The Bard under the stars with Peterborough's Mask Theatre

For one week only, they will offer up their unique interpretation of Shakespeare’s comic masterpiece Twelfth Night by the light of the stars and the swimming pool.

In this classic tale of unrequited love and mistaken identity, twins Viola and Sebastian find themselves separated in a foreign land when their ship wrecks off its coast. Disguised as Cesario, Viola falls in love with Orsino, who dotes on Olivia, who in turn only has eyes for Cesario while all the time idolised by Malvolio. Cue riotous moments of laugh out loud comedy as these characters collide- often quite literally!

Throw in a healthy dose of trickery, wooing and the odd duel and you have the recipe for a perfect summer’s evening.

Director Tim Bold says he intends to make full use of the unique venue: “Last year we took a leap in moving to this new venue and it paid off. The Lido setting was adored by audiences, many of whom hadn’t visited since they were children, if ever. It’s the perfect backdrop for a story that starts at sea.’

New for 2024 is the offer of a combined show and swim ticket which will enable intrepid audience members to take a moonlight dip in the pool after they’ve enjoyed the performance at a discounted rate. Peterborough Mask Chair Hannah Drury is excited by the potential. “We’ve had several inquiries about whether the pool will be incorporated into the production,” she says. “While we may not have gone that far, those joining us on July 12th will get the chance to use the facilities as well as see a fantastic piece of theatre under a canopy of stars.”

Twelfth Night will run nightly from July 9th-13th, with tickets available from www.masktheatre.co.uk from May 1st. There is a 10% discount available when you use the code EARLYBIRD before May 16th.