This year we have an exciting and diverse programme of events. Look out for our Festival Brochure across Bristol. We are always interested in your feedback on our programme, so please get in touch.

As You Like It

Heartbreak Productions
17 - 18 June 7.30pm
Ashton Court Manor House Gardens
A dynamic new take on an enduring comedy. Take a psychedelic trip through the Forest of Arden - dig out your threads, get in the groove and step back in time - specifically to the 1960s when life was mellow, things were cool and love was free. Liberty and banishment, love and hate, cruelty and kindness - all play their part in this vibrant and inventive production.

Please note this production is outdoors, bring your own picnic-rug or low-backed seat and suitable clothing for all weather conditions.

Ticket prices: Advance: £10 Adult/£7.50 Conc/£6 Child
Ticket prices on the door: £12.50 Adult/£10 Conc/£8.50 Child
To book call: 0117 922 3686 or www.heartbreakproductions.co.uk (courtesy of QuayTickets)

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare's Globe On Tour with the support of Tobacco Factory, Bristol
23 - 28 June 7.30pm (Matinees: 24 & 25 June at 2.30pm, 28 June at 5pm)
Ashton Court Manor House Gardens
A versatile troupe of Shakespeare's Globe actors will entertain outdoor audiences with a stripped down version of A Midsummer Night's Dream , true to the old principles of touring theatre.   A summer delight, Shakespeare put some of his most dazzling dramatic poetry at the service of this teasing, glittering, very funny and amazingly inventive play, whose seriousness is fleetingly glimpsed beneath its dreamlike surface. Please note this production is outdoors, bring your own picnic-rug or low-backed seat and suitable clothing for all weather conditions.

Ticket prices: Advance: £15 Adult/£10 Conc
To book call: 0117 902 0344 or www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com  

The Taming of the Shrew

Full Tilt Theatre Company
2 - 4, 9 - 11 July 7pm (Matinee: Saturday 1pm)
Ashton Court Manor House Gardens
Full Tilt makes its Bristol Shakespeare Festival debut with this zany cross-cast revision of Shakespeare's 'problem play'. Usually reviled by feminists, director Terri Power gives Shrew the makeover it has needed. The men play women, the women play men, there's 'a bit with a dog' and even the audience takes part in the fun. In this classic "battle of the sexes" when women wear trousers and men don dresses, everyone comes out on top!

Tickets also sold on the door a half hour before performance.
To book call: 0117 929 008 or www.bristolticketshop.co.uk

Twelfth Night

Lord Chamberlain's Men
18 July 7.30pm
Queens Square
Join The Lord Chamberlain's Men for Twelfth Night , following last years hugely popular Much Ado About Nothing . Commissioned by Elizabeth I to celebrate Twelfth Night, the play is one of Shakespeare's funniest and most popular comedies, with plenty of cross-dressing, mistaken identity and deserved comeuppance all round. This is the perfect opportunity to see Shakespeare performed in the way the Bard first envisioned them...with an all-male cast!

Ticket prices: £14.50 Adult/£8.50 Children
To book call: 0117 9020344

Iago

Bristol Shakespeare Festival Company
20 - 23, 26 - 29 July
Upstairs at The Lansdown
Holed up in an underground cell in Venice, Iago recounts his treacherous acts and the tragic ends to which he led his victims. Filtering the voices of the other characters of the play - from the foolish pawn Roderigo to the noble yet beguiled Othello - through Iago's consciousness, the Bristol Shakespeare's first Festival production explores the psyche of the man who powers the plot of one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. 

Ticket prices: £5
To book call: 07909 502 906

Much Ado About Nothing

Echolade
23 - 25 July 7.30pm (Matinee: Saturday 2.30pm)
Alma Tavern Theatre
A classic romantic comedy about two young couples and who discover their first love.
Echolade Productions presents a fresh, youthful take on this classic text, bringing the wit of Beatrice and timidity of Hero to the magical setting of a secret garden. Directed and produced by current drama students of the University of Bristol, this production bodes to be the perfect summer experience for the whole family to enjoy. A beautiful, witty, and passionate look at true love.

Ticket prices: £6 Adult/£4 Conc
To book call: 0117 946 7899 or www.almataverntheatre.co.uk

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Illyria
30 July 7.30pm (Gates Open at 7pm)
Bristol Zoo Gardens
Award-winning outdoor theatre company Illyria return to Bristol Zoo on Thursday 30th July with their latest performance, A Midsummer Night's Dream . Performed with a magical twist, Illyria's production of this perennial Shakespeare favourite is passionate, poetic and very very funny. Please bring rugs as there is limited seating. Refreshments and snacks available. Suitable for all ages 8+.

Ticket prices: £13 Adult/£6 Children/£32 Family
Ticket prices on the door: £15 Adult/£7 Child
Discounts available for Zoo members. Performance in support of Bristol Zoos conservation work.
To book call: 0117 974 7300 or www.bristolzoo.org.uk