Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company (at Wyeside Arts Centre)
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays and sunniest comedies. Twelfth Night is full of music, merriment, misconceptions and madness - set in fairytale Illyria, a ship is wrecked but love is in the air….
"Great combination of music, dance, drama. Great performance with enthusiasm shining through.“
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Tickets are available through Wyeside Arts Centre’s website:
The School of Night
The School is 20!!
Twenty years ago The School of Night made its first appearance, at Shakespeare's Globe in London. Since then, its unique blend of literary improvisation has been seen all over the UK (National Theatre, British Library, Hay, Latitude and Edinburgh festivals) and beyond (in the US, Malaysia and all over Europe) as well as appearing on many radio shows, including BBC Radio's The Verb.
And of course, FIVE years ago we made our first appearance at Wales' premiere Shakespeare venue! We are delighted to be back again, performing new work by Shakespeare and others summoned from thin air!
‘Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn’t try it on.’
Billy Connolly
There will be an interval in this show
Tickets:
Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Supported by Arts Council Wales Night Out scheme
Folksy Theatre - Twelfth Night
Shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother, Viola disguises herself as a man and becomes entwined in a hilarious love triangle. Serving Duke Orsino, who secretly loves Countess Olivia, Viola finds herself in a twist when Olivia falls for her in disguise!
Amidst the comedic chaos of mistaken identities, meet the drunken Sir Toby Belch, the pompous Malvolio, and enjoy a lively atmosphere filled with fun and live music. Bursting with romance and laughter, "Twelfth Night" is a whirlwind of mistaken identities and joyful endings!
Folksy Theatre are a not-for-profit, rural touring theatre company, who specialise in Shakespeare productions and adaptations of children's literature. Folksy use a mix of live music, puppetry and audience interaction to bring their productions to life and make them accessible for all ages, cultures and backgrounds.
Tickets:
Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
This show is supported by Arts Council Wales Night Out scheme
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company (at Knighton Festival)
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays and sunniest comedies. Twelfth Night is full of music, merriment, misconceptions and madness - set in fairytale Illyria, a ship is wrecked but love is in the air….
Tickets: Adults £12, U16s £6, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £30
Tickets are available through the Knighton Festival website:
https://knightonfestival.wales
or directly from Eventbrite
Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company - Much Ado About Nothing
Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company - Much Ado About Nothing
From Stratford-upon-Avon, Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company presents Much Ado About Nothing.
War is over. Claudio and Hero fall in love, bells toll. Benedick and Beatrice reunite, mischief ensues. Don Jon wants revenge.
Featuring hysterical eavesdropping, a raucous dance party, and disastrous deception – join our lovers as they discover who gets their comeuppance and who gets their happily ever afters.
Running time: 2 hours plus interval
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company - Much Ado About Nothing
Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company - Much Ado About Nothing
From Stratford-upon-Avon, Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company presents Much Ado About Nothing.
War is over. Claudio and Hero fall in love, bells toll. Benedick and Beatrice reunite, mischief ensues. Don Jon wants revenge.
Featuring hysterical eavesdropping, a raucous dance party, and disastrous deception – join our lovers as they discover who gets their comeuppance and who gets their happily ever afters.
Running time: 2 hours plus interval
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company (at Hay Castle)
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays and sunniest comedies. Twelfth Night is full of music, merriment, misconceptions and madness - set in fairytale Illyria, a ship is wrecked but love is in the air….
Tickets: Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
Folksy Theatre - As You Like It
As You Like It - Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, falls in love with Orlando. When she is then banished from the court by her usurping uncle, Rosalind takes on the appearance of a boy, calling herself Ganymede. She, her cousin Celia and jester Touchstone, travel to the Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. When she meets Orlando again in the forest, she devises an elaborate scheme to find out the verity of his supposed passion for her, and to further capture his heart, through the witty and mischievous façade of Ganymede. This wonderful Shakespearian comedy about life, love, betrayal, faith and death is filled with Folksy's touch of live music, bold characters, audience interaction and plenty of laughs.
Folksy Theatre are a not-for-profit, rural touring theatre company, who specialise in Shakespeare productions and adaptations of children's literature. Folksy use a mix of live music, puppetry and audience interaction to bring their productions to life and make them accessible for all ages, cultures and backgrounds.
