and creativity, clarity in how to put them to use in public-facing ways, and determination to pursue their talents within and beyond their turf.

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DIY skate spaces are transient, and we have no idea how long this one will be here - but the community that has come to feel like a family around it is galvanising support and making incredible strides in their efforts to save it. Whatever happens, the space, the people and the show will be an ongoing memory of what can be achieved when passionate but excluded artists are trusted, and trust each other, to show just how vast the contribution they can make to the cultural landscape around them is.