SPONSORED EDITORIAL

Theatergoers are in for a real treat next month with Shakespeare’s Globe On Tour returning to Chilham Castle with three classic plays.

The curtain will first raise on Friday, May 17 with a performance of Pericles at 7pm followed by two shows on Saturday, May 18 - The Comedy of Errors at 2pm and Twelfth Night at 7pm.

On Sunday May 19, the Shakespeare weekend will conclude with Twelfth Night at 12:30pm and The Comedy of Errors at 5pm.

The trio of plays at Chilham Castle’s beautiful and historic grounds will be exploring themes close to the hearts of many in today’s world - namely that of refuge and displacement.

The productions involve shipwrecks, lost families, new homes and what it means to belong and are an eerie indictment of today’s refugee crisis which has seen around 69 million people displaced by war and violent conflict since the start of last year.

Most Shakespeare enthusiasts will be especially excited to see the rare production of Pericles.

Written in collaboration with George Wilkins, the play is traditionally deemed as very challenging to produce due to the many sea voyages, the impressive but fickle lighting required and the need for the protagonist to age two decades.

Performed as a touring production would have been staged 400 years ago, the plays feature a stripped back booth stage, and a small, versatile troupe of actors.

Tickets are set at £10 (standing), £30 (Standard Seated) and £50 (Premium Seated which is unreserved).

“We are very excited to welcome back Shakespeare’s Globe On Tour who will be performing these wonderful productions in the UK and abroad,” said Chilham Castle owner Stuart Wheeler.

“We are particularly excited to be hosting Pericles this summer which is very rarely performed.

“This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this play staged at such an idyllic venue, so to be able to bring this to Kent is a real honour.”

The Comedy of Errors (Click here to purchase tickets)

Set in the Greek city of Ephesus, The Comedy of Errors is one of the most farcical comedies of Shakespeare and tells the tale of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth and then reunited again.

Pericles (Click here to purchase tickets)

Pericles, the Prince of Tyre flees Antioch and goes back to Tyre to kill Antiochus, the King of Antioch, after discovering that he is having an incestuous affair with his daughter.

Twelfth Night (Click here to purchase tickets)

Disguised as a boy, a shipwrecked Viola arrives on Illyria and enters the service of its duke, Orsino. Duke Orsino is in love with Oliva and decides to send Viola - believing she is a boy - to woo her.