FOR actress and theatre maker Sophia Hatfield, being part of Northern Broadsides production of Much Ado About Nothing is a perfect combination.

Sophia plays Margaret in the Shakespearean comedy which comes to The Lowry, Salford Quays next week as part of a UK tour.

“The thing about Broadsides is they make Shakespeare so accessible,” she said. “You don’t have to be into Shakespeare or even into theatre. Anyone can go and see this and have a good time which is how it should be.

“I really think theatre is for everyone and that’s why I love working with Northern Broadsides as they make everyone so welcome.”

The production is set at the end of the Second World War with soldiers returning from the front and trying to pick up their ‘normal’ lives.

“With Northern Broadsides you always get a bit of music,” said Sophia, “so for this we have got some fabulous Andrews Sisters-style 40s music all the way through.

“The thing about Shakespeare is that there are no stage directions. All he cared about was the characters and the story and as long as that’s clear you can do what you want really.

“Much Ado is a wonderful play in the hands of Northern Broadsides as it’s joyous to watch. People don’t feel they are sat watching a play that was written hundreds of years ago, they feel it’s something they can relate to now.”

Sophia grew up in West Yorkshire and studied at the Manchester School of Theatre. She currently lives in Ashton-under-Lyne so next week’s run at The Lowry is very much on home ground for her.

“It’s one of my home venues,” she laughed. “It’s one of the venues I go to see stuff at so it’s nice to be able to work at that space.”

A theatre maker in her own right, Sophia toured Lancashire last year with her one woman show, Common Lore, which was supported by the Spot On touring network and she is heavily involved in making the current production more accessible to younger audiences.

“We have got lots of other resources running alongside the show,” she said. “We have a sister show A Muddle In Messina which is aimed at four to11-year-olds and is aimed at giving them a positive experience of theatre.

“We also run workshops wherever we take the play and there is even an app which is available which includes a really brief plot synopsis.

“A lot of the time what happens with Shakespeare is that people study it at school and that is their only real experience of it.

“Much Ado might not be one of the better known comedies but genuinely it’s hilarious It’s a good one to see if want to get back into Shakespeare. You don’t have to have studied it in any way to get the story – you will get the jokes.”

This summer Sophia has been commissioned to put on a piece at Fairhaven Lake in Lytham based on conversations with local residents.

“It’ll be outdoors at the Lake but at this stage I don’t want to say much more about it.”

After that she’s promised herself a break having worked non stop since October last year.

“At some point I’m probably going to have a week off,” she said. “But for the moment I’m just loving being part of Much Ado.”

Much Ado About Nothing, The Lowry, Salford Quays, Tuesday, May 7 to Saturday, May 11. Details from 0843 208 6005 or www.thelowry.com