We were glad to be included in Chris Wiegand’s recent piece in The Guardian about the surge in outdoor theatre across the UK, we were particularly struck by the ingenuity and community spirit on display.
With indoor venues facing continued delays, the article paints a vibrant picture of companies embracing the open air to keep the magic of live performance alive.
This is what the article said about Soulton Hall:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with its spellbinding imagery of the natural world, is a perennial outdoor favourite. Shropshire farmer Tim Ashton has enabled a production this September in an earthen amphitheatre beside the burial mound he recently created in the tradition of neolithic burial barrows. Ashton believes that a landscape takes on a different quality when people are remembered there; this striking setting may underscore both the threat of death that hangs over Hermia in the play and the characters’ quest for harmony. Children are encouraged to dress as fairies for the family-friendly one-hour production.
Ashton decided to create the theatre, named The Sanctuary, when he saw how many local am-dram performances were being cancelled because of coronavirus. He was inspired by the story of Shakespeare’s troupe, The King’s Men, visiting Shropshire during the plague of 1603 to keep culture alive. “We are honouring what they did,” he says. “We are not the only generation to face this.” He hopes to set an example to his fellow farmers and others who may have spare outdoor space that they can offer for the arts, to be enjoyed by the community.
National Youth Theatre is planning two productions at The Sanctuary – a response to the climate crisis and a new version of Animal Farm. “In the face of immense challenges and pressure to help restore our precious cultural offering we all have a responsibility to try and make theatre happen,” says Paul Roseby, NYT’s artistic director. “Tim is leading that initiative quite literally from the ground up with his new earth amphitheatre.”
We were so pleased that The Sanctuary and our efforts to bring theatre to our local community were recognized within this national context of innovation and resilience in the arts. It truly reflects the spirit of collaboration and creativity that emerged during a challenging time.
