Earlier in the year when they first announced that there was to be a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream amongst the ruins of the old house in Bradgate Park we optimistically bought tickets. I say optimistically because as everyone knows you can’t rely on the sun to shine through an English summer and we’d probably end up watching from under brollies.
But how wrong we were. Sunday 14th July, (not quite midsummer night) proved to be an idyllic summer evening. Perfect for a picnic and a play. It’s a beautiful place and made a fantastic backdrop. Even the resident peacock entered into the spirit of the evening and joined in as though on cue.
The performers were from the Chapterhouse Theatre Company and were excellent despite some competition from a light aircraft which decided to circle overhead for a while.
The performers were from the Chapterhouse Theatre Company and were excellent despite some competition from a light aircraft which decided to circle overhead for a while.
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| Theatre goers armed with hampers and cool boxes picnic in the sun. |
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| A keen Shakespeare fan eagerly awaits the first act. |
The house is famous as the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey and the performance was dedicated to her, as 460 years ago she would have been half way through her ill-feted nine day reign.
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| A grassy knoll and minimal scenery turn Bradgate Park into a stage set. Below are some scenes from the play. |
For other postings on my blog about Bradgate Park see:
http://breaking-cover.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/thinking-time.html or http://breaking-cover.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/old-john.html
Something special about open air Shakespeare and this looked a great setting. Nice photos. I wonder what the Greys would have made of it
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith. I don't know about the Greys but we enjoyed ourselves.
ReplyDeletei must go and see an outdoor performance...going to put it on my 'to do' list for 2014!
ReplyDeleteI can recommend it, though a lot depends on the weather.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm a seasoned walker, and rain isn't really an issue to me, but I don't fancy sitting watching a performance in a downpour! I recently read, in a marketing brochure for National Trust, that the show will go on regardless of weather conditions!
ReplyDeleteI've added to my list for 2014 though. :-)