Miller previously directed Gita Sowerby's Rutherford & Son for Northern Broadsides in 2013, that played a season at London's St. James Theatre. He has also previously staged King Lear on three occasions: with Christopher Plummer for Lincoln Center Theater, with Eric Porter for the Old Vic and with Michael Horden for BBC TV. This new production will feature the company's artistic director Barrie Rutter in the title role, which he also played for the company in an earlier production in 1999.

In a press statement, Miller commented, "Although Shakespeare set Lear in pre-Christian England I have always staged the play in the year when it was written. Here is a play in which a monarch who has always 'slenderly known himself' has irresponsibly divided his kingdom in the same year that James I united the kingdoms of England and Scotland. In fact the play is a straightforward, elegant representation of the relationships between monarch and their subjects on the one hand and comparable relationship between fathers and their offspring.

"As always with Northern Broadsides the conversational quality of the actors' performances allows one to emphasise the intelligibility of these complementary relationships. In addition to this we can also recognise that the relationship between Edgar and Edmund has an intriguing similarity to the conflict between Jesus and the Devil. Having worked with Barrie on Rutherford & Son I feel confident that this particular production will bring forward justly unrecognised aspects of this remarkable drama "

Further casting is still to be announced.

For full tour dates and to book tickets, visit www.northern-broadsides.co.uk.