The next full Chepstow Festival will be in 2014
Friday 20th June – Sunday 13th of July 2014

Chepstow Festival 2013
Programme of open-air (undercover)
theatre in Chepstow Castle

Saturday, 15 June – Babe the Sheep Pig – Illyria

A play by David Wood
based on the book by Dick King-Smith

For 3 consecutive summers Illyria has been the only open-air touring company granted permission to perform Roald Dahl adaptations by the Dahl estate. In 2013 Illyria turns to Dick King-Smith’s glorious classic.

Farmer Hogget wins a piglet at the fair – and everyone knows what unfortunate fate awaits piglets on a farm. Adopted by Fly the sheepdog, Babe develops his own methods of herding sheep using politeness instead of barking orders, and even saves the flock from being stolen by sheep rustlers. But Farmer Hogget is a hard man to please. So when Babe is entered for the county sheep dog trials he is going to need Fly’s help, all his wits, and as much politeness as he can muster if he is going to get the sheep to co-operate, win the trials, and save his bacon.

Dick King-Smith’s heartwarming tale of friendship, courage and determination is vividly brought to life by the same creative team behind Illyria’s sensational record-breaking 2012 production of The Twits. It is suitable for all ages 5+.

Thursday, 20 June – Sense and Sensibility – Chapterhouse Theatre

Join Chapterhouse Theatre Company this summer for an evening of Regency wonderment as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood make their first forays into the exquisite world of eighteenth-century society. Bring a picnic along with family and friends and follow the sisters as they find their path and lose their hearts under a beautiful summer sky in their quest to find the perfect balance of sense and sensibility.

Friday, 21 June – Alice – Heartbreak Productions

With over 20 years of experience, Heartbreak Productions is one of the most prestigious and high quality touring theatre companies in the country visiting fabulous venues all over the UK. As part of their 2013 open air season, they are
delighted to present Alice – An Extraordinary Adventure ‐ an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s inspired and influential masterpiece.
You are invited to take part in a very special tea
party…
Join Alice on an enchanted journey that leads her to a chaotic underground world. Meet the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and a whole host of other quirky characters! Enter a dreamlike world full of colour, song and rhyme ruled by a crazy, croquetplaying Queen with very little heart and a very short temper! So, don’t be late, don’t lose your head, and watch out for a picnic‐nicking Knave who wants your tarts…!
Heartbreak’s ingenious and highly energetic adaptation blends both of Lewis Carroll’s volumes (Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass) to produce a fast‐paced production full of engaging dialogue, inspiring music and magical adventure. Renowned for their awardwinning open air theatre, this brand‐new production is bursting with Heartbreak’s unique combination of interactive and imaginative theatre style that promises to be a captivating treat
for all the family.
So, gather your family and friends and book up for a fantastic summer experience – magnificent open air theatre full of passion, thrills and adventure.

Thursday 27 June – Sherlock – Pantaloon Theatre

SHERLOCK HOLMES (2013)
How can one open-air show with just four actors possibly contain so much action and adventure? Elementary, my dear!
The critically-acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company put dynamic detective duo Holmes and Watson through their paces as they tackle their most fiendish case yet in this delightfully inventive and hilarious show for all ages featuring live music, audience interaction and more mystery than you can shake a magnifying glass at.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

Remember to dress for the weather and bring a picnic and something to sit on. Performances will take place in all weather except a full-blown tempest.

Friday 28 June – Romeo and Juliet – Heartbreak Productions

As part of their 2013 open air season, Heartbreak are delighted to present Shakespeare’s  much‐loved masterpiece  Romeo & Juliet.

So… grab your camera, sunglasses and guidebook – you’re going on the trip of a lifetime. Heartbreak Productions invite you to join them on an epic  journey: first stop, a hot, steamy Veronese piazza around a monumental love story. Two innocent young lovers fall victim to family hatred and cruel destiny – as the heat rises and fervour mounts, power, passion and politics all play their part in this extraordinary tale as it cascades towards its agonizing and iconic end. Thrills and dynamism, masks, dance, blades, potions and poetry – Heartbreak’s inimitable storytelling style infuses a modern twist but maintains all the intensity of this legendary tale, creating a unique and compelling performance to move and engage audiences as they watch this riveting romance played out under sultry Italian skie

Saturday 29 June – As You like It – Illyria

AS YOU LIKE IT
by William Shakespeare

No other touring open-air theatre company has performed so many different Shakespeare titles to so many people, winning so many awards, as Illyria.

