The Lyric theatre Belfast’s new take on Richard III is produced by, and stars, disabled people. But bringing fresh authenticity to Shakespeare’s storied tragedy was not without its challenges

“What do you do when you have a terminal illness? When you only have a certain amount of time left to you?” These are the questions that animate a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III, in which the title character, like the actor who plays him, has motor neurone disease (MND) and uses a wheelchair.

I am speaking to that actor, Michael Patrick, and the play’s director, Oisín Kearney, during a break in rehearsals at Belfast’s Lyric theatre, ahead of opening night. For the pair, who wrote the adaptation together, the answers to those core questions inform the whole play. “In Richard’s case,” says Patrick, “he tries to become king.”