THE ALL-MALE Festival players return to Dorset this month with a glorious retelling of As You Like It.

Set in the Forest of Arden, Shakespeare's romp sees all kinds of antics are going on - from amorous advances to clowning, disguise and gender reversals.

The show will mark a hat-trick of all-male performances for the Players. Last year they gained huge acclaim for an all-male production of Hamlet and in 2005 for A Midsummer Night's Dream, which became one of their most successful shows on record, with one performance in Wales alone attracting an audience of around 1,000.

Director Michael Dyer is known for his crystal-clear productions, which make for easily digestible Shakespeare.

He says "Two years ago we raised a few eyebrows when people realised there was not an actress in sight, but the feedback proved that people were intrigued by the idea and liked what they saw.

"Although it might seem unusual today to field an all-male cast it is in fact totally authentic - we are just following in the footsteps of Shakespeare's own Elizabethan Globe Theatre when all the roles were taken by men."

You can see As You Like It on at Shaftesbury Abbey on Wednesday, July 18 at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £12 plus concessions, available from 01747 852910 and 01747 853514.