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When summer comes along, many of Nottinghamshire's best-loved heritage attractions play host to a variety of outdoor film and theatre performances. Along with popular films screened underneath the stars, during the early evening you can catch Shakespeare plays, delightful comedies and fun-filled children's theatre in the picturesque grounds of historic houses and country parks.
Rally your friends, grab a picnic blanket, bring along some delicious snacks and settle down for a relaxing and entertaining day.
Performances take place around the county until September. Here's our round-up of some of the highlights.
Enjoy the manicured gardens and beautiful ruins of Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of Romantic poet Lord Byron, before checking out the outdoor theatre lined up for July and August.
Take in magical evening Shakespeare performances, including Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, enjoy Jane Austen classics Pride & Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, or check out Pirates of Penzance and The Midnight Gang. For more information including dates, please click here.
Wollaton Hall and Deer Park is a spectacular Elizabethan mansion and park set in the heart of Nottingham and throughout June to September there are a variety of shows performed live against this stunning backdrop.
Starting with The Midnight Gang on Thursday 14 June, you can also see Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing, take a trip down the rabbit hole with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, or cheer on our local hero at The Adventures of Robin Hood. Conan Doyle fans will enjoy performances of The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, while Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is performed on Saturday 28 July, and family favourite Dr Dolittle is performed on Sunday 29 July. For more information including dates, please click here.
The Summer Nights Outdoor Film Festival also takes place in late August, with screenings of Wayne's World, It, The Greatest Showman, Beauty & the Beast, and of course, Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, which was filmed at Wollaton.
Just on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border, Hardwick Hall has stood in the beautiful landscaped countryside for hundreds of years and offers a fascinating history. Summer Nights Outdoor Film Festival at Hardwick Hall gives film fans the chance to watch classic films under the stars. On Friday 17 August, recent blockbuster The Greatest Showman will be screened while on Saturday 18 August watch Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in 80s classic Dirty Dancing.
Set in the centre of this picturesque town, the glorious Southwell Minster and its neighbouring ruin the Archbishop's Palace, are architectural and historical gems of north Nottinghamshire. Set within beautifully kept gardens, they once again will be an impressively grand backdrop for outdoor theatre this year.
Chapterhouse Productions bring their theatre troupe along throughout July and August, with performances including Robin Hood & His Merry Men on Wednesday 4 July, Romeo & Juliet on Friday 20 July, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on Thursday 2 August.
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Perched on a ridge high above the Vale of Scarsdale, on the site of a medieval fortress, Bolsover Castle is an extraordinary 17th-century aristocratic retreat.
This year they will have Chapterhouse Theatre Company performing Robin Hood & His Merry Men on Saturday 30 June. Inspired by folklore, myth and legend, this brand-new version of Robin’s notorious story is brought alive with traditional sword play, song, music, dance and stunning medieval costumes. On Thursday 9 August, go along to watch the well-loved classic Little Women, which features glorious period costume, traditional live music and a story of self-discovery to warm your heart.
Despite the grand mansions and beautiful parklands already mentioned, Creswell Crags is perhaps the most unique of all the venues for outdoor film and theatre this year. This limestone gorge pocketed with caves and surrounding a serene lake was the most northerly place that ice-age man visited in Europe, and many fascinating archaeological discoveries have been made in the area.
This year, bring along a picnic and take a trip into the surreal, with a performance of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Chapterhouse Theatre on Friday 10 August.
Nestled in the tranquil, rural countryside just outside of the city,
Holme Pierrepont Hall is a fascinating Tudor house which remains a family home. Along with stunning displays of snowdrops in February, tulips in spring and herbaceous borders in the summer, the house is host to exhibitions and events.
Set to be a tremendous summer evening of entertainment in the East Garden, the Festival Players Theatre Company present The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s tale of illusion and revenge is brought vividly to life in Oddsock’s musical sci-fi adaptation of The Tempest, filled with madcap aliens and space cowboys to bring a whole new twist to the classic. Coming to the rolling landscaped lawns of Thoresby Park on Sunday 17th June, sit beneath the grand backdrop of this grade I listed 19th-century country house and relax with a grand early evening of entertainment.
