Will you be in or near Penzance this summer? Whether you live nearby or are visiting the area, do check out Penlee Park Open Air Theatre – with music, comedy and theatre, in beautiful surroundings, there really is something for everyone!
We love all of our Businesses of the Month but this month’s is a little bit super special. Run by none other than our Producer and friend Shazz Andrew, and Dave Hunter, Penlee Park Open Air Theatre (PPOT) is an absolute gem – ‘a secret garden of theatrical joy’ in the words of our own Artistic Director, Rebecca.
Set in beautiful sheltered surroundings in Penlee Park, with Penlee House and the Memorial garden close by, the theatre seats around 300 people. The backdrop of tall trees is often accompanied by swifts, swallows and other beautiful birds.
Punching well above it’s weight in terms of programming and policy, in 2016, PPOT became one of Cornwall365’s Cultural Ambassadors and in 2018 Penzance became the first town in the UK to be awarded Plastic Free status by Surfers Against Sewage – the team believe it is important to make a stand against single-use plastic products and have achieved plastic free status by removing all petro-chemical based products and replacing them with plant-based plastic products. They are now also members of The Final Straw Cornwall – you will not find plastic straws offered in the venue!
What you will find though is a simple, but thoughtful menu of food and drink – order a veggie curry or baked potato when you book your tickets, to be waiting for you on arrival, and match it with a tea, coffee, wine, beer or a soft drink to suit your taste. Round off with something sweet and we’re confident your alfresco dinner and theatre experience will be as memorable (more memorable? ) than many a pricier night.
And what’s on? There’s something almost every day through August and until the 7th September.
- Music lovers could catch singer song-writer Gin and Jazz with carefully curated gins from Pocketful of Stones distillery (where we’ve previously performed), A Night at The Musicals, a night with award-winning Will Keating and more (more. more..)
- Young viewers and families will enjoy hearing about Stones and Bones onSunday the 4th of August as they learn about Ancient Cornwall. This is followed by lots of family friendly shows – the Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, a Journey to the Stars and much, much more.
- Our fabulous friends Cirk Hes are bringing their Youth Circus to the stage on the 21st August – this is one we would advise you to save the date for now!
- Love Shakespeare? There’s The Tempest on Wednesday 7th of August. Romeo and Juliet fall in love a week later on Wednesday the 14th. And then strap in and get ready for a ride with a double bill of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Sunday the 18th of August
The season closes with the rollicking sounds of 3 Daft Monkeys on Friday 6th September and two performances – matinee and evening – of With Courage, celebrating and commemoration the 200th Anniversary of the RNLI.
And if that’s not enough, PPOT runs a ‘Feed the Mind campaign’ – donate cash to help PPOT donate family tickets to Penzance Foodbank for every event in their season. As they say, ‘Just because you may be struggling doesn’t mean you should be denied access to culture as well.’ Amen to that.
They are also kindly hosting our rehearsals for our show Duffy Beats the Devil in September!
Check out the full listings here and give the team our love when you see them!
