The Winter’s Tale is one of Shakespeare’s later plays, a story of jealousy and loss; forgiveness and redemption. Sometimes described as the Bard’s ‘problem play’ – because it is a fascinating mixture of tragedy, history and comedy – The Winter’s Tale is our next Titchfield Festival Theatre production at the historic Great Barn, Titchfield.  The play is a wonderful and magical little fantasy… and of course the cast includes a bear...

King Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Hermione, and his friend, Polixenes, of betraying him. When he forces Polixenes to flee for his life, Leontes sets in motion a chain of events that lead to death, a ferocious bear, an infant left in the snow, young love, and a statue coming to life.

Rose Malyon is director of The Winter’s Tale. It is her début in the director’s role having performed for many years with TFT. She said, “The Winter’s Tale is one of Shakespeare’s later romances. It is a play primarily about friendship and love, exploring the complex relationships between several characters: Hermione and Leontes, Paulina and Antigonus, and Perdita and Florizel.

“After acting with the theatre for 9 years, I wanted to have the opportunity to direct, but I needed to find the ‘right’ play. The Winter’s Tale fitted the bill perfectly and I have grown to really love the play. The Great Barn is also an amazing theatre to perform in, due to Titchfield’s close connection to Shakespeare and the fantastic ambience on stage.  

“An interesting characteristic of The Winter’s Tale is the way in which the atmosphere changes quickly, especially between Act One and Act Two. After Leontes accuses Polixenes of betraying him, the mood becomes very dark. Then, at the end of the play and after all the heartbreak, everyone comes together and there is rejoicing and forgiveness. When watching the play, you will experience a delightful mix of emotions, maybe indeed learning to love and forgive the characters who have wronged.”

The Winter’s Tale is only one of several plays featuring at this year’s Bard at the Barn Festival. Future shows include The Taming of the Shrew and Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play.

Titchfield Festival Theatre’s production of The Winter’s Tale opens on Tuesday June 29^th running until Thursday July 8^th, 2021. Evening shows start at 7.30pm. The matinée productions are on Sunday July 4^th, 2021, at 2.30pm.

For more information including booking tickets, please go to http://titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com/  or contact our Box Office on 0333 666 3366. The Winter’s Tale will be also streamed live on Friday 2^nd July & Saturday 3^rd July 2021. You can watch a trailer of The Winter’s Tale here.