Tickets:
Adults £12, U16s £6, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £30
This show is supported by Arts Council Wales Night Out scheme
The Wet Mariners - Pericles
The Wet Mariners - Pericles
The Wet Mariners are diving into the depths of Shakespeare's best-travelled play. Pericles is the ultimate adventure epic - shipwrecks, pirates, assassins, romance, heartbreak and resurrections - what more could you want from a summer holiday? So pack your swimming costumes because knowing the Mariners... there's a good chance you might get WET!
Tickets: Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
The Wet Mariners - Pericles
The Wet Mariners - Pericles
The Wet Mariners are diving into the depths of Shakespeare's best-travelled play. Pericles is the ultimate adventure epic - shipwrecks, pirates, assassins, romance, heartbreak and resurrections - what more could you want from a summer holiday? So pack your swimming costumes because knowing the Mariners... there's a good chance you might get WET!
Tickets: Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
Everyman Youth Theatre - Romeo and Juliet
Everyman Youth Theatre - Romeo and Juliet
What is greater? Love for your family? Or love, so intense, so passionate, so violent that you risk losing everyone you hold dear? Your family, your friends? Or has your destiny already been determined? Romeo and Juliet is the classic tale of boy meets girl, but whose families are so entrenched in hate and loathing for one another that when their worlds collide all is irrevocably lost.
Following sell out performances of Macbeth at last year’s Cardiff Open Air Festival and Willow Globe, the award-winning Everyman Youth Theatre (Winners of National Theatre Connections) return to perform Shakespeare’s classic tale of the two star crossed lovers and their tragic demise.
“Professionalism, dedication and meticulous attention to detail” Entertainment South Wales
Much loved at Willow Globe, the award-winning Everyman Youth Theatre (Winners of National Theatre Connections) return to perform Shakespeare’s classic tale of the two star crossed lovers and their tragic demise. What is greater ? Love for your family? Or love, so intense, so passionate, so violent that you risk losing everyone you hold dear?
Running time: 90 minutes
Tickets: Adults £12, U16s £6, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £30
Everyman Youth Theatre - Romeo and Juliet
Everyman Youth Theatre - Romeo and Juliet
What is greater? Love for your family? Or love, so intense, so passionate, so violent that you risk losing everyone you hold dear? Your family, your friends? Or has your destiny already been determined? Romeo and Juliet is the classic tale of boy meets girl, but whose families are so entrenched in hate and loathing for one another that when their worlds collide all is irrevocably lost.
Following sell out performances of Macbeth at last year’s Cardiff Open Air Festival and Willow Globe, the award-winning Everyman Youth Theatre (Winners of National Theatre Connections) return to perform Shakespeare’s classic tale of the two star crossed lovers and their tragic demise.
“Professionalism, dedication and meticulous attention to detail” Entertainment South Wales
The award-winning Everyman Youth Theatre (Winners of National Theatre Connections) return to perform Shakespeare’s classic tale of the two star crossed lovers and their tragic demise. What is greater ? Love for your family? Or love, so intense, so passionate, so violent that you risk losing everyone you hold dear?
Running time: 90 minutes
Tickets: Adults £12, U16s £6, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £30
Woodshed Arts - Arden
Woodshed Arts - Arden
Woodshed Arts is THRILLED to bring their brand new musical, ARDEN, to the Willow Globe! A dozen teenagers from the United States serve as the cast and crew and as the creative team. The group worked with musical theatre mentors—a composer/lyricist, a technical director, and a choreographer—to write this brand new musical based on Shakespeare’s As You Like It. In the creative process, they reimagined the Duke’s court as a school, the forest of Arden as an abandoned industrial area just past the school grounds, and the shepherds of Arden as alternate versions of themselves, grappling with love and identity. The resulting show is full of life and joy and is unlike anything you’ve seen or heard before. Come share the wonders of Arden with us!
Tickets: Adults £10, U16s £5, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £25
The Winter’s Tale - Sun and Moon Theatre
Sun and Moon Theatre - The Winter’s Tale
From the wintry cool courts of Sicilia to the summer sun festivities of Bohemia, experience seasonal change and the passage of time in this spectacular comedy drama. The Winter's Tale combines the best of Shakespeare's comedies, tragedies and histories to make for an entertaining evening or afternoon at the theatre - controlling kings, a courageous queen, kind princes, a lost princess, courtroom drama, storms, shipwrecks, festivals, runaway couples, a rogue-ish trickster, disguises, mistaken identities, emotional reunions and a spellbinding final act!
Considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, this vibrant production will be a delightful and gripping feast of ensemble action, comedy, drama, trials, love, romance, live music, puppetry and magic. Suitable for all ages, this enchanting and exciting play - with one of theatre's most famous stage exits (involving a bear ...) - is the perfect way to spend a summer's afternoon or evening with family, friends, loved ones or solo. Book tickets to experience a winter's tale in summertime - don't miss the magic!
Sun & Moon Theatre are thrilled to be returning to the Willow Globe for a 3rd time having performed Romeo and Juliet in 2023 and Much Ado about Nothing in 2022.
Reviews and feedback from Sun & Moon Theatre’s previous shows:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Sun & Moon Theatre’s work is marked with emotional intelligence and passionate intensity. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
★ ★ ★ ★ “Such a talented cast!”
★ ★ ★ ★ “Shakespeare at its best. I highly recommend you catch this dynamic theatre company, whether you are a fan of Shakespeare or not … you soon will be!”
★ ★ ★ ★ "Delightful, charming and funny"
About Sun & Moon Theatre: Based in the South West, Sun & Moon Theatre specialise in Shakespeare and their ethos is making Shakespeare for all, focusing on producing accessible and entertaining productions for a wide range of audiences, always asking ‘Why this play now?’. They work with original text, using Quarto and First Folio scripts. They produce open-air and indoor productions, workshops for schools, universities, and community groups, and one-to-one coaching sessions. They adapt their show to every audience and performance space and their goal is always to entertain and invite their audiences to share in brilliant stories, text and characters that have stood the test of time.
Running time: 100 minutes plus interval
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
The Winter’s Tale - Sun and Moon Theatre
Sun and Moon Theatre - The Winter’s Tale
From the wintry cool courts of Sicilia to the summer sun festivities of Bohemia, experience seasonal change and the passage of time in this spectacular comedy drama. The Winter's Tale combines the best of Shakespeare's comedies, tragedies and histories to make for an entertaining evening or afternoon at the theatre - controlling kings, a courageous queen, kind princes, a lost princess, courtroom drama, storms, shipwrecks, festivals, runaway couples, a rogue-ish trickster, disguises, mistaken identities, emotional reunions and a spellbinding final act!
Considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, this vibrant production will be a delightful and gripping feast of ensemble action, comedy, drama, trials, love, romance, live music, puppetry and magic. Suitable for all ages, this enchanting and exciting play - with one of theatre's most famous stage exits (involving a bear ...) - is the perfect way to spend a summer's afternoon or evening with family, friends, loved ones or solo. Book tickets to experience a winter's tale in summertime - don't miss the magic!
Sun & Moon Theatre are thrilled to be returning to the Willow Globe for a 3rd time having performed Romeo and Juliet in 2023 and Much Ado about Nothing in 2022.
Reviews and feedback from Sun & Moon Theatre’s previous shows:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Sun & Moon Theatre’s work is marked with emotional intelligence and passionate intensity. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
★ ★ ★ ★ “Such a talented cast!”
★ ★ ★ ★ “Shakespeare at its best. I highly recommend you catch this dynamic theatre company, whether you are a fan of Shakespeare or not … you soon will be!”
★ ★ ★ ★ "Delightful, charming and funny"
About Sun & Moon Theatre: Based in the South West, Sun & Moon Theatre specialise in Shakespeare and their ethos is making Shakespeare for all, focusing on producing accessible and entertaining productions for a wide range of audiences, always asking ‘Why this play now?’. They work with original text, using Quarto and First Folio scripts. They produce open-air and indoor productions, workshops for schools, universities, and community groups, and one-to-one coaching sessions. They adapt their show to every audience and performance space and their goal is always to entertain and invite their audiences to share in brilliant stories, text and characters that have stood the test of time.
Running time: 100 minutes plus interval
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
The Factory & Tyger Tyger present ‘Welcome to Gaza’
The Factory and Tyger Tyger present
Welcome to Gaza
3pm Sunday 30th June
Fundraising for Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund and the Hands Up Project
The first half will be a reading of a new play, arising from years of work by the Hands Up Project with children and young people in Gaza. Welcome to Gaza is a compilation of moving, beautiful and often funny scripts, written by teenagers in the Gaza and the West Bank, framed by a narrative conceived by Peter Oswald.
Welcome to Gaza was begun before the current tragedy in Palestine but also interweaves new responses to it. It speaks to the suffering and resilience of the Palestinian people in our times and over many decades.
