Outdoor theatre at Painshill as part of our 2022 Summer Series in the Walled Garden, Illyria will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.
Five couples – three human, one fairy, and one mythical – find their relationships sorely tested, intimately probed and indecently exposed when a troupe of amateur theatricals bumble into the forest to rehearse a play.
Shakespeare’s timeless comic masterpiece explores every colour in the spectrum of love, from arranged marriage to elopement, from infatuation to hatred, from chivalric devotion to raw sex. Add to this bawdy mix a heady brew of confusion, magic and mischief, and you have the most perfectly frothy comedy for a moonlit summer evening.
Illyria
For 30 years Illyria has dominated the open-air touring theatre sector. Illyria burst onto the scene in 1992 when not only was there scarcely a scene to burst onto, but what scene there was entirely consisted of Shakespeare.
Since then Illyria alone has always been the first company to introduce new genres which subsequently became open-air theatre standards. In 1997 they were the first to offer children’s theatre. In 2000 they were the first to introduce classics other than Shakespeare. In 2003 they were the first to offer a Jane Austen adaptation. In 2010 they were the first to be given the professional rights to Roald Dahl scripts. In 2011 they were the first to do Gilbert and Sullivan.
With a history of “firsts” behind them, Illyria has chosen to celebrate their 30th birthday by returning to 3 of their most successful ones. Illyria’s Shakespeare production will be the same as the one that kicked the whole thing off back in 1992: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. For the family show they will return to their first ever children’s show toured: PETER PAN. For Gilbert & Sullivan they are revisiting the perennially popular THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.
Catering
Corks Occasions will provide a bar for the evening. Food will not be available to purchase at this event but you are welcome to bring a picnic. Please do not bring alcohol to the event, it will be possible to purchase alcoholic drinks from the bar.
Please note: this event takes place outside and the event will not be cancelled due to poor or inclement weather. Cover and seating will not be provided. Ticket holders are welcome to bring picnic blankets or picnic chairs to sit on.
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Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Painshill will continue to adhere to and follow the latest Covid-19 government guidance.
Dogs are not permitted at this event.
Event tickets in the evening do not allow access to the landscape in the day. The landscape will be closed during the event.
Painshill reserves the right to amend or change the above event details.
Organised in aid of Painshill Park Trust Limited, registered charity in England and Wales (284944). We rely on fundraising to preserve and maintain Painshill for future generations so your support is very important to us.
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