The Bard is back as stars take to stage in Ludlow

At 8pm the curtain will rise on the first of 11 performances of As You Like It, starring John Challis and Eric Potts, actors both best known for their TV work –Challis in comedy Only Fools and Horses and Potts in soaps Brookside and Coronation Street.

It marks the start of a festival which runs until June 22, and will be a triumphant return for the work of Shakespeare, whose 450th birthday is being celebrated this year.

The performance will not be traditional, however, as production company Stafford Gatehouse Theatre have updated the story to the 1960s and filled the show with music.

Chris Davies, festival director, said: "It's a completely different format, making Shakespeare far more accessible. The show is set in the 60s and it's an actor-muso show – all the actors play musical instruments."

He added: "The set and the play is all in order, and we have our first full dress rehearsal tonight. The actors are all revved up, loving being in Ludlow and having a good time.

"John Challis is wonderful and Eric Potts is hilarious. We have been here most nights until 2am for the last 10 days.

"It's taken a lot of effort and planning, but it's looking good."

Challis and Potts are the two clowns, Challis performing the role of Jaques, and Potts as Touchstone.

He said some elements of the production were being kept tightly under wraps.

"We don't want to give too much away about the set, but As You Like It is set in Arden Forest, and there are hippy vehicles and lots of different things on set. It's a big production," he said.

"All of the seating is covered and the seats are on three sides of the stage so nobody will be more than 12 rows from the action."

He said tickets were still available but selling fast

But he stressed the festival was more than just the performance itself.

"On site we've got fantastic bars and food from local suppliers, and we open at Saturday lunchtime so people can wander up and have a look," he said.

Ludlow Festival Diary by John Challis

"We'll be going through our paces for a final time today as we get ready for the opening night of As You Like It.I have to tell you, we couldn't be in a better place. We're a happy group of actors and we're all eagerly anticipating the coming week-and-a-half at Ludlow Castle.

We've been working extraordinarily hard this week. On Wednesday, we did our first technical rehearsal and we had a dress rehearsal yesterday. We have our second dress rehearsal today and then we're set for tomorrow's first night.

The technical rehearsal is difficult. It's a stop-start event where we have to get some of the basics right. Things like lighting, sound, our entrances and exits, scenery shifting and all sorts of other things come into play. It takes a long time to get right – but paying attention to detail is what will make the show a success.

The technical rehearsal on Wednesday went on for most of the day and by the end of it we were all exhausted. Those things take forever.

The dress rehearsals are completely different, of course, as we go through the play from top to bottom, without stopping and starting. It's not until we do the dress rehearsals that we know how well the play fits together.

Thankfully, the weather has been great and we've been able to rehearse at Ludlow Castle in glorious sunshine.

We're very well looked after by the team who are producing the Shakespeare Festival. Chris Davies, who runs the festival, and his team take good care of us. It's an impressive operation.

One of the last things that we need to do is make minor adjustments to our costumes. The play is set in the Summer of Love and we want to look just right; like old hippies do. So we've been searching round for more floppy hats and plenty of beads."