The second half will feature music, poetry, a space for discussion, and some Messages from Palestine sent from The Freedom Theatre, Theatre for Everybody Gaza and AZ Theatre, curated by Nadia Nadif. It will include music by Sennen Timcke, with a storyteller’s soaring vocals, compellingly original melodies and subtly political lyrics, described as “gorgeously atmospheric” (BBC Introducing)
All proceeds will go to the Hands Up Project and Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. For more information about the Hands Up Project, please visit: www.handsupproject.org and for more about PCRF please go to https://www.pcrf.net.
Tickets: Adults £10, U16s £5, Family (2 adults and 2 U16s) £25
The Factory & Tyger Tyger present ‘the tempest’
The Factory & Tyger Tyger present
The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
5pm June 29th 2024
Directed by Madeleine Hyland
…The isle is full of noises…
Prospero and his young daughter Miranda were stranded on an island twelve years ago. He has since enslaved the sole remaining human inhabitant, Caliban, and the mysterious spirit of nature, Ariel, to his bidding, as he pursues mastery over the occult arts. As his usurping brother and his cronies draw close, he finally has it in his power to condemn them to everlasting hell…or to redeem both them and himself with the ultimate act of forgiveness and love.
Shakespeare’s masterwork explores the dynamics of power, colonialism, parenthood and freedom. The Factory (in association with Tyger Tyger) return to the Willow with this thrilling, funny, tender play for the whole family. You are invited to bring your voices and your instruments to help us create the magical isle…
free kids workshop - from 4pm till 4:30pm
My Tricksy Spirit
Join professional actors from The Factory as they warm up for the performance, meet some characters from the island, and help Ariel the magical spirit conjure a storm as Prospero’s enemies draw near. Please email to let us know that you would like to attend.
Show Tickets:
Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
This show is supported by Arts Council Wales Night Out scheme
The Factory present ‘My Tricksy SPirit’
The Factory & Tyger Tyger present
My Tricksy Spirit - free workshop - from 4pm till 4:30pm
My Tricksy Spirit
Join professional actors from The Factory as they warm up for the performance, meet some characters from the island, and help Ariel the magical spirit conjure a storm as Prospero’s enemies draw near. Suitable for children, families and all ages.
Dauntless - Grace O’Malley, pirate queen - Debs Newbold
★★★★ “energising and entrancing” - Hector Gilchrist, eFestivals
Dauntless: Grace O’Malley, Pirate Queen
Debs Newbold gleefully delivers the boisterous, remarkable and inspirational story of her hero: Grainne ni Mhaille – Grace O’Malley – legendary Irish clan chief and queen of the sea.
Stowing away aboard her father’s ship aged 8, Grace became a 16th century force of nature. A multilingual, seafaring weapons expert, leader of 2000 men, rebel, politician, kingmaker and slayer, prodigious lover, avenging hero and notorious pirate. Best of all, she was real.
From the west of Ireland to the court of Elizabeth I, from wild youth to even wilder old age, Dauntless is an epic celebration of uproarious storytelling, high drama and one fascinating 16th century feminist. No knights in shining armour need apply.
Running Time: 75 -80 mins straight through
Age Guidance: For adults and children 12+.
Tickets: Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
King Lear Retold - Debs Newbold
Willow Globe’s favourite storyteller returns with King Lear Retold
With a passionate command of Shakespeare’s verse and startlingly powerful physicality, Debs Newbold’s storytelling will catapult you deep into the world of Shakespeare's epic tragedy in King Lear Retold.
Tell me my daughters, which of you...doth love us most?
An old king, afraid to be old. A daughter abandoned for speaking plainly. Two sisters warped by ill-treatment. A kingdom in turmoil. When Lear resigns his position by dividing his kingdom in three, he puts an outrageous test to his daughters. Their answers are not all that he expected. What he discovers about himself he does not wish to know.
Deeply felt and often uproariously funny; King Lear Retold makes Shakespeare accessible to everyone in a bold and compelling performance that has all the power and grace of the original text, presented in a charismatic, thoroughly modern style. Created for a sell-out show at Hay Literary Festival, toured internationally and performed to acclaim at Shakespeare’s Globe, this is a thrilling, compelling solo performance.
“Spellbinding and wonderful” – Hay Literary Festival
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Newbold is a master of words and space” – Views From the Gods
★ ★ ★ ★ “she pulls down the spirit of Shakespeare” - StageTalk Magazine
Tickets: Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
The School of Night
The School of Night returns to the Willow for another evening of high-wire antics and interactive word-juggling. Amazing feats of improvised poetry, much silliness and of course, tea cosies. A lost Shakespeare play via Dr. Seuss, Pinter or Chaucer - you choose! A magical combination of wit and tomfoolery.
