Hi everyone, I am Sarah from Downpour Theatre Company; who are all mega excited this year to be taking part in our first Bristol Shakespeare Festival.
We are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform in the spectacular grounds at Ashton Court Estate; one of Bristol’s most beautiful spaces.
Downpour Theatre Company, who are no strangers to Shakespeare or open-air theatre, first came into creation in 2016 when Andy (my husband) and I decided that we desperately wanted to stage an open-air production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. We came up against a bit of a stumbling block when none of the groups local to us wanted to stage a Shakespeare play, because they didn’t think anyone would be interested. We politely disagreed, and made the (slightly mad) decision that we would stage it ourselves from scratch. 3 years later, our little theatre dream has grown beyond what we ever imagined.
This year we have spread our wings, and embarked on our first little tour with ‘The Comedy of Errors’. Although it has been a rather damp start to the summer, we are hoping that the sun will be out and shining upon us for the final performances of our tour at the beautiful Ashton Court Estate for Bristol Shakespeare Festival.
The Comedy of Errors may be one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays, but it is also one of his funniest. Our marvellously talented cast have done a fantastic job bringing the show to life, transporting young and old to the Byzantine era for this hilariously farcical play. My favourite moment of the summer this far has been looking out into the audience and seeing a captivated child sat with their grandparents, all clearly relishing the show, and I look forward to many more moments like it.
We would also like to say a massive thank you to those and at Ashton Court for all their help, and a giant thank you to all the Bristol Shakespeare Festival volunteers.