Warwick Davis talks about tall ambitions for short actors ahead of Coventry show

But company founder - and probably the UK’s most famous short actor - Warwick Davis has a serious aim behind creating the new venture, in which every actor is under four feet tall and for which this play is a debut.

Speaking to the Courier ahead of performances at the Belgrade next week, Warwick said: “It’s lovely to see a dream I have had come to fruition. It’s a very exciting time.

“I have been a little frustrated as an actor that I have never been offered a part in classical theatre, so I thought the only way to do it would be to produce plays myself.

“I was also thinking about a lot of other short actors who never find any roles that challenge them. That has felt very racist to me.”

Warwick, who is perhaps best known for his roles in Willow, Star Wars and the Harry Potter films and is also a regular on television comedy game shows, recognises that personally, he has had “lots of projects to challenge me”.

He said: “I would like to see more roles given to short actors which are not specifically written for short actors.”

With a clever set that has been scaled down in size, audiences watching See How They Run will be tricked into forgetting that the people on stage are any smaller than the average cast.

Warwick said: “It’s empowering and liberating. People will enjoy the play for what it is.”

See How They Run is on from Monday (March 3) until Saturday March 8. For tickets (£16.25 to £31), call 024 7655 3055 or visit www.belgrade.co.uk, where cheaper prices are available. To find out more about the company, visit reducedheighttheatre.com