ANYONE who was in the audience of more than 250 at an open air performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by the Handlebards on the lawn in front of Ebbingford Manor last summer will be delighted to know that the company will return on Sunday, June 2, to inaugurate a mini-season of three plays, writes Christine Williams.

The Handlebards are a troupe of professional actors who cycle around the country and perform in the open air their own highly entertaining brand of Shakespeare which is suitable for all the family. Last year it was the all-female troupe, this year the all-male troupe will perform ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.

The play is being promoted by Bude Youth Theatre in association with Ebbingford Manor which is located on Vicarage Road in Bude. The performance begins at 6.30pm and audiences need to bring seating or blankets. Tickets are £12 full or £10 per person for families (parents with children under 18 years old) and are available via Spencer Thorn Bookshop, Ark Angel Christian Bookshop, Seventh Wave Gallery and online via wegottickets (search ‘Ebbingford’) or at the door.

There will be a raffle to support Connect Bude that is campaigning to reconnect Bude and Holsworthy to the National Railway Network, plus refreshments provided by Greener Bude.

Later in the year Quantum Theatre will perform ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Ebbingford Manor at 6.30pm on Friday, July 5, and ‘Wind in The Willows’ from 6.30pm on Wednesday, August 28.