The violence between the feuding families in Romeo & Juliet will be used to dramatise a knife crime awareness event Guildford Cathedral.

“Put Up Your Swords” will take place on July 3 at 7.30pm during the run of the  Guildford Shakespeare Company’s production of the Shakespeare tragedy in the streets of the town from June 21 to July 13.

GSC’s Saturday drama group, for child and teenage actors, will perform a piece based on a knife attack scene in the play.

This will be followed by a talk by Martin Cosser, CEO and founder Charlie’s Promise, a charity named after Martin’s son who was stabbed to death aged 17 at a house party in West Sussex last year.

There will also be a performance by University of Surrey students and talks from PubWatch, Street Angels and ExperienceGuildford.

Sarah Gobran, co-founder of GSC, said: “We wanted our production of Romeo & Juliet to have a legacy for our community and we’re looking forward to working alongside these inspirational partners to create this event.”

Last year, the cathedral held workshops around the display of Knife Angel, a 27ft sculpture  made out of 100,000 knives confiscated by police across the UK.

Dr Katy Peters, a  senior University of Surrey law lecturer, said “The scenarios explored in our Knife Angel-inspired workshops offer a powerful illustration of the catastrophic impact which violent and thoughtless decisions can have on the victims of crime, and those whose actions cause harm, injury and death.”

Nicola Pratt, head of development at Guildford Cathedral, said: “After hosting the Knife Angel, it is great to be working with some of our partners again, by continuing the legacy of its visit to Guildford.

“This event will enable important messages to be heard once again about the impact of violence and aggression in our communities.”