Festival players perform in Poulton (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Festival players perform in Poulton

THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE-based Festival Players, now one of the country's most popular touring theatre companies, will be back in the lovely gardens of Poulton House, near Cirencester on Saturday, June 4, with their production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

A departure from previous productions is that this is an all-male cast and, although it may raise some eyebrows, anyone who knows anything about the Bard is aware that all parts were played by men when he wrote his plays.

"This is the way Shakespearean plays were traditionally performed so, although it may seem unusual today to have no female players, it is in fact totally authentic," said director Michael Dyer.

As always, the play, which relies heavily on the musical content, has music specially composed by resident musical director and well-known Cotswold singer/songwriter Johnny Coppin, whose work evokes a sense of time and place second to none.

The Festival Players will stage more than 60 performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream throughout England, Scotland and Wales during June, July and August and will also take the tour to Berlin.

But should you miss the performance at Poulton, the Festival Players will be at Beaudesert School, Minchinhampton on June 16, at Evenlode, near Moreton-in-March on June 18, at Maisemore Court, near Gloucester on June 25, at Flaxley Abbey in the Forest of Dean on June 26, at Frampton Manor, Gloucester on June 28/29 and at St Peter's Grange, Prinknash Abbey grounds, near Gloucester on June 30 - and that's only in June.

See The Standard's The List for further local performances.

More information from www.thefestivalplayers.co.uk