Summer fun at the Merlin

Summer performances at the Merlin Theatre will continue with a programme of outdoor theatre including Shakespeare, family shows and comedy.

The season includes Folksy Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Saturday 8th August at 7pm, followed by three performances from open-air theatre company Illyria.

The company will bring Shakespeare’s As You Like It to the stage for an evening performance, along with a family-friendly matinee of Pinocchio, the story of the wooden puppet who becomes a real-life boy.

The season will end with Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, featuring blundering policemen, absurd adventures and plenty of silliness.

A new addition to the programme will see Four Forty Theatre visit Frome for the first time with a comedy version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The high-energy production offers a fresh take on the classic love story and is suitable for all ages.

The Merlin Theatre’s outdoor performances take place at ECOS, the European Community Of Stones amphitheatre, with audiences encouraged to bring blankets, picnics, cushions and chairs.

Director Claudia Pepler said, “We are one of only a small handful of purpose-built, permanent-structure outdoor theatres in the UK, so the summer is big news for us.

“Frome is always about community so we urge the town to gather with blankets, picnics, cushions and kids to join us for a few precious weeks of wonder.”

Details of all events, including indoor shows, films, NT Live screenings and workshops, can be found at www.merlintheatre.co.uk.