Media Relations: Alan Mandel Butler (Festival Director)
Tel: 01453 761162 Email: stroudbardfest@gmail.com
Stroud Shakespeare Festival is a brand new, free to enter open air theatre festival for Stroud and South Gloucestershire, spread across three days in the beautiful surroundings of Museum in the Park just outside of Stroud town centre.
The festival, hosted by Five Valleys Productions (5VP), Museum in the Park, and SGS College will present a diverse, vibrant and engaging programme of theatrical experiences, each designed to suit theatre goers of all ages. Events include; headline theatre performances, extraordinary live music, exciting workshops for children and teenagers and a variety of opportunities for all to be involved in the mesmerising world of the great William Shakespeare.
Nestled within the breath-taking Five Valleys, the market-town of Stroud creates a stunning backdrop for the festival. Hidden amongst the trees in Stratford Park, the four main stages will host performances from both established artists and amateur performers;including festival headliners5VP, who are exploring both Romeo and Julietand Twelfth Night as an ensemble,celebrating the culture and humanity of two of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, Impromptu Shakespeare, who will create an entirely new and unique ‘Shakespeare’ play, improvised on the spot and inspired by audience suggestions, TheShakespeare Heptet, who bring Shakespeare’s sonnets enchantingly off the page through contemporary music, The Cotswold Players with SWISH (Strong Women In Shakespeare’s Histories), StormCloud Arts & Theatre with The Midsummer Weekender, Handful of Keyswith Sing a Song of Shakespeare, Pitville Schoolwith Shakespeare Swiftly, Second Best Bed with Barred, Shine on Stage withA Tempest In My Mind &Without My Cloak, Stroud Highwith Shakespeare’s Women Risingand Wise & Wayward and StormCloud Arts & Theatre with Shakespeare & Music. Amongst the musicians and theatre makers, short films from Stark Shakespeare, Dan Guthrie, Cassie Riches and April Wiseman, and Michael Butler’s short story The Hurly Burly is Never Donewill also be present at the festival. Festival Director Alan Mandel Butler explains; “We are incredibly excited about our upcoming festival, which will be celebrating new and innovative takes on the work of William Shakespeare. I’m proud that we are putting the community centre stage, involving a wide range of people and performances that will offer audiences a Shakespeare they might not expect.”