Out in the Open Air with Chapter House Theatre – preview

Theatre as we know it has certain commonalities – dark spaces, huddled chairs, classic red curtains. Yet the origins of theatre lie under the Ancient Greek sun, in the open-air hillside “theatrons” of Athens. Audiences laughed, cried, cheered and were captivated by performances amid nature, without the strict divide between story and reality that exists today.  The tradition prevailed for centuries, with Shakespeare’s greatest plays staged in the roofless Globe Theatre, where performances are still engaging audiences today.

 

If London’s Globe Theatre with its open roof and airy environs is too far a reach this summer, the al fresco theatre experience is still within your grasp. Dublin will host several open-air theatre performances from June to August as the Chapterhouse Theatre Company tours the country with an array of well-loved plays.

 

Since its establishment in 1999, Chapterhouse Theatre Company has brightened Irish summers with its mesmerising open-air plays. Its repertoire has included Shakespearian favourites such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and childhood classics like The Secret Garden. Chapterhouse Theatre Company will tour Ireland and the UK this Summer, performing six new highly-anticipated plays. No black walls or heavy curtains surround these productions – each play will be performed in gardens and castle grounds, imbued with nature and sunshine.

Get your wellies or your sun screen and relax with lawn chair theatre this summer | image: blog.holidaylettings.co.uk

 

Shows being performed in and around Dublin this year include Peter Pan, Pride and Prejudice, The Wind in the Willows, and Great Expectations.

 

­The locations are scattered across Ireland from Sligo to Wexford, with several venues in the Dublin area. Among them are Castletown House, a spectacular Georgian country home in Celbridge conveniently located on the 67 bus route, and Powerscourt Gardens in North County Wicklow, recently voted third in the ‘World’s Top Ten Gardens’ by National Geographic. Other venues include Skerries Mills, Ardgillan Castle and the Battle of the Boyne Estate.­ Each location will host only one performance, so be sure to check out which play is happening in your area.

 

Experiencing a live performance enveloped in fresh air, cut grass and beautiful scenery is sure to be, as Chapterhouse promises, an event of “magical theatre in magical surroundings”.
Dates and further details may be found online at Chapter House Theatre Company

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