From Tuesday 02 July to Friday 05 July, GB Theatre Company will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merchant of Venice within the stunning surrounds of the Cathedral Cloister. Performances take place at 7.00pm on the following dates:
- Tuesday 02 July & Thursday 04 July - A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Wednesday 03 July & Friday 05 July - The Merchant of Venice
Tickets
Tickets for each performance cost £18 for adults and £14 for concessions (Over 60, student, under 16).
Call 01603 63 0000
Buy online here
Visit the Cathedral Gift Shop or Theatre Royal
For each performance
Norwich Cathedral’s Refectory will be serving refreshments al fresco in the Cloister and a selection of gifts will be available to purchase from the Cathedral Gift Shop.
About the plays
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Athenian Duke, Theseus is to wed his captured Amazonian Queen Hippolyta in four days. Their romance is interrupted by an angry Father who demands his daughter marry the man of his choice rather than the man she loves. They escape to the Athenian Woods where a group of Mechanicals are rehearsing a play to present to the Duke on his Wedding Day. But the Woods are home to the King and Queen of the Fairies, Oberon and Titania who are quarreling over a changling boy. Oberon's servant Puck is sent on a series of errands with the love-juice of a magical flower which causes one to fall in love with the first live creature one sees. So begins this magical comedy of mistakes, love, drama. poetry and the high comedy of the hilarious Mechanicals play within the play.
The Merchant of Venice
Antonio doesn't know why he is so melancholy. His friend Bassanio is in love with the beautiful Portia. To woo her he borrows money from Antonio who in turn needs to borrow money as his fortune is tied up in business ventures at sea. So he turns to the man he has repeatedly insulted - Shylock. The Jewish moneylender can put all of the jibes and insults aside but he wants a bond - a pound of flesh nearest the merchants heart. This is the backdrop to this dramatic and romantic favourite of the Bard which promises adventure, love and a heart stopping courtroom drama!
Shakespeare in the Sun - Ticket and overnight stay offer
Travelling to the Festival or fancy enjoying a mini-break? The Maids Head Hotel, ideally located just outside the Cathedral gates, is offering an exclusive theatrical getaway for two offer.
Available for either A Midsummer Night's Dream on the 02 July or The Merchant of Venice on 03 July, packages start from £79.50 per person and include:
- two tickets to the play of your choice
- overnight stay including a full English breakfast
- a £25 allowance per person in the award winning hotel restaurant, WinePress@Wensum
2012 Festival
Our 2012 season was a huge success and the weather was kind to us! Our thanks go to our loyal audiences and to the Eastern Daily Press for their support.
Our Patron, Desmond Barrit, joined us on the opening night of The Taming of the Shrew. Desmond is a renowned Shakespearean actor but he is also known to local audiences for directing at Sheringham Little Theatre and Gorleston Pavillion Theatre. We are very appreciative that he was our patron for the 2012 Shakespeare Festival.
“The cast, music and setting married into an excellent trio – and with Desmond Barrit, actor and patron of the Shakespeare Festival, pulled on to the stage unexpectedly – it felt all the more charming and tailored to the Norwich audience” – EDP