Picnics, camping chairs and sun cream (or rain macs…) at the ready – there’s an excellent line-up of outdoor theatre and music to enjoy in Bath this summer.
Twelfth Night at American Museum & Gardens (12 June)
Join The Lord Chamberlain's Men for Shakespeare's greatest romantic comedy at the American Museum & Gardens on the outskirts of Bath, and enjoy a summer's evening of outdoor theatre in spectacular gardens with valley views.
Sense and Sensibility at The Bishop's Palace and Gardens (2 July)
Enjoy a funny and fast-paced new adaptation from the critically acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company features with live music, audience interaction, romance, and heartbreak. You're also welcome to bring your own picnic!
Garden Theatre Festival (2 - 20 July)
The Holburne Museum’s picturesque garden will be transformed into an open-air theatre for the fifth edition of this family-friendly theatre festival. This year, there'll be adaptations of Romeo & Juliet and Pride and Prejudice. This year sees the addition of cover seating, so make sure you book early to guarantee a seat!
Image: Garden Theatre Festival
Twelfth Night at The Bishop's Palace and Gardens (20 July)
Watch this joyous romantic comedy as Shakespeare himself first saw it – in the open air, with an all male cast and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance. The magnificent grounds of The Bishop's Palace in Wells provide the picturesque backdrop.
Sense & Sensibility at American Museum & Gardens (25 July)
Bring your own seats or a blanket for this lawn performance of Jane Austen's classic novel of scandals, scoundrels and severely sprained ankles. Drinks and snacks will be available to purchase from the American Garden Deli.
Image: American Museum and Gardens
Twelfth Night at Dyrham Park (25 - 26 July)
Romantic confusion, mistaken identity, practical jokes and riotous disorder abounds in Shakespeare’s hilarious and lyrical romantic comedy about love. Watch this outdoor performance in the beautiful surrounds of National Trust property Dyrham Park.
Wind in the Willows at American Museum & Gardens (2 August)
Pack your picnics and join Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime culminating in a colourful battle to save Toad Hall from the mischievous weasels! Expect an evening with plenty of audience interaction, colourful costumes, toe-tapping music, and larger-than-life characters. This family show is recommended for ages 4+.
Image: The Wind in the Willows at American Museum
HMS Pinafore at The Bishop's Palace and Gardens (2 August)
Set on board the warship HMS Pinafore, this comic opera cheerfully mocks such Great British institutions as class, patriotism and the Royal Navy.
Emma at Bowood House & Gardens (2 August)
There's more open-air fun at Bowood House & Gardens in August, where you can celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Jane Austen's birth with this classic tale of romance, rivalries, regrets and lessons in love.
Image: Bowood House
If Opera's 2025 Season (7 - 17 August)
Head along for another spectacular season of shows in the beautiful grounds of Church Farm in Wiltshire. Verdi’s Rigoletto will be the centrepiece of the season, alongside Simon Butteriss’ interpretation of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. You can also enjoy a Baroque double bill of Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Carissimi’s Historia Jonae, the tale of Jonah and The Whale, as well as the annual Picnic Prom.
Image: If Opera
A Midsummer Night's Dream at Bath Abbey (8 - 29 August)
See the historic Bath Abbey transformed into a mystical woodland this summer for an extra special promenade production. Wander beneath the Abbey's soaring arches, reimagined as a shimmering forest canopy, and journey through hidden corners as fairies scheme, lovers quarrel and mischief unfolds...
Farmyard Circus Family Festival at Beckford's Tower (10 August)
Prepare for a family-friendly circus spectacle this August, featuring astonishing acrobatics and juggling using hay bales, wheelbarrows and even an old tractor tyre!
The Most Perilous Comedie of Elizabeth I at The Bishop's Palace and Gardens (13 August)
The Three Inch Fools present a largely historical, always hysterical, brand-new Tudor comedie. Will this Tudor musical romp, in which Good Queen Bess takes to the stage herself, be the making of this heroine or spell the beginning of her downfall?
Image: Bishop's Palace and Gardens
Macbeth at Bowood House & Gardens (15 August)
Watch a bold interpretation of this dark tale of ambition, murder, and madness, with a cast of six industry leading actors.
Hamlet at The Bishop's Palace and Gardens (3 September)
The Pantaloons tackle Shakespeare's greatest tragedy in their own anarchic style. When he discovers that his uncle has murdered his father, married his mother and traitorously taken the crown of Denmark there's only one course of action for Hamlet: feign madness, frequently monologue and take swift revenge. But outrageous fortune has other plans for the poor Prince of Denmark…
More ways to spend #SummerInBath:
Related
Bowood House & Gardens is the home to the Lansdowne family. Bowood offers a fantastic day out in Wiltshire for all the family. Famous for one of the UK’s most extensive Adventure Playgrounds, children are guaranteed the time of their lives.
Dyrham Park is nestled in 270 acres of ancient parkland filled with magnificent trees and breathtaking views over to Wales. Inside the house, visitors can get a flavour of 17th-century life while the garden includes formal borders, ponds and an orchard.
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