Brownsea Open Air Theatre
Coordinates: 50°44′24″N 1°54′50″W / 50.740°N 1.914°W
Brownsea Open Air Theatre (commonly abbreviated B.O.A.T) is an open-air Shakespearian theatre company based in Poole, Dorset that have performed large theatrical productions since 1964. Annually performing a play from the extensive works of William Shakespeare for three weeks in July and August, the production is set on the National Trust's Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour with boats transporting patrons to the island from Poole Quay.
Recent productions include The Merchant of Venice, All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Hamlet and The Taming Of The Shrew. The 48th season will be celebrated with Julius Caesar .
For a single season B.O.A.T Ashore was established in 2006 when the company's committee agreed that a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (in Shakespeare's original words) could be produced under the B.O.A.T banner on the mainland, as B.O.A.T Ashore. The production ran in early 2007 throughout Dorset.
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[edit] Critical acclaim
B.O.A.T receive excellent national and regional coverage, and have been featured in The Guardian as one of the UK's Top 10 Open Air Theatre Venues, listed second to the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Cornwall.[1]
In 2009 B.O.A.T was included in Debrett's list of the top five things to do in England[2]
[edit] Productions
- 1964 The Tempest
- 1965 A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 1966 Twelfth Night
- 1967 As You Like It
- 1968 The Taming of The Shrew
- 1969 Romeo and Juliet
- 1970 The Merchant of Venice
- 1971 Henry V
- 1972 Much Ado About Nothing
- 1973 The Winter's Tale
- 1974 The Merry Wives of Windsor
- 1975 Twelfth Night
- 1976 Macbeth
- 1977 A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 1978 A Man for All Seasons
- 1979 The Merchant of Venice
- 1980 The Queen and the Welshman, The Tempest
- 1981 As You Like It
- 1982 Love's Labour's Lost
- 1983 Becket
- 1984 The Taming of The Shrew
- 1985 A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 1986 Twelfth Night
- 1987 The Comedy of Errors
- 1988 The Tempest
- 1989 The Merry Wives of Windsor
- 1990 Romeo and Juliet
- 1991 Much Ado About Nothing
- 1992 Othello
- 1993 The Merchant of Venice
- 1994 The Winter's Tale
- 1995 Richard III
- 1996 The Taming of The Shrew
- 1997 Macbeth
- 1998 As You Like It
- 1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 2000 The Tempest
- 2001 Twelfth Night
- 2002 King Lear
- 2003 Romeo and Juliet
- 2004 Merry Wives of Windsor
- 2005 Measure for Measure
- 2006 Much Ado about Nothing
- 2007 All's Well That Ends Well, Romeo and Juliet (as B.O.A.T Ashore)
- 2008 The Merchant of Venice
- 2009 Hamlet
- 2010 The Taming of the Shrew
In April 2009, in preparation for their 50th year, Brownsea Open Air Theatre announced their lineup of productions up to the 2013 season. In order to celebrate 50 years of Shakespeare on Brownsea two productions will be performed in 2013; A Midsummer Night's Dream and Pericles.[3]
- 2011 Julius Caesar (currently in production)
- 2012 Love's Labour's Lost
- 2013 A Midsummer Night's Dream / Pericles
[edit] Former B.O.A.T members
Former members of Brownsea Open Air Theatre who went on to appear in film, stage and/or television include the following:
- Christopher Mellows, an actor in Silent Witness, Midsomer Murders and Foyle's War.
- Rebecca Night, played the title role in the BBC adaptation of Fanny Hill, broadcast in October 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ "Top-10 Open Air Venues.". The Guardian. July 2007. http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/jul/14/beach.uk33. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
- ^ "Debrett's - The Social Season.". Debrett's. 2009. http://www.debretts.com/social-season/brownsea-festival.aspx.
- ^ "BOAT announces future plans". Brownsea Open Air Theatre. April 2009. http://brownsea-theatre.co.uk/news.php?id=66. Retrieved 2009-04-14.[dead link]
