The Outdoor Theatre Season

Head on over to Nottingham this summer for some superb performances in stunning locations. You can see performances from Shakespeare, Dick King Smith to Gilbert and Sullivan. Sit back and enjoy outstanding entertainment during the light summer evenings in Nottingham's beautiful heritage sites.

Ticket Prices

£14 Adults
£10 Under 16s, Over 60s & Students
£40 Family Ticket Maximum 2 adults & 2 children (except family performances marked with * which are 2 adults & 3 children)
Under 5's free

Please be advised that performances go ahead in all weathers and there is no shelter provided.

Performances at Nottingham Castle

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Thursday 20 - Friday 21 June 7pm
Chapterhouse Theatre Company presents Shakespeare's best-loved romantic comedy. Let yourself be whisked away on a thrilling journey to the most magical of forests and meet star-crossed lovers, playful fairies and raucous travelling players. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Comedy of Errors
Friday 5 - Saturday 6 July 7pm
A servant & master from far off Syracuse arrive in Ephesus in search of their long-lost twin brothers. In no time at all they are trapped in a terrifying chain of chaotic events.
Tormented by a wild wife, a moody mistress, challenged by a crazy jeweller & damned by a demonic doctor the terrified twosome run headlong into a climactic happy ending which defies all probability.
A summer Turkish delight not to be missed! Performed by Oddsocks. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Romeo & Juliet
Saturday 13 - Sunday 14 July 7pm
Grab your camera, sunglasses and guidebook and join Heartbreak Productions on an epic trip of a lifetime... first stop, a hot, steamy piazza in Verona and a monumental love story. Two innocent young lovers fall victim to family hatred and cruel destiny - as the heat rises and fervour mounts, power, passion and politics all play their part in this extraordinary tale as it cascades towards its agonizing and iconic end.
Thrills and dynamism, masks, dance, blades, potions and poetry - Heartbreak's inimitable storytelling style infuses a modern twist but maintains all the intensity of this legendary tale, creating a unique and compelling performance to move and engage audiences as they watch this riveting romance played out under sultry Italian skies. Performed by Heartbreak Productions. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Sense & Sensibility
Thursday 25 July 7pm
Join Chapterhouse Theatre Company this summer for an evening of Regency wonderment as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood make their first forays into the exquisite world of eighteenth-century society. Bring a picnic along with family and friends and follow the sisters as they find their path and lose their hearts under a beautiful summer sky in their quest to find the perfect balance of sense and sensibility Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Pride & Prejudice
Friday 26 July 7pm
Take a step back in time with Chapterhouse Theatre Company to meet Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters. Whilst her mother tries determinedly to pair her off with the detestable Mr Collins, Elizabeth meets by the rude and abrupt Mr Darcy. Is there more to him than meets the eye? Join family and friends for what promises to be the most splendid evening of the summer as you picnic under a beautiful summer sky and revel in this most renowned of love stories. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Sherlock Holmes
Wednesday 14 August 7pm
How can one open-air show with just four actors possibly contain so much action and adventure? Elementary, my dear! The critically-acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company put dynamic detective duo Holmes and Watson through their paces as they tackle their most fiendish case yet in this delightfully inventive and hilarious show for all ages featuring live music, audience interaction and more mystery than you can shake a magnifying glass at. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it! Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Wind in the Willows
Sunday 25 - Monday 26 August 6.30pm*
Join Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad for a perfect summer of adventure. What starts as a search for the best picnic spot rapidly turns into the most hilarious of escapades. With the bumptious Toad's heart set on a shiny new motorcar and his very liberty soon at stake, will his faithful friends come to his rescue - and will he let them? Alive with music, song and dance, this magical family show is presented in beautiful traditional costume and features a woodland parade during the interval for everyone to join in with! Fun and frolics aplenty with this glorious new adaptation of the classic novel loved by children and adults alike, performed by Chapterhouse Theatre Company. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Performances at Wollaton Hall

