Summer is here, so why not book tickets for one of our nation’s brilliant outdoor theatres and enjoy some culture al fresco?
A peculiar British tradition, each year we wrap up warm and pack a raincoat (just in case) to watch our favourite plays performed in gorgeous natural settings. Here are some of our favourite venues around the country for enjoying some outdoor theatre.
The Globe, London
Book in advance at this popular summer venue. Arrive early and take one of the theatre’s guided tours to learn about life as a playwright in Shakespeare’s time, and how the modern venue was built. Open from May to September.
Standing tickets £5.
BOOK TICKETS for this year’s performances of Hamlet, As You like It or The Winter’s Tale.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London
Tickets to Britain’s oldest professional outdoor theatre sell out fast, with exciting productions such as William Shakespeare’s As You Like It and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors.
Make sure you get there early on sunny days to get a seat in the shade.
BOOK TICKETS for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
The Minack Theatre, Cornwall
A visit to the Minack Theatre is an event in itself, so pack a picnic of strawberries and clotted cream.
Open from May to September, it hosts musicals, children’s shows and classical theatre, but wrap up well because the wind really howls in this high-flung spot.
BOOK TICKETS for On The Razzle, Candide or In The Bellows.
The Willow Globe, Powys, Wales
This mini version of Shakespeare’s Globe hosts performances from April to September in a truly magical and intimate setting. About a third of the size of its London counterpart, the theatre is a hidden gem.
BOOK TICKETS for this season, which includes As You Like It and King Lear.
Brownsea Open Air Theatre, Dorset
‘Shakespeare on an Island’ offers a refreshingly different perspective. Boats leave for the island from Poole Quay from 5pm onwards; it’s worth going early in order to have time to explore this rugged little isle before the show begins.
BOOK TICKETS for this year’s production of William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.
Kilworth House Theatre, Leicestershire
Enjoy a spot of outdoor theatre amid the magnificent grounds of the Kilworth Estate, set in a magical-looking glade. Kilworth House Theatre prides itself on staging musical theatre of a standard rarely seen outside of London’s West End.
BOOK TICKETS for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Larmer Tree, Wiltshire
There are lots of lovely events that take place in these Victorian pleasure gardens every year, including one or two festivals. However, we think the Singing Theatre is the best way to experience all the drama.
Brighton Open Air Theatre
This lawned amphitheatre was the dream of local playwright and visionary Adrian Bunting, who passed away in 2013, and draws the crowds in the creative seaside city of Brighton.
BOOK TICKETS for the summer season, which includes performances of Sense and Sensibility and The Tempest.
Brilliant London theatre for just £15
Each year the National Theatre’s Travelex season offers 100,000 tickets to select shows for just £15.
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