



Welcome to Shakespeare Under the Stars with Stafford Festival Shakespeare
Ever wondered how to make the most of those glorious summer evenings? Well wonder no more! Stafford Festival Shakespeare offers the unique opportunity to watch a show whilst soaking up the long summer evenings as you sip a cool glass of wine against the enchanting backdrop of Stafford Castle.
Established in 1991, Stafford Festival Shakespeare is one of the UK’s leading Open Air Productions, which is held annually between June and July at Stafford Castle. The event is the centrepiece of the Borough’s popular Stafford Festival which celebrates local, national and international performing and visual arts talent during the month of July.
Previous performances have covered the full range of the Bard’s work including tragedies, comedies and histories with an individual set being produced and designed each year for specific plays. The staging of the event is completely open to the elements but all seating for the production is under cover.
Stafford Castle makes for a superb venue high on a hilltop overlooking the county town of Stafford. This historic setting has an unrivalled resonance for Shakespeare’s writing, and the specially designed stage set, combined with the production ‘village’ of marquees and state of the art covered grandstand seating, makes for a unique theatre setting.
The nineteenth annual Stafford Festival Shakespeare Production to be presented Open Air at Stafford Castle will be Twelfth Night. You can enjoy the hilarious comedy of mistaken identity from Thursday 25 June to Saturday 11 July 2009. Tickets are available online or by calling 01785 254 653
Eighteen Years of Stafford Festival Shakespeare
2008 |
Hamlet |
Louise Jameson (Gertrude), Joseph Milson (Hamlet), Kellie Shirley (Ophelia) |
2007 |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Stephen Beckett (Benedick), Siobhan Hayes (Margaret), Sally Lindsay (Beatrice) |
2006 |
A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
Emma Atkins (Hippolyta/Titania), Mark Little (Bottom) |
2005 |
Romeo & Juliet |
Bruno Langley (Romeo), Scarlett Johnson (Juliet), Rachel Bell (Nurse), Freya Copeland (Lady Capulet) |
2004 |
The Comedy of Errors |
Rene Zagger (Antipholus of Syracuse), Julie-Kate Olivier (Adriana), Garfield Morgan (Egeon), Hildegard Neil (Abbess), Richard Elis (Balthasar) |
2003 |
Macbeth |
Russell Boulter (Macbeth), Glynis Barber (Lady Macbeth) |
2002 |
The Taming Of The Shrew |
Matthew Kelly (Petruchio), Julie-Kate Olivier (Katherina), Leila Birch (Bianca), Nick Conway (Grumio) |
2001 |
A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
Toyah Willcox (Titania), Paul Henry (Bottom), Paul Fox (Lysander) |
2000 |
Twelfth Night |
Jean Boht (Maria), John Challis (Malvolio), Chloe Newsome (Viola) |
1999 |
Richard III |
Ian Reddington (Richard), Maria Charles (Queen Margaret) |
1998 |
The Tempest |
Barry Foster (Prospero), Kellie Bright (Miranda), Benjamin McNair (Ferdinand) |
1997 |
Romeo and Juliet |
Judy Cornwell (Nurse), John Pickard (Romeo), Kellie Bright (Juliet) |
1996 |
Macbeth |
Rula Lenska (Lady Macbeth), Robert Beck (Macbeth) |
1995 |
As You Like It |
Russell Porter (Orlando), Richard Norton (Silvius) Nicholas Pinnock (Hymen) |
1994 |
Hamlet |
Jason Riddington (Hamlet), Hildegard Neil (Gertrude) |
1993 |
A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
Kristian Schmid (Puck), Julia Sawalha (Hermia) |
1992 |
The Wars Of The Roses |
Tom Watt (Richard III) |
1991 |
Henry V |
Robert Hardy (Chorus) |
