Beginning in 2018, Wells Theatre Festival has occupied the Cathedral Green every July weekend, performing renowned Shakespearean works to attentive audiences, with the prominent West Front of the Cathedral as a backdrop.

This year, however, the stage shifts to the South Lawn of the Bishop's Palace Gardens, where the community production of As You Like It will be performed.

In addition to this community production, the Festival will host a diverse program of theatre events, children's theatre, Opera and Dance from 6th to 9th July.

Among this year's notable performances is And Then They Came for Me, an educational show about Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss, a contemporary of Anne Frank. Jonathan Guy Lewis also returns with his celebrated solo show I Found My Horn, an exploration of music's transformative power.

Ros Johnson, Artistic Director of the Festival saids: "There is something for everyone at this year's Festival, theatre, dance and shows for children and all the family.

"We are also very excited to welcome Opera in a Box with Mozart's outrageous comedy Don Giovanni a really great, accessible show for a first experience of opera. Meanwhile we are having an absolute ball rehearsing As You Like It in the beautiful Bishops Palace Gardens.

"What a perfect backdrop for our hilarious take on Shakespeare's comedy of love and mistaken identity." 

The festival also welcomes back Scratchworks Theatre Company with their presentation of The Grimm Sisters, a combination of storytelling, comedy, and live music. Also returning are Pirate Taxi, known for their aerial acrobatics on the Cathedral Green.

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For more information and tickets, visit: https://bishopspalace.org.uk/event/wells-theatre-festival/.