Treasure Island
Thursday 1 - Friday 2 August 6pm*
Take your family on a merry romp to the sunny Caribbee' with Cambridge Touring Theatre's swashbuckling musical adaptation of Treasure Island.
Join our two young heroes - Jim & Ruth - as they find a treasure map and set sail for adventure. Suitable for all ages, this open-air performance is interactive, full of laughs & catchy tunes. Picnic on the grass with the whole family - there's something for everyone in Cambridge Touring Theatre's acclaimed productions. Boys & girls are invited to come along in their best pirate fashion and have a photo taken with members of the cast. And for those aged 5-10, there's the chance to join a Treasure Island workshop before the show. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets
(Children's workshop 4.30-6pm £3. Tickets can be booked through main Wollaton site)

Twelfth Night
Saturday 17 - Sunday 18 August 7pm
Ahoy there to a brand new production of Shakespeare's comic tale of shipwrecks, sea storms and mistaken identity. Unforgettably larger than life characters, a whole host of playful pranks and the sound of enchanting music come together to create the perfect evening of romance and laughter. Join family and friends for this magical love story performed by Chapterhouse Theatre Company. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Sherlock Holmes & the Hound of the Baskervilles
Friday 23 - Saturday 24 August 7pm
In the lonely wasteland of the desolate Devon moors, something evil is afoot. When death stalks the Baskerville family, legend and superstition collide with the most heinous of crimes. On the moor nobody is safe, not even the bravest of men. Join Chapterhouse to meet the world's most famous of detectives, Sherlock Holmes himself, as he is called upon to solve the greatest mystery of all time...that of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Bring a picnic and your best detective skills for an unforgettable evening of theatre, mystery and suspense under the stars. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Performances at Newstead Abbey

As You Like It
Sunday 30 June 7pm
Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, falls in love with Orlando at a wrestling match, but her usurping uncle, jealous of her popularity, banishes her from court. Disguised as a boy she seeks out her father & his friends in the Forest of Arden. Here she meets Orlando again and, under the guise of a young man, councils him in the art of love. Performed by Lord Chamberlain's Men. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets


The Mikado
Thursday 18 - Friday 19 July 7pm
In 2011 Illyria raised the bar for the major UK open-air touring theatre companies by becoming the first & only one to add Opera to its regular season.
In the town of Titipu flirting has been made illegal. The penalty is death. Too bad then that the main culprit is the Lord High Executioner Ko-Ko, who wishes to marry his beautiful young ward Yum-Yum, and who has no intention of executing himself. So when Nanki-Pu arrives in Titipu and declares his love for Yum-Yum, Ko-ko has the perfect candidate for execution. Except that Yum-Yum, by tradition, would have to be executed with Nanki-Pu. And Nanki-Pu turns out to be the Mikado's own son. And the Mikado himself is about to arrive on a state visit to Titipu....
This wonderful comic opera, although set in Japan, is very much a parody of British politics, institutions and public life - and although written in the 19th century is surprisingly relevant in the 21st! It gets the complete Illyria treatment, faithfully performed by a reduced cast and accompanied by a Musical Director on keyboard. Suitable for all ages. Book Tickets

Babe The Sheep Pig
Thursday 8 - Friday 9 August 6.30pm*
Farmer Hoggett wins a piglet at the fair - and everyone knows what fate awaits piglets raised on a farm. Adopted by Fly the sheepdog, Babe develops his own methods of herding sheep using politeness instead of barking orders, and even saves the flock from being stolen by sheep rustlers. But Farmer Hoggett is a hard man to please - so when Babe is entered for the county sheep dog trials he is going to need Fly's help, all his wits, and as much politeness as he can muster if he is going to get the sheep to co-operate, win the trials, and save his life. Suitable for all ages. Performed by Illyria. Book Tickets

As You Like It
Friday 16 August 7pm
No other touring open-air theatre company has performed so many different Shakespeare titles to so many people, winning so many awards, as Illyria. As You Like It is Shakespeare's ultimate romantic comedy. Four people each find their perfect soulmates in the Forest of Arden. One pair leap straight into bed, another are instantly struck by each other's beauty, the third tease each other endlessly - while the fourth enjoy a courtship that is so witty and playful that Love itself is stretched to the limit. But pitted against political intrigue, multiple disguises & overwhelming cynicism, can even Love win through in the end...?
With its many pearls of wisdom, glittering repartee and gloriously happy ending this is not only one of Shakespeare's most popular plays but also the perfect comedy for a summer's evening. For authenticity the production is performed on a stage based on those used by 16th-century touring companies. Suitable for all ages.
Book Tickets