As You Like It is Shakespeare’s ultimate romantic comedy. Four people each find their perfect soulmates in the Forest of Arden. One pair leap straight into bed, another are instantly struck by each other’s beauty, the third torment each other endlessly – while the fourth enjoy a courtship that is so witty and playful that Love itself is stretched to the limit. But pitted against political intrigue, multiple disguises and overwhelming cynicism, can even Love win through in the end…?

With its pearls of wisdom, glittering repartee and gloriously happy ending this is not only one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays but also the perfect comedy for a summer’s evening. For authenticity the production is performed on a stage based on those used by 16th-century touring companies.

Thursday, July 4 – Dracula – Heartbreak Productions

A potent and passion filled drama as the malicious and seductive Dracula wreaks havoc on innocence and purity! The story follows Lucy, beloved by everyone, as she tries to resist the intoxicating and seductive onslaught from Count Dracula. However Dr Van Helsing’s attempt to save her fails as he and his accomplices wreak havoc in their dramatic chase back to Transylvania to rid the world of Dracula.

Heartbreak promise erotic chills and scares a‐plenty as a team of Victorian undertakers take us on a thrilling journey from Transylvanian castles to Whitby Abbey via the morgues and asylums of London ‐ not for the faint hearted. Come and see the original and best Gothic novel, a story that has inspired a million spin off’s including Buffy and Twilight. Heartbreak’s’ renowned unique and inventive style assures a fresh, original and sexy production.  So grab your crucifixes and your garlic and see if you can repel the charms of Dracula.

Friday, July 5 – The Mikado – Illyria

THE MIKADO
by Gilbert and Sullivan
In 2011 Illyria raised the bar for the major UK open-air touring theatre companies by becoming the first and only one to add Opera to its regular season.

In the town of Titipu flirting has been made illegal. The penalty is death. Too bad then that the main culprit is the Lord High Executioner Ko-Ko, who wishes to marry his beautiful young ward Yum-Yum, and who has no intention of executing himself. So when Nanki-Pu, a wandering minstrel, decides to end it all because his own love for Yum-Yum is doomed, Ko-Ko has the perfect candidate for execution. Except that Yum-Yum, by tradition, would have to be executed with Nanki-Pu. And Nanki-Pu turns out to be the Mikado’s own son. And the Mikado himself is about to arrive on a state visit to Titipu….

This wonderful comic opera, although set in Japan, is very much a parody of British politics, institutions and public life – and although written in the 19th century is surprisingly relevant in the 21st! It gets the complete Illyria treatment, faithfully performed by a reduced cast and accompanied by a Musical Director on keyboard

Friday 12 July -The Comedy of Errors – Rain or Shine theatre

Combining adventure, human folly, farce, romance and suspense, the Bard’s clever and original plot shows a high degree of genius and creativity -
an ideal choice for an outdoor theatrical event.
Once upon a time… two sets of identical twin babies and their parents survived a shipwreck. Fate, however, decreed that the family should be split up, the mother one way, the father and one of each twin another,  and the final pair a third way…
Twenty Five years later, in search of their long lost family, two of the twins, Antipholus of Syracuse and his manservant, Dromio, arrive in Ephesus, a city reputedly full of rogues, cheats and sorcerers.
Although this is their first visit merchants greet them as acquaintances, women pursue them as lovers, and Ephesus appears to be a place where everybody knows their names!

Rain or Shine Theatre Company invites you to witness the comical confusion and chaotic capers of Shakespeare’s hilarious masterpiece!

tickets from Chepstow Museum telephone 01291 625981
tickets bought before first of June 2013
£10 FULL £8 CONC. – FAMILY £31

June 2 until the day of performance of performance
£11  FULL £9  CONC. – FAMILY £34

On day of performance and at gate

£13 FULL   £ 11  CONC.  - FAMILY- £40