Theatre News

Cambridge Touring Theatre Aims High and Wide

Anne Morley-Priestman

The hard-working Cambridge Touring Theatre company is throwing down a challenge with this year’s production for children. The story is Robin Hood – eat your heart out, Russell Crowe! – and your family can follow his greenwood adventures at a number of outside venues ranging from Marks Hall arboretum in Coggeshall to Wimpole Hall to the gardens of Winchester Cathedral between 13 June and 29 August.

Castle Hedingham, Hatfield House, Wimpole Hall, Waddeson Manor, Holkham Hall and Woburn Abbey are other noteworthy and appropriate places where you can see the show. It also visits the Latitude Festival on 16 July. Judging by previous productions from CTT, the storyline will be faithful to its origins but decorated sufficiently to keep a young audience fully involved.

A new feature this year is the introduction of 45 minute-long workshops preceding most of the performances. These introduce children to the characters in the story and involve them in the songs, dances and (of course) the fights. There is also the possibility to attend a drama skills workshop which will cover aspects of stage craft in greater detail, though this perhaps is for slightly older children.