Outdoor Summer Activities at the RSC
The Bewonderment Machine. Bird in the Hand theatre. (c) JMA Photography
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is inviting everyone to celebrate summer in Stratford-upon-Avon with family friendly activities on Saturday 17 June and between 1-31 August; and a programme of outdoor theatre at The Dell between Saturday 1 July – Sunday 27 August.
On Saturday 17 June, as part of Great Big Green Week, the RSC will host an afternoon of free family-friendly activities in Stratford-upon-Avon to celebrate At The Forest’s Edge - a co-created community engagement project resulting in a sculpture trail featuring six beautiful willow structures located at six outdoor sites in the town.
The project was co-created by by artists Miriam Nabarro and Gemma Kerr and six community groups in Stratford-upon-Avon. Copernicana CIC, Clopton Connect, New Meaning, Sporting Memories, Fred Winters Centre and Escape Arts have been participating in workshops inspired by themes in the RSC’s summer productions, Hamnet and As You Like It, such as nature, family, healing and loss.
At the Edge of the Forest Workshops. Photo (c) Lucy Barriball.
The free events on Saturday 17 June will take place in Avonbank Gardens from 2pm and will include puppet making and willow weaving. There will also be live music from the Vilk Collective Trio, refreshments and The Bewonderment Machine, an animated woodland carousel powered by bicycles, from A Bird in the Hand Theatre.
At 3.35pm there will be a performance where each community group will present a moment they have created during their workshops with the RSC, including a communal performance with music for all the participants and audience to take part in.
Later in the summer, between 1 – 31 August the RSC will offer free drop-in activities, also inspired by At The Forest’s Edge, outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. An activity sheet will be available to pick up from the theatre with details of games to play around the At The Forest’s Edge sculptures. Storytelling adventure walks, puppetry making and willow weaving will be available every Wednesday.
At the Edge of the Forest, Willow Sculpture in the Swan Gardens. Photo Sam Allard, (c) RSC.
At The Forest’s Edge celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of the communities who live on the banks of the River Avon, and their relationship with the natural world around them. A map of the sculpture trail is available to view Plus the sculptures will be available to visit and interact with until the end of the summer. Details: https://www.rsc.org.uk/events/at-the-forests-edge
OUTDOOR THEATRE AT THE DELL Saturday 1 July – Sunday 27 August
During the summer month weekends, the RSC’s outdoor theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, The Dell, will play host to a range of lively student, community and semi-professional productions. Performances kick off on Saturday 1 July, and continue until Sunday 27 August.
A Dell performance.Photo by Sam Allard (c) RSC
Now in its 15th year, The Dell is situated on the banks of the River Avon in Avonbank Gardens, near Holy Trinity Church. Entrance is free and no booking is required.
The Dell was launched as part of the Complete Works Festival in 2006, and has hosted more than 325 amateur theatre companies to growing audience numbers of all ages.
For full details of all the plays to be performed, with dates, times and a brief synopsis of each play can be found here: www.rsc.org.uk/thedell