“Trains of whimsical thought are ignited like trails of gunpowder” Heathcote Williams
There will be an interval in this show
Tickets:
Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Supported by Arts Council Wales Night Out scheme
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays and sunniest comedies. Twelfth Night is full of music, merriment, misconceptions and madness - set in fairytale Illyria, a ship is wrecked but love is in the air….
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays and sunniest comedies. Twelfth Night is full of music, merriment, misconceptions and madness - set in fairytale Illyria, a ship is wrecked but love is in the air….
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - The Willow Globe Theatre Company
Twelfth Night - one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays and sunniest comedies. Twelfth Night is full of music, merriment, misconceptions and madness - set in fairytale Illyria, a ship is wrecked but love is in the air….
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
As You Like it (in one day!)
Have-A-Go ‘As You Like It’ One Day Marathon!
Contributions welcome to this free event
Join Shakespeare fans to read through this jolly play
Talgarth Community Library , Hay Rd. LD3 0DQ
Further info: Contact Library on 01874 711665 or tal.community.lib@outlook.com
Unversed… - Beckis Cooper Cancelled
We regret to announce that Beckis has taken the decision to cancel her performance at the Willow Globe on Saturday. We apologise to anyone who has made plans to come along.
Beckis Cooper photography by Marc Gascoigne
Edward Derbyshire - Shakespeare Between the Sheets
Shakespeare Between The Sheets
The timeless words of Shakespeare, interspersed with piano classics, told and played live in this one-person show.
New to Willow Globe, Edward Derbyshire presents new takes on the words of some of Shakespeare's most famous characters, performed with live piano music as part of each character's journey.
Nicholas Bottom has always dreamt of being a performer. At Nick’s insistence, when just eleven years old, his father grudgingly bought Nicholas an old keyboard, and he taught himself the fundamentals before attending lessons with a purple-haired grandmother down the lane (you know, the one with the Afghan hound called Baboushka). Always in the background and spurned by his peers, who considered him rather ridiculous and certainly no scholar, Nick put his desire to take to the stage on hold for many years…until now. But, just as a peascod will expand and finally burst when exposed to the sun, so has Bottom at last come forth into the light of day (and moonlight) to share his story with you. With more than generous help from a very famous playwright, Nicholas also explores the nature and environment that surrounds us all, using several of said playwright’s most beloved characters and moments to highlight what we town-dwellers see, yet do not see, in a passionate invocation of the need to save our planet.
Much of this is a story you may know. Join Bottom on his journey as he narrates how it all began, muses upon the environment, falls into a daydream, and finally brings his masterpiece, hidden for all these years in the bole of an oak tree in the forest, to fruition at last. Though, as we all know, the fairies at the bottom of the garden might have the last say…
At your gracious pleasure, as part of his story, Bottom would like to play you many pieces, including:
Prelude in C, J.S. Bach
Round and round the garden, N. Bottom
Abendsblume (with a naughty twinkle), B. Heller
The ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, L. van Beethoven
The Ousel Cock, N. Bottom
You Spotted Snakes, N. Bottom
O for the wings, F. Mendelssohn
Prelude in C, D. Shostakovich
Starry Dome, G. Nevada
Give Glimmering Light, N. Bottom
Of course, Nicholas wasn’t the only one to think of such a sequence of events. The Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi fell asleep in his garden and dreamt he was a beautiful butterfly. He flew here and there, then, as a butterfly fell asleep. In his dream, the handsome butterfly dreamt that he was the philosopher Zhuangzi, before falling into slumber. The philosopher Zhuangzi then woke up. However, he did not know whether he was the Zhuangzi who has dreamt of the butterfly, or the Zhuangzi in the butterfly’s dream.
Perhaps Bottom will write a play about this one day…
Running time 90 minutes plus interval
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Edward Derbyshire - Shakespeare Between the Sheets
Shakespeare Between The Sheets
The timeless words of Shakespeare, interspersed with piano classics, told and played live in this one-person show.
New to Willow Globe, Edward Derbyshire presents new takes on the words of some of Shakespeare's most famous characters, performed with live piano music as part of each character's journey.
