Boiling Wells Amphitheatre at St Werburghs City Farm

Pedalling from venue to venue with all of their set, props and costumes on the back of their bikes, the HandleBards are a four-strong troupe of actors who are spending the summer bringing environmentally sustainable Shakespeare to venues across the UK.

Join the troupe at Boiling Wells Amphitheatre for a fantastically funny bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’.

What’s the play about? Well – Rosalind and her cousin Celia flee to the Forest of Arden, where they bump into Rosalind’s love interest Orlando. However, Rosalind is disguised as a young man. Cue some local Shepherds getting involved and the stage is set for a wild ride of wooing, hilarious mistaken identity and the odd wrestling match.

This is an outdoor production, so please bring a chair or blanket to sit on, a picnic to dig into, and dress for the weather!

Praise for previous HandleBards performances…

★★★★★ – “Explodes with energy and is a genuine treat from start to finish.” – The Stage

★★★★★ – “Five stars just don’t seem enough…” – The Sunderland Echo

Notes on Performance

• Doors open at 4pm, so bring a picnic and come and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
• Picnics are welcome at the performance however you will need to take any litter or rubbish home for disposal as there are no bins onsite. Please do not bring outside alcohol to the performance as there will be a bar onsite for the performance.
• Information about getting to the site is available here: https://swcityfarm.co.uk/directions-opening-times/ (this is to the main farm site- Boiling Wells is a few minutes walk from the farm, on Boiling Wells Lane. The site shows up on Google Maps as Boiling Wells Amphitheatre).
• Parking is not permitted on Boiling Wells Lane at any time.  There is a barrier across the road on Boiling Wells Lane, just before the Boiling Wells site, which prevents vehicle access. If attendees will need vehicle access to the site (i.e. to drop someone off for accessibility reasons) we can arrange this with them.
• With the exception of registered assistance dogs, dogs are not allowed in any farm spaces including Boiling Wells.
• There is a no smoking policy on site.
• The site is managed for conservation. Please do not bring anything that could pollute the local environment, such as glitter or confetti.
• All rubbish must be removed responsibly from site; there is no refuse collection on Boiling Wells Lane. Please tidy away everything away as you found it, including tables and benches, ready for the next group to use.
• Seating isn’t provided by the venue and the amphitheatre flooring area is wood-chipped so please make sure to bring your own – chairs, picnics, blankets and any other low-backed accessories are welcome.
• In case of rain, please don’t bring umbrellas as they block sight-lines for other audience members. Ponchos and raincoats are just as fetching, so please wear these instead.
• See the farm’s website for full accessibility information and please contact Jess at office@swcityfarm.co.uk with any accessibility questions. https://swcityfarm.co.uk/accessibility/.

Important Ticket Conditions – Please Read

• Tickets will also be available to purchase on the day at the venue for £21 each, subject to availability. If the show sells out in advance then tickets may not be available on the door so early booking is encouraged!
• You can bring your tickets digitally, on a phone or tablet, so save the trees and please don’t print them.