Make the most of the return of live performance this summer \u2013 without the anxiety of spending time indoors with a crowd of strangers \u2013 with an outdoor theatre show. These venues don\u2019t require negative Covid tests because they\u2019re fully outside, but most have significantly reduced capacities (at least until social distancing restrictions are eased), so don\u2019t dally \u2013 tickets are likely to sell out quicker than usual.<\/p>\n
PFT began life in a tent, so it\u2019s fitting that the theatre is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a move to the great outdoors. The Highlands venue is creating three new permanent performance spaces in its lovely gardens on the banks of the River Tummel, including an 80-seat amphitheatre, a theatre-ship that will double as a children\u2019s play area, and a riverbank bandstand. Among the shows running this summer are the premiere of Adventures with the Painted People (10 June-4 July) by David Greig, a love story about a Roman officer and a Pictish woman; a new adaptation of The Wind in the Willows performed on the riverbank, and a family promenade experience inspired by Alice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland (both July-Sept).<\/p>\n
The garden of St Paul\u2019s, Covent Garden \u2013 AKA the Actors\u2019 Church \u2013 is, in the normal course of things, a favourite of office workers (remember those?) seeking a bit of peace and greenery during their lunch breaks. Tucked away behind the touristy Piazza, each summer this sleeping beauty is awoken by a season of promenade shows that do the many actors memorialised here proud. This year resident company Iris Theatre has commissioned five breakout companies to create new work, including one-woman storytelling show Shoes to Fill (5-10 July) and Arthur\/Merlin, a play with songs inspired by Arthurian legend (4-22 Aug). Sundays see irreverent takes on Shakespeare.<\/p>\n
This annual summer opera festival, held on a 13th-century estate, is usually an indoor affair. This year, however, productions will be staged on a temporary auditorium in the gardens of Neville Holt Hall. Audiences can opt for lawn (lawn tickets are free for under-18s), covered or open-air seating for afternoon performances of Verdi\u2019s La Traviata (4-10 Aug) and Mozart\u2019s Don Giovanni (19-25 Aug). The award-winning landscaped gardens, which are dotted with sculptures by the likes of Antony Gormley and Marc Quinn, are open to audiences two hours before the show. Bring a picnic for the 90-minute dining interval or book a meal in one of the pop-up restaurants.<\/p>\n
The RSC dreamed up this 500-seat outdoor theatre on the banks of the Avon as a way of tempting audiences who might be nervous about returning to indoor shows (its indoor theatres will reopen in the autumn). Listen out for the distant honking of Stratford\u2019s famous swans as you watch The Comedy of Errors (13 July-26 Sept), rescheduled from its original March 2020 run. Babes-in-arms are welcome at all performances and there are free family activities during the school summer holidays.<\/p>\n
The Suffolk countryside is pocked by second world war bombs craters. One of these natural amphitheatres is now home to an outdoor auditorium, opening this summer. Created entirely from timber coppiced from the surrounding woodland, with seating and stage built around several soaring pine trees, it\u2019s hard to imagine a more sylvan scene. The eclectic programme (18 June-30 Aug) includes community Shakespeare, professional touring companies and big-name stand-ups, with a new show on the roster practically every day. Most fitting is surely Arbor the Tree, <\/em>a family show featuring a three-metre tree puppet (28 Aug). There\u2019s a bar serving local wines, beers and juices.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to imagine a theatrical backdrop more spectacular than the granite cliffs and bright-blue waves of Cornwall\u2019s Porthcurno Bay. Local theatre enthusiast Rowena Cade built this extraordinary auditorium by hand, carving its terraced seating from the rock of her cliff-top garden. The auditorium and gardens are open daily, with performances \u2013 of theatre, music and comedy \u2013 now taking place most evenings. In the daytimes there\u2019s storytelling for families. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (24 Aug-2 Sept), an adaptation of the Joan Aiken novel, includes folk songs and original live music. Check out the theatre\u2019s webcam, where a live stream from the site gives a flavour of the delights on offer.<\/p>\n Grosvenor Park\u2019s formal avenues and sweeping lawns are a charming escape from the busyness of Chester city centre at any time of year. Summer offers the additional attraction of a pop-up open-air auditorium hosting in-the-round shows. Theatre producer Storyhouse prides itself in investing in new writing, so this year, along with Shakespeare\u2019s Merry Wives of Windsor (4 June-30 Aug), <\/em>you\u2019ll find new adaptations of The Jungle Book (29 May-30 Aug) and Pride and Prejudice (9 July-30 Aug). <\/em>A great option for families, as kids go free with paying adults.<\/p>\n This scaled-down version of Shakespeare\u2019s Globe is a living structure whose willow walls creak and rustle with every breath of wind. Planted in 2006 and opened a year later, this community venue on a working farm comprises a thrust stage and bench seating, where audiences come together to see twists on Shakespeare, as well as storytelling and music. This year\u2019s programme, which began with a performance from Mid-Wales Opera in May and continues with the Willow Globe Community company\u2019s take on Shakespeare\u2019s Cymbeline (25-27 June), also includes King Lear Retold, <\/em>a stripped down solo performance by the charismatic Debs Newbold (15 July). Arrive early for the woodland trail of Shakespeare quotes and stop to picnic in the orchard. Kids will enjoy pond-dipping and encounters with the farm\u2019s resident sheep.<\/p>\n This annual festival, which celebrates its 34th anniversary this year, is a rare opportunity to get a glimpse behind the high walls of some of the university\u2019s private gardens. Productions \u2013 this year\u2019s programme which runs from 12 July to 28 August and includes six of Shakespeare\u2019s most popular plays \u2013 tend towards the traditional, featuring full period costume and live Elizabethan music. Seating is first come, first served (with social distancing), though there\u2019s plenty of space on the lawn if you don\u2019t arrive in time to nab a chair. Picnics are welcome, and an excellent way to make the most of your visit to these gorgeous landscaped college gardens, some of which aren\u2019t even open to the colleges\u2019 own students.<\/p>\n A visit to the Regent\u2019s Park Open Air Theatre is a genuinely transporting experience. As dusk falls over the auditorium, and the surrounding trees are lit up by light thrown from the stage, you\u2019re magicked away from the bustle of central London. Those booking for Carousel (31 July-25 Sept), <\/em>the latest in the theatre\u2019s acclaimed series of reinventions of classic musicals, can also avail themselves of pre-theatre lunch or dinner on a covered terrace overlooking the bar, followed by dessert and coffee at the interval. Also on the programme this year is Romeo & Juliet (17 June-24 July) and two family shows, Anansi the Spider (7-24 July), a retelling of the classic West African and Caribbean folk tales, and Dragons and Mythical Beasts (13 Aug-5 Sept), a new show from the makers of Dinosaur World Live.<\/p>\nMinack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall<\/h3>\n
Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester<\/h3>\n
The Willow Globe, Powys<\/h3>\n
Cambridge Shakespeare festival<\/h3>\n
Regent\u2019s Park Open Air Theatre, London<\/h3>\n