THE Festival Players, one of Britain's top touring theatre companies, is marking 22 years in business with a pacy new performance.

This year the players have chosen to perform Shakespeare's pastoral romantic comedy As You Like It, set in the Forest of Arden. All kinds of antics are going on - from amorous advances to clowning, disguise and gender reversals!

And the players will be giving audiences even more of a conundrum - by fielding an all male cast.

David Lee-Jones will take the central pivotal role of Rosalind, the Duke's daughter who disguises herself as a youth and teasingly tutors her own suitor on how to win her favours. David, who trained at The Academy Drama School, London will also take the roles of William and vicar Sir Oliver Martext.

Walsall-based Martin Tomms will play three roles - Adam, Duke Senior and Corin.

A popular Festival Players' stalwart, Martin played Sir Tony Belch in the 2004 production of Twelfth Night, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Polonius in Hamlet.

Other cast members are: Cheltenham-based Andrew Holloway as Celia and Amiens, Alan Christopher as Touchstone and Oliver, Matthew Schmolle as Orlando, Audrey and Silvius and Paul Russell as Jaques, Phebe and Duke Frederick.

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."

Dyer, former director of Cornwall's famous open air Minack Theatre, is no stranger to the adventurous settings of Shakespeare - in 2001 he advanced the Players' production of Shakespeare's Henry V into a First World War scenario.

He is looking forward to the challenge of directing the popular romantic comedy and putting his own spin on it in a witty and fast-moving production.

He adds: "I've taken the liberty of trimming Shakespeare's text so the running time is just about two hours and we can promise audiences a lively production with colourful Renaissance-style costumes specially created for us by Richard Westcott."

You can see As You Like It at Shaftesbury Abbey on Wednesday, July 18, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 plus concessions, available from 01747 852910 and 01747 853514.