One of the highlights of summer in Stamford & Rutland is the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful performance of Shakespeare in the fresh air amphitheatre of Tolethorpe Hall… and a few enhancements to the experience will ensure that this year’s programme will be the best ever for theatregoers!

Shakespeare’s First Folio was published exactly 400 years ago. Comprising 36 comedies, histories and tragedies it included Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Merchant of Venice, becoming one of the most influential pieces of literature in existence despite a modest print run of 750 copies, of which 235 still exist, including the 82 copies in Washington DC Folger Shakespeare Library.

Active from about 1585 until 1613, the playwright’s influence is as strong as ever, not least in our neck of the woods and indeed in the woodlands themselves which surround Tolethorpe Hall, home to the Stamford Shakespeare Company.

In a case of life imitating art (or more correctly literature), things have been quite dramatic over the past few years. 2018 saw the 50th anniversary of the company and the number of tickets sold surpassed the 1,000,000 milestone.

Only a couple of year later, the unprecedented Covid crisis led to the postponement of the 2020 season until the following year just a matter of weeks before the season was due to commence.

Even in 2021 productions were frustrated by the removal of about 400 of the amphitheatre’s 600 seats, and that year’s production of Romeo & Juliet saw the two frisky teenagers more socially-distanc’d than star-cross’d… definitely not what Shakespeare envisaged.

Still, that year’s production of Humble Boy – a loose interpretation of Hamlet with a modern setting – and a few tweaks to the other productions ensured that the old adage that the show must go on was still worth its ink. 2022 was the first ‘normal’ season, even if patrons were still a little cautious.

But with more confidence and a sense of optimism for an enjoyable summer 2023, audiences will return in droves to Tolethorpe this year and will notice a few improvements to make an already exceptional experience even more enjoyable.

“For a start we’re hosting some really great productions which we’re confident will be very popular,” says Theatre Manager David Fensom. “Until about 2002 we used to host three Shakespeare productions, and since introducing at least one contemporary production to our programme we’ve seen performances like Wind in the Willows or Dad’s Army proving extremely popular.”

“This year, Alan Bennett’s (mostly) true story of The Lady in the Van will see one of our own cast members reprise the role that made Maggie Smith’s 2015 portrayal so popular.  Our two Shakespeare plays for 2023 will be As You Like It and Measure for Measure. The former will have an interesting twist with a groovy 1960s setting, and some of the dialogue set to the tune of some well-known 1960s hits.”

“The latter will relocate the setting of Measure for Measure to 1900s Vienna. It’s a challenging play, sometimes problematic with its darker themes, but the fact that it’s less well-known and has some dark comedy at its heart should make for a really engaging production.”

Another new addition to the theatre is a revamped hospitality offering, with set menus available in the Grade II* listed hall itself, and a new bar with themed cocktails specific to each production.

Tolethorpe’s new catering partner, Stamford’s Secret Kitchen, will also be offering picnic hampers  to enjoy in the grounds before each production.

The theatre is also hosting more matinee productions from 11.30am, brought forward slightly to ensure that audiences are more comfortable on very warm afternoons.

In total there will be 80 production this year across the three plays, with additional performances by the Tolethorpe Youth Drama group and TYD Theatre Makers group for 18 to 22-years olds.

Behind the scenes, too, the team has opted to rebrand the company which will now be known simply as Tolethorpe. Previously Tolethorpe Hall and the Stamford Shakespeare Company have been used interchangeably, but the change in name reflects the possibility of hosting other events in the future.

Today around 100 volunteers work across the 80 performances with directors volunteering and ‘pitching’ their ideas for a production to a board of 10 people headed-up by Natasha Rose since March.

The company has just a few members of staff – David, admin manager Pippa, estate manager and set designer Dannie Carlton (who works alongside his son Nick), and freelance costume designer Miriam Spring Davies. Almost all of the 500 hours of rehearsals, performances and production are the result of the theatre’s volunteers.

A final change for 2023 is that Tolethorpe’s box office has now been taken in-house, with direct booking available for each of the theatre’s 80 annual productions, thanks to the theatre’s new ticket officer Clive Giddings.

This year’s productions, improvements and a general sense of optimism is set to make the 2023 season the best ever… and even 400 years after the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio, we can confidently say that The Play’s the Thing.

Summer 2023 at Tolethorpe Hall

Tuesday 6th June – Saturday 29th July: Measure for Measure

Shakespeare’s marvellous morality play is relocated to the glamorous world of Vienna in the early 1900s, where the upper classes danced to the music of Strauss while the Habsburg Empire began to crumble.

Tuesday 13th June – Saturday 19th August: As You Like It

Reimagined as a story from the Summer of Love, As You Like It blends a feisty cross-dressing heroine with a wisecracking fool, melodic songs, questionable poetry and laughs aplenty.

Tuesday 4th July – Saturday 26th August: The Lady In The Van

Poignant and hilarious The Lady in the Van is based on the mostly true story of playwright Alan Bennett’s encounters with Miss Mary Shepherd, a crabby, eccentric, homeless woman.

Monday 10th July – Wednesday 12th July: Blue Stockings

1896 at Girton College, Cambridge, and four young women combat misogyny and the class divide, risking everything in their fight for the right to graduate. Tyd Theatre Makers’ 2023  production.

Productions from 11.30am and 7.45pm on certain dates, tickets £18/Mon-Thurs, £19/Friday, £22/Saturday, call 01780 917240 or see www.tolethorpe.co.uk.