ENERGETIC actors, a colourful backdrop, good company and picnics aplenty transformed Holsworthy’s peaceful Badock Gardens for the town’s first open-air theatre, writes Christine Williams.

The Plough Arts Centre’s decision to branch out to Badock Gardens and bring touring company Illyria to perform Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ on Saturday was an unqualified success.

The gardens proved to be a wonderful setting on a summer’s evening with the simple stage bathed until sunset in bright sunshine against a background of trees and a cloudless blue sky.

More than 150 people equipped with picnics, chairs and blankets eagerly awaited at the garden entrance before the doors opened at 5pm.

The performance was slick and imaginative with just five energetic actors playing all the characters. This required comic timing, quick costume changes and a great deal of frantic running on and off stage, upstairs and down. All of this added to the fun and helped bridge the language and cultural gap between Shakespeare and a 21st century audience. The enthusiastic applause, which greeted actors as they took their final bows, demonstrated how much the audience had enjoyed the performance.

Richard Wolfenden-Brown, director of the Plough Arts Centre, expressed his delight at the support from the Holsworthy area public and the town council. He was confident this would be the first of many future open-air performances in the town.

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week’s edition of the Post.