Outdoor theatre comes to our community
On August 19th, we can enjoy a rare treat right here in Leintwardine: a professional theatre company performing The Comedy of Errors – Shakespeare’s very accessible, funny play – outdoors come rain or shine, quite literally. There will be a whole evening of entertainment on offer.
There’s nothing quite like outdoor Shakespeare on a warm summer’s evening, and the lovely Jubilee Gardens of Leintwardine Community Centre make a perfect venue. Hopefully many of you will have enjoyed seeing the fruition of the hard work by our volunteers when visiting the gardens behind the village hall during the weekend of June 17th during the Open Gardens event. How lovely this historic space is, especially when the sun shines. Over Roman ruins are shady trees, wildflowers, herbs and sumptuous grass.
These gardens will be filled with laughter, live theatre, music and the clink of glasses and the happy sounds of munching as the fantastic Rain or Shine Theatre Company bring the bard right into our village! In this, their 25th anniversary year, the acclaimed Gloucester-based touring group come to Leintwardine for the first time. The theatre company’s aim is to “bring classical professional theatre into the heart of local communities at an affordable price” and their lively, entertaining shows performed by a small group of actors are suitable for the whole family, whether completely new to outdoor theatre or regulars at the shows in previous years at Stokesay Castle. You certainly do not need to be a thespian or Shakespeare scholar to enjoy this play. This year, Rain or Shine are not able to perform at Stokesay, and we are delighted that our village has found a home for the talented company of professional actors from our neighbouring county. What better performance than A Comedy of Errors to provide laugh out loud entertainment for all ages! Come and witness the comical confusion and chaotic capers of Shakespeare’s hilarious masterpiece:
Once upon a time, two sets of identical twin babies and their parents survived a shipwreck. Fate, however, decreed that the family should be split up, sending the mother one way, the father and one of each twin another, and the final pair a third way … 25 years later, in search of their long-lost family, two of the twins, Antipholus of Syracuse and his manservant Dromio arrive in Ephesus, a city reputedly full of rogues, cheats and sorcerers. Although this is their first visit, merchants greet them as acquaintances, women pursue them as lovers and Ephesus appears to be a place where everybody knows their names! That sounds a bit like Leintwardine…
Bring your family, friends, something to sit on (camping chairs or a blanket are ideal) and a picnic for an evening of laughter, great food, wine, fizz and company while being entertained by the fantastic Rain or Shine Theatre Company. Enjoy the birdsong, shade or sun on the lawns. There will be a fully licensed bar, raffle, strawberries, Pimms, champagne and prosecco as well as food available to buy if you don’t want to bring your own. It’s always wise to bring an umbrella just in case! The company are dab hands at this, and have professional staging and lighting. They have been known to plough on through summer storms … our audience will doubtless be just as hardy, but let’s hope for a sun-bathed evening. There are contingency plans in case of very poor weather, rest assured, with an alternative indoor venue.
Leintwardine Community Centre opens its doors from 6.30pm on Saturday 19th August. Tickets are in hot demand and numbers limited so book quickly to avoid disappointment. Call the box office on 03306 600541, pop into Griffiths Garage or go . £16 adults, £15 concessions and £8 for children aged 5 to 15. See you in the sunshine – fingers crossed – for some Shakespeare and fun!