18 May, 2012 - 08 September, 2012
London

This open-air theatre in London's Regent's Park (May-September) is a magical setting for a programme of Shakespeare's plays, as well as a classic musical.

The only permanent professional outdoor theatre in Britain, it has a sharply raked auditorium, seating 1,240, giving excellent sightlines. The theatre has been located in Regent's Park since 1932, and its annual festival is attended by over 130,000 people each year. A host of famous actors have appeared here: Vivien Leigh, Jack Hawkins, Anna Neagle, Edward Fox, Jeremy Irons, Zoe Wanamaker and Ralph Fiennes, to name a few.

It's just 10 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Baker Street, but feels a world away on tranquil summer evenings. There's a lawn for picnics, or spectators can pre-book tea and cake or an evening supper. There's a bar serving Pimm's, and as the sun goes down and the fairy lights glimmer in the trees there can be few better places to enjoy the magic of Shakespeare.

The 2012 season, which coincides with the momentous Olympic year for London, will focus - unusually - on just two major productions: Shakespeare's most magical of plays A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Tony Award winning Ragtime, a powerful musical set at the turn of the 20th century.

 

http://www.openairtheatre.org

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