Shakespeare in the grounds
Last updated 11:40, Thursday, 19 June 2008
AN HISTORIC house near Penrith opens its gardens again next week for its annual open air performance of Shakespeare.
Theatre company Illyria are putting on comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor at Hutton-in-the-Forest on Tuesday evening.
The house is the home of Lord and Lady Inglewood and has been hosting outdoor performances of Shakespeare every June for more than 10 years, with the proceeds going charity.
The famous comedy tells the story of fat old knight Sir John Falstaff, who arrives in Windsor short of money, and hopes to improve his fortunes by courting two wealthy widows.
When the pair realise that he has sent them both identical love letters, they decide to humiliate him in the most extravagant ways they can come up with.
Illyria has been staging open-air touring performances of Shakespeare since 1991, and this is their 10th visit to Hutton-in-the-Forest. Last year they staged another Shakespeare comedy there, Much Ado About Nothing.
Director Oliver Gray said it was an excellent venue for outdoor plays.
“The setting is absolutely perfect because it’s flat at the bottom and then rises up towards the house, so no matter where you’re sitting you get a wonderful view and you can hear everything. The acoustics are excellent.”
He added that the performances had always proved popular.
“Even when the weather’s not kind to us we have fantastic audiences. But we’ve been very lucky at Hutton-in-the-Forest – we’ve had upwards of 700 people there.”
Money raised this year will be divided between Cumbria Mountain Rescue and the Calvert Trust, which provides outdoor activities for disabled people and their families. Visitors are invited to bring a picnic with them. The gates open at 6pm and the performance will begin at 7.30pm.
Tickets cost £8.50, or £5 for under 25s, and are available from Bookends in Carlisle and Keswick, the Bluebell Bookshop in Penrith, or on the night.
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