"The numerous children in the audience seemed to be laughing as much as the rest of us. Perhaps the actors played up to the younger ones on the front row once or twice. making the play accessible to all can only be a good thing" - BBC
The Oxford Shakespeare Company, founded in 2001, took over from the well respected bold & saucy theatre company who started their summer residency at Wadham College in 1992 thereby making the college Oxford's longest standing, professional, open air theatre venue. Since we are unfunded the company produces all its work from box office sales, the support of its audience and business Friends and much volunteer assistance.
A young company with a rapidly growing reputation, we specialise in open air event theatre. This means that we use the environment directly to create the world of the play for both actors and audience. We do not use fixed or tiered seating, complicated sets or raised stages which separate the audience from the action.
A strong emphasis on physical expression and stunning costumes make our shows accessible to foreign visitors and those coming to classical theatre for the first time. It is our policy to perform engaging and intimate productions, not only of Shakespeare, but also other classical plays which are rarely seen in an open air setting. Audiences have always been welcome to come early to enjoy the surroundings and picnic with family and friends.
Over the years we have performed at a number of other exceptional venues. These include the private estate of Cornbury Park, Charlbury; Waterperry Gardens; the National Trusts 600 year old coaching Inn, the King's Head in Aylesbury; the gardens of Barnsley House Hotel, Cirencester; Wolfson College Oxford and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Lincoln's Inn, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace.
We attract a very broad audience, in terms of age and nationality, from both the local and tourist communities.
Between our 2002 and 2003 seasons our Oxford audiences increased by 38%. Combined with our shorter run in Lincoln's Inn, London over 7,500 people saw our shows during July and August. Our first ever London production was twice awarded Time Out Critic's Choice and despite the wettest summer on record in 2004 all the shows received outstanding reviews and London audiences continued to grow. Please continue through the site to find out more about the productions, venues, educational workshops, corporate entertaining and roleplay, and partner opportunities.
The particular nature of open air theatre can be one of the most liberating of theatrical experiences for actor and audience alike. Stripped of cumbersome and inflexible sets the actor will invite the audience to create with him the world of the play without ever having to resort to a piece of imported scenery. If he believes he is there so will we. The seating for each play is situated in a different area of the gardens but the playing area itself is never truly fixed as the action moves in and around the audience transforming them into actual members of the world of the play.
The natural elements of sun, wind and rain play their parts as does the light ever changing as the season progresses. Often it is unexpected combinations of factors, such as thunder and lightning - but no rain, followed by perfectly timed chiming church bells (Dr Faustus, 2002), or a blazing Mediterranean sun and butterflies following the actor (Much Ado About Nothing, 2002), that create a theatrical magic that could only ever happen in the open air.
This aspect of our artistic policy has been consistently recognised by critics and audience members: And it's lovely. Shakespeare al fresco and thought through, not with any great slathering of philosophy, but as an actor's play, as entertainment. The company claims that they work with their outdoor settings for best effect and if their production of The Winter's Tale is anything to go by then it is not an over-inflated claim. Unlike some of the outdoor productions to be seen in and around Oxford in the summer months, the Oxford Shakespeare Company's production reaps many benefits from its open air setting. One of the most ghostly "Winter's Tales" I've ever seen. There's something pleasingly eerie about the experience of sitting outside as night falls. While actors hover spectrally behind your seat awaiting their next entrance.
