The Royal Shakespeare Company’s outdoor theatre space The Dell will once again play host to a range of lively student, community and semi-professional productions throughout the summer. Performances kick off on Saturday 2 July, and continue until Sunday 28 August. 

Here's what you can seen, when...

TWELFTH NIGHT - The Boaty Theatre Company 

WHEN: Saturday 2 July (1pm & 4pm) & Sunday 3 July (12noon & 3pm)

SYNOPSIS: A swashbuckling adventure of love, life and mistaken identity. Featuring a live pirate band, a fearsome, yet lovable Pirate Queen, a fool and lots of fun for all the family, The Boaty Theatre Company breathe new life into one of Shakespeare’s most-loved comedies.

ABOUT: The Boaty Theatre Company CIO is driven by the belief that the creative arts, theatre and live performance of all kinds have an incredibly positive and powerful effect. We serve our local community providing creative experiences, sessions and opportunities for people of all ages to engage with art, music, dance and theatre. 

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THE TEMPEST - Gobstoppers Shakespeare’s Circus 

WHEN: Sunday 10 July (12noon & 3pm)  

SYNOPSIS: A spellbinding open air production of The Tempest, set for the open air stage and performed by the vibrant Shakespeare Circus Theatre Company, the production is set to be a fun favourite for all the family with its cast of colourful characters, original musical score, madcap romps, high comedy and tender love. 

ABOUT: Gobstoppers is a youth theatre in Hertfordshire formed in 1994. They aim to give a wide range of experiences for their 200 members from classical open air theatre to musicals. Gobstoppers Shakespeare Circus was created to provide opportunities for drama school graduates that have missed out on opportunities to perform due to the pandemic. 

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HAMLET & MACBETH  - The BRIT School 

WHEN: Saturday 16 July - Hamlet 1pm & Macbeth 3pm

HAMLET SYNOPSIS: Hamlet is a teenager.  He struggles to talk about his feelings, he contemplates the existence of God, is misunderstood by his girlfriend, distrusts his mother and stepfather, shouts about the injustices of the world, sits alone and thinks.  A contemporary version that deals with suicide, mental health and murder. 

MACBETH SYNOPSIS: In Medieval Scotland war rages and Macbeth leads the Scottish Army to victory. When supernatural forces present him with a prophecy, he and his wife start down a dark path, questioning their options, their morality and their ambitions. 

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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE & ROMEO AND JULIET - The BRIT School

WHEN: Sunday 17 July, The Merchant of Venue 11.30am and Romeo and Juliet 1pm

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE SYNOPSIS: Set in South Asia, we explore themes of arranged marriage and religious prejudice. Antonio, a prejudiced merchant, takes a loan from Shylock to help his friend to court Portia. Antonio can't repay the loan, and Shylock demands a pound of his flesh. 

ROMEO AND JULIET SYNOPSIS: Two football teams, both alike in dignity, in fair Selhurst, where we lay our scene. A retelling of the most famous love story. 

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HENRY THE THORTH - Partners Rapt 

WHEN: Saturday 23 July (12noon & 3pm) & Sunday 24 July (12noon and 3pm)  

SYNOPSIS: A fast-paced, comic abridgement of Henry IV Part 1, which mashes up Shakespeare’s original text with the characters and settings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A collision between Shakespeare’s historical masterpiece of rebel princes, drunken rogues and domineering kings and the multiverse of Marvel. 

ABOUT: Partners Rapt are a theatre company comprised of University of Warwick and Shakespeare Institute alumni. We specialise in the comic abridgement and political reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s plays. 

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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - Sweet Sorrow Theatre 

WHEN: Saturday 30 July (12noon and 3pm) & Sunday 31 July (12noon and 3pm) 

SYNOPSIS: The party to celebrate Duke Theseus’ wedding is fast approaching, but for some of his courtiers, it is the night before that shall haunt their dreams forever. With warring fairies, foolish mortals and a troop of rude mechanicals, this Midsummer’s eve promises to be one to remember. Featuring a cast of talents from Stratford-upon-Avon, Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company presents a fast-paced take on Shakespeare’s Classic Comedy, filled with laughs, mischief and magic.  

ABOUT: Sweet Sorrow Theatre Company was founded in September 2020 as a company wishing to celebrate all that is weird, wonderful, good, bad and ugly about the world. Their debut show, 'The System', was live-streamed on Zoom in November 2020 and was subsequently recorded for the digital Brighton Fringe Festival in May 2021. 

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TIMON OF ATHENS - Rendered Retina 

WHEN: Saturday 6 August (12noon and 3pm) & Sunday 7 August (12noon and 3pm) 

SYNOPSIS: Ever heard of Timon of Athens? Neither had we! But do not fear, with instruments, hats and a big box on wheels, we have everything we need to put on the grandest retelling of Shakespeare's least-talked about play. With live music and original songs, 3 performers portray 18 characters and attempt to cement this forgotten gem as a bonified classic. 

ABOUT: Rendered Retina are a multi-award winning, internationally renowned theatre company that create highly energetic, physical and playful performances suitable for the whole family.  

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TWELFTH NIGHT: THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS - SAVVY Theatre Company

WHEN: Saturday 13 August (12noon and 3pm) 

SYNOPSIS: Mis-placed love is at the heart of this play, as a storm of hidden (and not-so-hidden) feelings swarm together. Where the players project images of themselves into the world, in the hope of living the life they think they should have or desperately want. This lively adaptation involves live music throughout and plays with the outcomes of some of the story’s central characters.  

ABOUT: SAVVY is a Croydon-based company, creating community through theatre. Their vision is to use the power of theatre to deepen understanding and empathy towards others and as a force to steer change and develop inclusive communities.  

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ROMEO AND JULIET RELOADED - Shakespeare Reloaded

WHEN: Saturday 20 August (1pm & 4pm) & Sunday 21 August (12noon and 3pm)

SYNOPSIS: A punchy, upbeat reimagining of Shakespeare’s original text, set in West Berlin in the late 1980s.  

ABOUT: Shakespeare Reloaded is an international theatre ensemble based in Germany. Boldly reshaping iconic plays into fearless, ferocious productions that speak to a contemporary audience.  

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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group

WHEN: Saturday 27 August (1pm & 4pm) & Sunday 28 August (12noon and 3pm)

SYNOPSIS: What would you trade to preserve a special relationship? Bassanio plans to regain his wealth by marrying Portia of Belmont and asks his friend Antonia for help, but his money is tied up in trade, so together they strike a deal with Shylock. Bassanio wins his bride, but Antonia’s ships flounder, and he must, by law, pay her bond. Will Portia be able to save her new husband’s dearest friend? 

ABOUT: Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group has been putting on shows for over 60 years, and has earned an excellent reputation for high production standards, and for producing a wide and interesting variety of shows ranging from classics, to modern, to brand new local writing.