People in Wirral are in for a theatrical treat next week, with a ‘magical’ woodland theatre set to open its doors in the borough.
The Hillbark Players are bringing their steampunk reimagining of Shakespeare classic, The Tempest, to Frankby’s Royden Park, with the company constructing a 510-seat theatre for the occasion. The Hillbark Players, founded in 1964, are the leading providers of open-air Shakespeare in the North West and return on Monday after a three-year absence owing to the pandemic.
The Tempest, which charts a tale of magic, betrayal and revenge, is thought to be one of the last plays that Shakespeare ever wrote. The production was postponed in 2021, and vice-chair of the Hillbark Players, Ruth Stenhouse, is delighted to finally be bringing the company’s quirky take on the bard’s classic play to Wirral.
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She told the ECHO: “We’re completely self-funding. We rely massively on ticket sales and so, as with everyone in the arts, it's been a really difficult journey over the last couple of years. Especially as we’re an amateur company, there has been some real trepidation about how we’re going to get back out there.
"Some people might not feel ready to be back in theatres, but we’ve decided to go for it. It’s been brilliant. It’s been so good to get back together and feel that creative collaboration. So we’re really looking forward to getting the audiences in next week.”
The production, directed by Martin Riley, has been given a steampunk twist, meaning that the costume and setting will combine historical elements with futuristic sci-fi features. At the heart of the reimagining is a desire to offer a fresh take on classic material and make Shakespeare as accessible as possible to a modern audience.
Ruth said: “Usually, The Tempest is set on a desert island but we’re giving it a sub-arctic twist which is going to make it look quite different. We like to mix it up a little bit.
“We pride ourselves on making the storytelling central to what we do. We want to make it as clear and accessible as possible, so a lot of our rehearsal process is about getting to the bottom of what it is we’re trying to say. The language is always going to be the same, but you can still tell a great story.”
The company describes the Hillbark experience as “magical”, and have been working alongside the five-star Hillbark Hotel and Royden Park cafe, North Shore Shack, to make their purpose-built venue as memorable as possible
Ruth said: “We do everything ourselves. Our stage manager, Gareth Cooper, is a local business owner. But he pulls together a team of people around him to build a 500-seater arena.
"What makes us a bit different to a lot of outdoor productions is that we actually build stands with seating so the audience are undercover. Even if it’s wet or a bit unpleasant, the audience are covered. We do have a bit of a joke with our actors that you’re not a real Hillbarker unless you’ve got wet on stage.”
She added: “They build the set down on a farm in Frankby and then the cast and crew bring it up in a big convoy and reconstruct it. It’s not just the stands, we call it Hillbark village because we have a VIP area and a bar provided by Hillbark Hotel who do so much for us.
"For the first time this year, North Shore Shack is going to be providing refreshments on site as well. It’s the full theatre experience. We have front of house staff, we sell programmes, we do everything you would expect in a normal theatre.”
The show runs from Monday, June 20 until Saturday, June 25, with evening performances beginning at 7:30pm and a 2:00pm matinee performance on Saturday.
You can book tickets by calling the box office at the Floral Pavilion Theatre on 0151 666 000 or by clicking here.
