Wimpole Estate is hosting a programme of open-air theatre performances and films for visitors to enjoy this summer.

Theatre performances include productions of literary classics from Austen and Shakespeare to modern family favourite Bad Dad.

Film lovers can also enjoy the big screen experience outdoors, with showings of Dirty Dancing, Top Gun: Maverick, 1917 and Romeo + Juliet.

Visitors are invited to bring picnics to enjoy, with a range of food and drink options also on offer from the estate's refreshment kiosks.

Performances of Twelfth Night will take place at 7pm on July 29 and 4pm on July 30. 

The Shakespeare comedy of mistaken identity tells the story of twins Viola and Sebastian who are shipwrecked on an island, where chaos and romantic confusion ensues. 

On August 15 and 16 the estate will host an open-air theatre adaptation of David Walliams' Bad Dad, with evening performances on both days and a matinée on the 16th.

The warm-hearted tale follows the highs and lows of a father-son relationship, as Frank and Gilbert navigate their way through car chases and convicts to escape the clutches of a crime lord.

Visitors can cast their vote in the battle of the bard with Shakespeare-inspired farcical comedy MacHamLear, from award-winning playwright Michael Davies. 

READ MORE

The production combines the three iconic plays - MacbethHamlet and King Lear- "shamelessly exploiting" the genius of England's most celebrated writer.

Performances will take place on August 17 and 18.

For fans of Regency romance, Heartbreak Productions will perform their open-air production of Sense and Sensibility on August 19 and 20.

The play, based on Jane Austen's celebrated novel, tells the story of sisters Elinor and Marianne who have to adjust to straitened circumstances.

Open-air cinema screenings will be held at 8.45pm over several evenings in August, with attendees gathering around the big screen with chairs and blankets.

The screenings will begin on August 10 with 1917, then Dirty Dancing on August 11, Top Gun: Maverick on August 12 and Romeo + Juliet on August 13.

Tickets can be booked via https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/wimpole-estate/events.