Shakespeare on the Beach returns to Margate next month with romantic comedy Twelfth Night.
Changeling theatre and Phoenix Community Events bring the Bard to the beach on Sunday 20 July at 5pm as part of its annual outdoor theatre tour.
This year marks Changeling’s 24th of outdoor touring since the company first staged Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2001. It will be the company’s 12th year bringing Shakespeare to Margate beach.
Phoenix Community Events is a Community Interest Company established in 2021 by three former staff of the currently closed Theatre Royal Margate, with the ambition of continuing to present high quality, entertaining theatre shows in Thanet.
The tradition of presenting Shakespeare’s plays on Margate beach began in 2013 with just one year missed due to Covid.
Twelfth Night is a play about love, relationships and mistaken identity – a bittersweet romantic comedy where no-one is quite who they seem.
Shipwrecked on an unknown shore, Viola is separated from her twin brother Sebastian. She thinks he’s dead. He thinks she’s dead. And everyone else has no idea which one’s which.
Viola embraces a secret new identity by disguising herself as a boy to work for the Duke Orsino. She falls in love with him, but he’s already in love with Olivia. Olivia then falls for Viola thinking she’s Sebastian.
Who’s who? Who’s in love with who? Confusion, misdemeanour and farce abound in this fast-paced comedy full of gender and sexual ambiguity, where none of the characters really know what’s going on!
Twelfth Night will have new music performed by Changeling’s talented and versatile cast. It will be directed by creative director Rob Forknall.
Changeling’s creative director Rob Forknall said: “I’m very excited to be directing Twelfth Night again after 20 years. It’s an ever-popular play; a classic Shakespeare comedy full of bawdy gags, plot twists and physical humour.
“Our cast will be actor musicians playing live new music to Shakespeare’s lyrics. We’ll look at love in a world where gender and identity are ambiguous. Anyone who knows Netflix’s Heartstopper will love this show.”
Pam Hardiman of Phoenix Community Events, added: “We love working with Changeling Theatre as their productions are always such high quality. They bring a fresh approach to each Shakespeare play they present – and we can guarantee that this year “Twelfth Night” is going to be fun! As expected, tickets are selling fast for this popular title so we recommend advance booking to avoid disappointment.”
Performance and ticket details:
Sunday 20 July. Seating from: 4:30pm, play starts at 5pm at Margate Main Sands.
Adults: £21.50
Under 16s: £13.50 plus booking fees
Suitable for all ages
Deckchair hire included.
Traditional working class entertainment. How lovely 👌
Will this group be charged by the tdc like the yoga teacher on West Bay being charged £1,000