Category: Past Shows

A corrupt court and at its centre, poised on a knife edge where conscience meets revenge, is Hamlet. Exhorted by his murdered father to take revenge upon his uncle, Hamlet seeks a way through a cabal of intrigue and deception. In his attempt to expose the truth and see justice done, the lines between reason and…

PSF was thrilled to continue its commitment to new writing with the world premiere of Abyss, a play by Associate Playwright, Laura Turner. Inspired by the painting “Ophelia Drowning” by John Everett Millais, Abyss tells the story of a young woman struggling with grief and was the perfect companion piece to Hamlet in 2019. Abyss blended…

We took you on a cinematic, exhilarating ride as captains and kings, heroes and cowards, lords, ladies and low-lifes switched between palaces, camps and battlefields.   To coincide with the centenary of the end of World War I, Shakespeare’s play about war moved to the twentieth century battlefields of France exploring the glory, the horror, the…

Laura Turner’s quirky adaptation had audiences rolling in the aisles during its sell-out runs at Bedales and at Winchester Theatre Royal.  Set in ‘The Shrew’s Tavern’, a pub locked in the 1980s, somewhere to the North of Watford, family and friends gathered to celebrate a marriage with a surprise performance of the bride’s favourite play.…

One of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies with the most witty and wise-cracking heroine of them all, As You Like It was transformed into a bold new production by Jake Smith and Chris Cuming. PSF2017 blended the magic of British music festivals with an al-fresco production of “As You Like It.” The play was set in…

Fresh from its premiere at The Rose, Bankside, and inspired by the theory that the character of Caliban may have been informed by legends of creatures that haunt the Lincolnshire wetlands, “The Buried Moon” is an exploration and reimagining of the Miranda/Caliban dynamic set in the fen communities of today. A young woman is struggling…

This piece was one PSF’s first ventures into new writing inspired by Shakespeare, exploring his influence on our modern world. Double “Will” presented two brand-new plays: Shakespeare’s Lost Women by Greg Mosse and The Buried Moon by Laura Turner. The former takes the stories of some of the Bard’s forgotten female characters, often plot drivers,…

The centrepiece of our 2016 Festival was Shakespeare’s final and most mysterious play, The Tempest. It was a wonderful piece to present at the enchanting Sotherington Barn, and was brimming with events to stimulate the imagination. The play started with a spectacular storm scene following which the themes of power, betrayal, revenge, and reconciliation were…