Chapterhouse, one of Britain’s best known outdoor theatre companies, is back on the road

'WORTH catching them whatever the show, wherever they go," The Northern Echo recommended after the 2015 visit of theatre group Chapterhouse.

And the good news for lovers of outdoor theatre is that the troupe are returning to the North-East this summer as part of an open-air garden theatre tour of the UK.

Each year, Chapterhouse visits beautiful castles, country estates and heritage sites with adaptations of literature’s most loved stories. Where audiences are invited to bring along a rug and a picnic, with maybe a tipple or two to wash it all down, for a wonderful evening out with family and friends.

Venues on this summer's schedule include Beamish Hall Hotel and Wharton Park, in County Durham, Tynemouth Castle and Priory, Souter Lighthouse and Gibside Priory, on Tyneside, and Warkworth Castle and Belsay Hall, in Northumberland.

As well as celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s death with the revival of their critically acclaimed production of Pride and Prejudice, Chapterhouse will be touring with a whole host of literature’s best loved classics including brand new productions of Great Expectations and Peter Pan.

Chapterhouse is now in its 18th year of touring open-air theatre to stunning country houses, castles and heritage sites all overt the UK and Ireland. From the first year of performances at some 30 venues with Romeo and Juliet in 2000, Chapterhouse now visits over 170 venues every year, and has become a greatly anticipated addition to thousands of theatre-goers’ calendars.

Over the years, Chapterhouse has established itself as one of the most successful and critically acclaimed touring companies in the country, travelling with adaptations of literature’s most celebrated writers, including William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen and works by the Brontë sisters. The company is now organising its fourth national tour of China. This follows three hugely successful ventures, with The Jungle Book, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and most recently, Wuthering Heights.

In 2016, Chapterhouse also made a return to winter touring with its brand-new adaptation of A Christmas Carol. The show performed to sell-out audiences at theatres and handpicked venues up and down the country, including three performances at The British Museum, where the show became the first theatrical presentation of its magnitude to be performed.

Chapterhouse’s 2017 summer season is set to be one of the most wonderful yet, with a special revival of Pride and Prejudice to mark the 200th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. The show, that was first adapted by Laura Tuner in 2010, has been performed to many sell-out audiences including over 3,000 people at Chatsworth House. Now, audiences are being given another chance to see this beautiful romantic comedy alongside fellow returning favourites, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Eyre and The Wind in the Willows.

Chapterhouse is also once again helping raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. 2017’s all-new production of Peter Pan is a fresh reworking of last year’s performance of the same name, but with all the family fun left in.

North-East dates are:

Tyne and Wear

Beamish Hall Hotel. The Wind in the Willows. Sunday, June 18.

Gibside. Pride and Prejudice. Thursday, July 6.

Souter Lighthouse. The Wind in the Willows. Sunday, July 16.

Tynemouth Castle & Priory. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Thursday, August 17.

Wharton Park. Peter Pan. Friday, August 18.

Souter Lighthouse. Peter Pan. Saturday, August 19.

Gibside. The Wind in the Willows. Wednesday, August 23.

Durham

Gala Theatre. Great Expectations. Wednesday, July 5 (Indoor event)

Northumberland

Warkworth Castle. Peter Pan. Sunday, July 23.

Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens. Jane Eyre. Tuesday, August 8.

Warkworth Castle. Pride and Prejudice. Thursday, August 24.

  • For tickets, go to the website www.chapterhouse.org