Wiltshire Creative taking over Churchill Gardens for Shakespeare play
You might have noticed some changes to the Salisbury park for 'The Tempest'
If you've noticed some differences to Salisbury's Churchill Gardens in recent days, it's been in preparation for a special run of a Shakespeare play.
Wiltshire Creative's putting on a production of The Tempest for 12 days, starting from Wednesday (24th May), as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival.
An open air set has been created in Churchill Gardens, including a huge wooden pirate ship!
Rosie Townsend from Wiltshire Creative says they are keeping everything crossed that rain stays away from the open-air production:
“This is the centrepiece of the 2023 International Arts Festival in Salisbury, and we're delighted to be bringing an open-air production at The Tempest, reimagining Shakespeare's fabulous tale stretched across different locations with fabulous sets with a huge cast.”
The cast features 10 actor-musicians alongside a community cast of 65 and a young cast, also of 65.
Community and Sustainability
Rosie said Wiltshire Creative wanted to find a location in the heart of the city, and Churchill Gardens fit the bill.
“We were keen to bring communities together in the city after the devastating effects of COVID and the pandemic of the last few years, Churchill Gardens felt like the perfect place because of its rich history in the city,” explained Rosie, who added that the sets and stages were being built around other activities in the park, such as Park Run.
The production of The Tempest is being made as sustainable as possible, with 70% of the costumes and sets being made from recyclable materials.
“We've been collecting lots of rubbish and reusing lots of different materials, working with groups like Elizabeth House and our Friday under-fives group,” said Rosie, she added: “It has been a real community project.”
Summer Festival
The Summer programme continues with a wide variety of other performances taking place at the Playhouse and the Arts Centre.
“There's really something for all ages,” says Rosie, “We've got Farmyard circus, a beautiful family, acrobatic show happening in Rack Close by the Cathedral, which is perfect for little ones.
“We've got a 10-piece brass band called the Old Dirty Brasstards, who are playing in the Playhouse, reimagining some of your favourite songs.
“We've also got a dance company called Motion House, who are presenting a show called starchitects at the Playhouse, and they actually performed at the opening ceremony of Eurovision in Liverpool.”
The festival features several more acts and productions, which can be found on Wiltshire Creative’s website, with the festival running until the middle of June.