Summer dreams (From Stroud News and Journal)

Summer dreams

GLOUCESTERSHIRE'S own popular professional touring theatre company may raise a few eyebrows as well as curtains this summer - when an exclusively male cast perform Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream around the UK.

The county's Festival Players will stage more than 60 performances of the Bard's magical play across England, Scotland and Wales between the end of May and August and will also take the tour to Berlin, but they will be premiering the production at The Space in Stroud at the end of May.

Although some may see it as a controversial move, the Players - who set out to deliver the best in open-air theatre - will be following in the footsteps of Shakespeare's own Elizabethan Globe Theatre company where all roles were taken by men.

Director Michael Dyer, former director of Cornwall's open-air Minack Theatre, said: "This is the way Shakespearean plays were traditionally performed so although it may seem unusual today to have no female players, it is in fact totally authentic.

"Whatever way you play it, A Midsummer Night's Dream is enchanting and it's the most "open air" of Shakespeare's comedies so lends itself perfectly to our summer tour."

But the biggest concentration of their performances will not surprisingly be in Gloucestershire.

Kicking off with a preview performance at Stroud's The Space on Saturday, May 28 at 7.30pm, the Festival Players will also perform at Thornbury, Beaudesert Park School in Minchinhampton, Frampton Manor and St Peter's Grange in the grounds of Prinknash Abbey on June 30.

Founded by actress/director Trish Knight-Webb, the Festival Players play a trump card by having music specially created for each new production, by resident Musical Director Johnny Coppin.

A full UK tour list and further information on the Festival Players' 2005 performances can be found at www.thefestivalplayers.co.uk