Calderstones Garden Theatre welcomes Shakespeare's Globe

The Bard is back at Calderstones this summer as Shakespeare’s Globe returns to the South Liverpool park.

The London company’s touring ensemble will bring three plays to the park – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It and The Tempest, with four performances planned over three days from June 4-6.

The visit has been organised by The Reader, and in a twist on the usual format, the audience will be asked to decide which play is staged by cheering, clapping or shouting for their favourite of the three.

The resulting performances will be the first to be staged in Calderstones Mansion’s Garden Theatre since the venue reopened its doors last autumn after a three-year refurbishment.

Shakespeare’s Globe has previously brought productions like Much Ado About Nothing to the park, but the tradition of outdoor theatre at Calderstones goes back to the 1940s when touring productions played there as part of the wartime Holidays at Home initiative.

The Garden Theatre was first opened in 1947.

Calderstones Mansion and its garden theatre

The Reader founder and Director Jane Davis said: “We can’t wait to welcome people of all ages to our newly opened Garden Theatre space this summer to experience the same feeling and we’re delighted to be working with Shakespeare’s Globe to make this happen.”

The plays will be performed as they would have been in the early 17th century, with a stripped back set and a small, versatile troupe of actors taking on multiple roles across all three plays.

Ticket holders are invited to bring along their own deck chairs, blankets and cushions.

Shakespeare’s Globe is at Calderstones Garden Theatre from June 4-6. Tickets HERE