One of the joys of summer in Oxford and the surrounding area is that audiences are treated to a wealth of open air theatre and cinema, and this year is no different.
Daily Info have collected together some of the best that you can check out, as well as a new venue that is bringing some gems to the heart of the Cotswolds and is only a short drive from the city centre.
Theatre
A popular choice for touring companies, Cogges Manor has a pair of performances that may take your fancy. Over the past thirty years Illyria Theatre Company have proved to be some of the finest outdoor performers, and bring their version of The Pirates of Penzance to the farm. You can also catch a spot of Shakespeare with Buttercross Theatre’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
Shakespeare is a mainstaple of summer outdoor theatre and there are a few options for fans of the Bard to go with. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men are at Waddeson Manor with a more traditional (all-male cast, Elizabethan costumes, music and dance) take on As You Like It. The Blewbury Players will be performing at the gorgeous Orchard Dene Garden Theatre, a perfect location for Much Ado About Nothing. And Half Cut Theatre return with another rambunctious take on the writer's work, touring Much Ado About Nothing to The Isis Farmhouse and The Plough Inn in Long Wittenham.
Of course, the big titans of the Oxford theatre scene are Oxford Theatre Guild and the Oxford Shakespeare Festival and both have exciting summer plans. OTG will be back at University Park, this time with Shakespeare’s final proper play, The Tempest. And a trio of productions will be at the Oxford Castle & Prison, mixing tragedy, Hamlet and King Lear, with comedy in the form of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Part of the charm of outdoor theatre is the location of it and few are as resplendent in their beauty as Waterperry Gardens. Their summer is packed with productions, including the charming looking The Reluctant Dragon, The Lord Chamberlain’s As You Like It, an aptly chosen take on The Secret Garden, fairy tale fun in the form of Rapunzel and swashbuckling romp The Three Musketeers. All these build towards the Waterperry Opera Festival, which returns for its fifth year with eight days of new shows and returning productions.
Opera can be found in Henley with Ilyria Theatre’s productions of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance part of the Kenton Theatre’s Roadshow. This festival of theatre also includes light-hearted productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Catch That Beast!, Mansfield Park & Ride and Rapunzel. Mansfield Park & Ride can also be seen at Dorchester Abbey.
Cinema
Summer Screens dominate the summer open air cinema game, landing at venues across the country. For Oxford residents you’ve got Millets Farm near Abingon or Waterperry Gardens. Each are showing the latest version of West Side Story and both have films to cater to various cinematic tastes. Millets Farm are showing 80s vampire cult gem The Lost Boys, Disney’s latest animated titan Encanto and the ever-popular Abba musical Mamma Mia!, whilst Waterperry Gardens are showing the bizarely beloved rom-com Pretty Woman and black and white Oscar contender Belfast.
Over at Waddesdon Manor, Luna Cinema bring a trio of musicals (Moulin Rouge!, West Side Story, Rocky Horror Picture Show) with the latest (and Daniel Craig’s final entry) James Bond, No Time To Die sandwiched between them.
Picturehouses’ season of open air cinema returns after several year absent, taking residence at Mill Meadows in Henley, with perhaps the best line-up of the season with 80s sci-fi comedy Back to the Future, a sing-a-long screening of Grease and a perfect film in the form of Singin’ in the Rain (a cinematic bundle of joy).
Back to the Future can also be seen in Didcot, with the Alfresco Film Company also showing the cracking Elton John musical Rocketman getting an open air showing.
And finally Banbury Hill Farm, across one weekend, are bringing all the big films of the last few years, with a line-up of Bohemian Rhapsody, Encanto, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Sing 2 and No Time to Die.
A new open air venue
A new venue, Ampitheatre in Berrybank Park, is opening in the heart of the Cotswolds, bringing open air music, theatre, film and comedy throughout the summer. Starting with Shakespeare’s Globes latest production of Juluis Caesar (also at Magdalen College School) the venue has the likes of The Handlebards’ Twelfth Night, Opera Anywhere’s The Pirates of Penzance and Illyria’s Peter Pan paying a visit. Other exciting productions include a two-hander The Importance of Being Earnest and an adaption of David McKee’s Elmer’s Walk.
On the comedy side of things, you can see the likes of Marcus Brigstocke, Jen Brister and Shaparak Khorsandi, as well as open air screenings of The Grand Budapest Hotel and Paddington 2. Plus there are a range of concerts and operas to enjoy, with a grand finale of a Picinic in the Park Proms and Fireworks.