Nicholas Bottom has always dreamt of being a performer. At Nick’s insistence, when just eleven years old, his father grudgingly bought Nicholas an old keyboard, and he taught himself the fundamentals before attending lessons with a purple-haired grandmother down the lane (you know, the one with the Afghan hound called Baboushka). Always in the background and spurned by his peers, who considered him rather ridiculous and certainly no scholar, Nick put his desire to take to the stage on hold for many years…until now. But, just as a peascod will expand and finally burst when exposed to the sun, so has Bottom at last come forth into the light of day (and moonlight) to share his story with you. With more than generous help from a very famous playwright, Nicholas also explores the nature and environment that surrounds us all, using several of said playwright’s most beloved characters and moments to highlight what we town-dwellers see, yet do not see, in a passionate invocation of the need to save our planet.
Much of this is a story you may know. Join Bottom on his journey as he narrates how it all began, muses upon the environment, falls into a daydream, and finally brings his masterpiece, hidden for all these years in the bole of an oak tree in the forest, to fruition at last. Though, as we all know, the fairies at the bottom of the garden might have the last say…
At your gracious pleasure, as part of his story, Bottom would like to play you many pieces, including:
Prelude in C, J.S. Bach
Round and round the garden, N. Bottom
Abendsblume (with a naughty twinkle), B. Heller
The ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, L. van Beethoven
The Ousel Cock, N. Bottom
You Spotted Snakes, N. Bottom
O for the wings, F. Mendelssohn
Prelude in C, D. Shostakovich
Starry Dome, G. Nevada
Give Glimmering Light, N. Bottom
Of course, Nicholas wasn’t the only one to think of such a sequence of events. The Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi fell asleep in his garden and dreamt he was a beautiful butterfly. He flew here and there, then, as a butterfly fell asleep. In his dream, the handsome butterfly dreamt that he was the philosopher Zhuangzi, before falling into slumber. The philosopher Zhuangzi then woke up. However, he did not know whether he was the Zhuangzi who has dreamt of the butterfly, or the Zhuangzi in the butterfly’s dream.
Perhaps Bottom will write a play about this one day…
Running time 90 minutes plus interval
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35
Shakespeare's Birthday Bash!
Our annual celebration before the season gets into full swing. We’re hoping to start the year in a blaze of glory and beautiful sunshine. Come along to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved with Shakespeare Link and the Willow Globe. Join us in our usual medley of ad hoc performances (any contributions are welcome) - the bar will be open along with plenty of delicious home made cake! Admission is FREE!
Willow Weaving Workshop
Do you ever sit in the Willow Globe and just revel in the beautiful structure that was planted 18 years ago? Every winter we prune, weave, and tie-in the vigorous growth from the previous season in readiness for the new one, and part of that includes weaving willow screens to enhance the space.
If you would like to learn how to create these, and help set up the Theatre for our 2024 season, our site manager Louise will be holding a free workshop from 11-4 on Sunday 31st March. Bring sturdy footwear, and garden gloves if you have them, plus lunch (we'll provide hot drinks) and you could spend the whole season admiring your handiwork every time you come to a show!
Booking ahead not essential, but useful in case of weather related re-scheduling.
The Merchant of Venice - The Willow Globe Theatre Company - Wyeside Arts Centre
The Willow Globe Community Company returns to the Wyeside Arts Centre to explore this minefield of preconceptions and mixed messages where everyone thinks they know best about everything. Set against a background of money-making, love, racism, revenge, the course of law, and all sorts of controls, life-changing courses are made - accompanied by magical music and some wonderful laughs. It's Carnival time and anything could happen .....
Tickets: Adults £14, U16s £7, Family ticket (2 adults, 2 U16s) £35 - Available from the Wyeside website: https://www.wyeside.co.uk
Coriolanus - The Wet Mariners
To mark the 400th anniversary of the First Folio, The Wet Mariners transport you back to Ancient Rome when the world was markedly different: rising inequality, a cost of living crisis and leaders with thinly-veiled disdain for the people. Join our mob in this Shakespearean riot. Theatrical anarchy is waiting to whip you up!
Tickets: Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family ticket (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
Coriolanus - The Wet Mariners
To mark the 400th anniversary of the First Folio, The Wet Mariners transport you back to Ancient Rome when the world was markedly different: rising inequality, a cost of living crisis and leaders with thinly-veiled disdain for the people. Join our mob in this Shakespearean riot. Theatrical anarchy is waiting to whip you up!
Tickets: Adults £15, U16s £7.50, Family ticket (2 adults, 2 U16s) £37.50