For more information about all summer events, including outdoor theatre, pop into the Nottingham Tourism Centre or call 08444 77 5678. Make sure you check out the What's On section of our website for further summer inspiration.
Number of results: 503
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Nottingham
Peacocks: The Pomp of Power presents a display of artworks and objects from the Nottingham City Museum and Art Galleries fine art, decorative art, lace, costume and textiles, and natural history collection. The selected works are inspired by the...
Nottingham
Join Madame Parboiled every Sunday for a tour through some of Nottingham City's Famous pubs. Learn about the history of these fascinating buildings and some of the guests who have died and just won't leave. She will also entertain you with stories...
off Fletcher Gate, Nottingham
Bored to death with the usual guided tours? Join Nottingham's resident ghost as he haunts the Lace Market and tells frightful tales of Guts & Gore.
Nottingham
Weekly pub quiz at Malt Cross - every Monday from 8:30pm - 11pm
We Malt Cross-ers are very proud of our popular pub quiz. Better arrive early to grab a good seat, a bite to eat and a drink but don't forget your thinking caps! Price is £1 per...
Nottingham
Experience Nottingham's historic caves for yourself, discovering the gruesome tales of Roger Mortimer, King David II of Scotland and life in Nottingham over the past 900 years
Nottingham
Every Tuesday at 2pm
Visitors to Trent Bridge can now get a guided tour of the world’s third oldest Test ground every Tuesday thanks to retail manager John Ellison and his tour assistant Alan Odell.
The tour, which costs just £4 for adults...
Nottingham
A guided exploration of the Malt Cross music hall and the old sandstone caves below.
Nottingham
Bromley House Library has operated continuously as an independent subscription library since 1816. The coming year continues with a programme of talks, events and gallery exhibitions, along with regular weekly tours.
Nottingham
Without doubt the most successful regular walking tour in Nottingham! "Fun yet strangely scary".
NOTTINGHAM
Charting the right to vote from the 13th century to the present day, this exhibition marks the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918
Ollerton,
An ongoing exhibition at the Queens Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum was launched to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War and explores the contribution made by local regiments during the conflict.
Worksop
Creswell Crags have brought together a range of images from the past 200 years which have been used to represent our Stone Age ancestors.
Southwell
In 2018 the National Trust is celebrating Women and Power to mark 100 years since the passing of the Representation of the People Act
Nottingham
This exhibition explores affinities with Romanticism in contemporary art practice, and the continuing fascination of the Landscape Sublime. Drawn to subjects such as mountains, glaciers, the icecaps, forests, the ocean, the moon and the remotest...
The Grand Tour Season Three takes you on a journey across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, experiencing the treasures of its museums and galleries.
BAKEWELL
For five hundred years people have carefully manipulated nature's materials and managed the elements to create the house, garden and park. In their latest exhibition, hear from these skilled men and women highlight the hidden corners of the house,...
WORKSOP
As part of The Grand Tour Season Three, ‘Half in Shadow: Half in Light’ reflects the life of the Welbeck estate now through a series of images within the lithophanes – these tell the stories of the contemporary life of the estate and those who live...
BAKEWELL
As part of The Grand Tour Season Three, the influential British artist Linder Sterling has been welcomed as the inaugural artist-in-residence at Chatsworth House.
Nottingham
The House of Fame is an ambitious exhibition conceived by Linder. At the heart of the presentation is a retrospective of the influential British artist and musician’s work, spanning more than 40 years of photomontage, graphics, costume and...
Newark
The period between 1618 and 1651 saw transformations both in the roles of soldiers and in how they armed themselves. No longer did they want to be weighed down by heavy armour; instead the focus shifted to new, more sophisticated weaponry that was...
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