SHALL I compare thee to a summer's day?

When Adam Syddall went down on one knee and proposed with the words of William Shakespeare and in his hometown, it was the perfect proposal for Bard-loving wife-to-be Ruth.

The happy couple went on to enjoy a Shakespeare-themed wedding, followed by a return visit to Stratford-upon-Avon for their honeymoon and now Mrs Syddall is looking forward to treading the boards in Lear's Daughters.

The play, an imagined prequel to William Shakespeare's King Lear, is being staged at Bolton Little Theatre, Hanover Street, from Wednesday, April 15, to Saturday, April 18.

Mrs Syddall, aged 30, of Markland Hill Lane, Heaton, said: "It's a modern play. It doesn't use Shakespeare's language, with the exception of a very small part at the beginning — the opening monologue from King Lear.

"I'm quite a fan of Shakespeare and I'd never heard of it so I was kind of intrigued."

It was her passion for all things Shakespeare that prompted Mr Syddall, aged 34, a chartered accountant, to propose marriage while on holiday in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2013.

Mrs Syddall, who works in finance, said: "I had never been to Stratford and I was desperate to go because of loving Shakespeare.

"Adam went down on one knee and proposed to me with Sonnet 18 — Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? — at the altar, at the foot of Shakespeare's grave and next to the font where he was baptised.

"We had a Shakespeare-themed wedding on December 30 with handmade, themed wedding stationery sealed with a personalised wax seal.

"All the tables had play names and every guest had a character.

"We went back to Stratford for our honeymoon, stayed in the Shakespeare hotel and saw two Shakespeare plays at the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) — Loves Labours Lost and Much Ado about Nothing."

Mrs Syddall first appeared in a BLT production five years ago, June Evening, and met Mr Syddall in 2009 while appearing in a play at their church, Christ Church in Heaton, where they also married.

Lear's Daughters, directed by June Grice, was first written and performed in 1987 by the Women's Theatre Group and is described as a fascinating exploration of the unhappy childhood and adolescence of the three daughters of Shakespeare's King Lear.

Mrs Syddall is playing middle daughter Regan, Olivia Alexander is Goneril and Rachael Bannister is Cordelia.

She said: "I have had a wonderful time in rehearsals as we have been discussing how and why the daughters reacted they way they did.

"You can't second-guess Shakespeare but you can investigate possibilities and this is what this play does. It has been a real roller-coaster of emotions."

Lear's Daughters has formed part of the RSC's Open Stages project and is one of the last of the Shakespeare-related plays being performed in amateur theatres across the country with the support of RSC professionals.

Lear’s Daughters runs from Wednesday until Saturday, April 18, at Bolton Little Theatre, Hanover Street. Phone 01204524469 for tickets or visit boltonlittletheatre.co.uk.