The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays. A mix of comedy, romance and drama, the play contains many themes that resonate to this day, such as antisemitism and the treatment of people of different races. From the 3rd to 8th August, Titchfield Festival Theatre hosted a series of brilliant performances of The Merchant of Venice at the Great Barn in Titchfield for the first time since 2016; which Denise Lloyd, Managing Director of Beautiful South Magazine was delighted to attend. 

To give some background, Titchfield Festival Theatre is one of the UK’s largest amateur theatre groups, with three venues situated along the south coast of Hampshire. The theatre company owns the historic Great Barn, reputed to be the third largest medieval barn in Europe and seats an impressive 175 people. 

Upon arrival to the Great Barn, the Covid-19 safety measures were most apparent, with social-distancing ensured using a one-way system, hand sanitising available at several points and a temperature check on entry, which was reassuring and appreciated. 

Since this was an outdoor performance, my partner and I thought ahead and decided to bring blankets, which came in handy once the sun went down! There was a large spacious green to set up your deckchair or blanket and still have a great view of the performance, whilst keeping your distance. 

The beautiful sunset on a summers evening set the tone straight away and was followed by a superb performance of The Merchant of Venice. The acting was second to none, with a perfect mix of humour and passion. It’s safe to say we thoroughly enjoyed it and to top it off, the bar was open for drinks, as well as drinks sold during the interval – a win!

Overall, our evening spent at The Great Barn was fantastic and I would highly recommended attending one of a Titchfield Festival Theatre performance. The dedication of the cast and actors, organisers and staff shone through and made the evening run seamlessly as the crowd enjoyed an excellent performance of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. 

Throughout 2020, Titchfield Festival Theatre will produce some 30 shows with a varied programme of productions to suit all tastes. Tickets for upcoming shows can be booked online via the website http://titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com/or please contact the Box Office on 0333 666 3366.