CLASSROOM Shakespeare, is a bit like school hockey – it’s enough to put you off for life. But for American actor Bryan Torfeh, the Bard is much more than highlighted text and exam questions.

Determined to shed a new light on the wordsmith, the former Reduced Shakespeare Company funnyman will bring his special presentation, Shakespeare and the Globe, to the Theydon Bois Village Hall on Friday.

Flying all the way from his native Los Angeles on the bequest of a friend from nearby Woodford Green, Bryan, who actually did come from the ‘other’ RSC, is hoping the Essex audience will be left with a new appreciation of the great man.

Speaking ahead of the performance, he says: “The show is designed partly to break the academic sense of Shakespeare. So many people are put off by him when they’re at school, and they think there’s no point going to watch one of his plays because they won’t understand it.

“But what I try to say is Shakespeare was not an academic and neither were his actors or his audience. It’s about trying to listen to language and sounds, as well as the stories.”

Another aspect of the production is the interactive element, which Bryan feels will help the audience grasp his message.

“I’ll be getting people up on stage and having some fun,” he reveals, “and I hope by the end of it people will have learnt something new about him.”

The evening will also feature special West End theatre guests, with profits going to the National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies.

The show is at Theydon Bois Village Hall, Coppice Row, on Friday, November 27, 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the Epping Bookshop on Epping High Street or by calling 020 8504 5590 (£14)