Cygnet Theatre's recipe for summer

If music be the food of love… These famous lines from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night give a flavour of Cygnet’s Summer season.

The theatre has much on the menu to tempt you:

Wren Music are bringing five much loved West Country folk musicians James Findlay and Solaference to Cygnet Theatre on 23 May and Jonny Dyer and Vicki Swan with Marilyn Ticker and Paul Wilson on 13 June.

The main course on offer is Shakespeare’s Classic comedy of wit and folly – Twelfth Night, served with renaissance style by director Jacquie Crago, which previews on 11 June and plays at Trebah Gardens in Cornwall and Poltimore House Gardens as well as at Cygnet Theatre.

For Summer dessert – what better than Strawberries in January a witty confection about love and romance – by Evelyne de la Cheneliere translated by leading Scottish playwright Rona Munro and played by Cygnet’s Graduating actors fresh from performances in London, directed by Anita Parry.

The Children’s menu features Lewis Carroll’s popular classic Alice Through the Looking Glass, directed by Alistair Ganley, and dressed in bright costumes designed from Tenniel’s much loved illustrations, and made by Katherine Kingsford who adapted Alice for performance.

For those with exotic tastes Exeter’s IGNITE festival, 2-7 June, furnishes a flambé of delights from seven visiting companies ranging from new writing, dance and devised pieces, verbatim theatre and classics like Shakespeare’s Tempest and Hamlet in new treatments. A feature of the festival is true stories of strong women – courageous accounts of women’s struggles to overcome violence and discrimination, including a residency by Angel Exit Theatre Company who bring vividly to life the Ballad of Martha Brown the last woman publicly hanged in Dorset.

Cygnet offers a summer repertory season, starting with a welcome return to Cygnet Theatre of Alistair Ganley’s highly acclaimed production of Polly Teale’s striking adaptation of Jane Eyre on 25 and 26 June, and runs all other plays in repertory until 19th July, concluding with a week of open air performances at Poltimore House.

For more details please see the new summer brochure, ring 01392 277189 or look at the website www.cygnettheatre.co.uk