New open-air theatre being built in Thorington – with season featuring Into the Woods and Shakespeare

A new theatre is being built in Thorington in Suffolk – offering scope for outdoor performances later this year.

Lindy O'Hare the owner of the land where a wooden amphitheatre is being built – inside an old bomb crater in the woodland, overseen by project manager and carpenter Silas Rayner. Construction began in the summer of 2020, using wood from the surrounding forests.

The theatre will seat an audience of approximately 350 people, with a ticket hut and wooden bar serving local wines, beers and juices. Wheelchair access will also be provided.

Programming will feature local school plays, theatre, opera and circus. According to the venue's website, shows being staged will include A Midsummer Night's Dream (beginning performances in June), Treasure Island, The Tempest, British Touring Theatre's Twelfth Night and The Hound of the Baskervilles as well as a one-day staging of Sondheim's Into the Woods courtesy of UpShoot Theatre Company, celebrating its tenth year in 2021.

Tickets for shows are expected to go on sale in March.

The venue is located in Thorington near Southwold, south of Lowestoft and north of Ipswich.