Brownsea Open Air Theatre

Brownsea Open Air Theatre (commonly abbreviated B.O.A.T) is a theatre company in Poole, Dorset that has performed large scale theatrical projects since 1964. Annually performing a play from the extensive works of William Shakespeare for three weeks in July and August, the production is set on the National Trust's Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour.

For a single season "B.O.A.T Ashore" was established in 2006 when the company's committee agreed that a modern adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" (in Shakespeare's original words) could be produced under the B.O.A.T banner, on the mainland, as "B.O.A.T Ashore". That production ran in early 2007 throughout Dorset. "The Merchant of Venice" shall be performed in the summer of 2008 for the companies 45th season, running from July 23rd until August 8thcite web| title=Event 2008.| publisher=Poole Tourism| month=March| year=2008| url=http://www.pooletourism.com/eventscalendar.asp?act_events=search&cat_0=3&year_from=2008&month_from=3&day_from=8&year_to=2009&month_to=1&day_to=1| accessdate=2008-03-10] .

Critical Acclaim

B.O.A.T receive excellent national and regional coverage, and have been featured in The Guardiancite web| title=Top-10 Open Air Venues.| publisher=The Guardian| month=July| year=2007| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/jul/14/beach.uk33| accessdate=2007-09-19] as one of the UK's "Top 10 Open Air Theatre Venues", listed second to the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Cornwall.

Productions

*1964 "The Tempest"
*1965 "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
*1966 "Twelfth Night"
*1967 "As You Like It"
*1968 "The Taming of The Shrew"
*1969 "Romeo and Juliet"
*1970 "The Merchant of Venice"
*1971 "Henry V"
*1972 "Much Ado About Nothing"
*1973 "The Winter's Tale"
*1974 "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
*1975 "Twelfth Night"
*1976 "Macbeth"
*1977 "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
*1978 "A Man for All Seasons"
*1979 "The Merchant of Venice"
*1980 "The Queen and the Welshman" / "The Tempest"
*1981 "As You Like It"
*1982 "Love's Labour's Lost"
*1983 "Becket"
*1984 "The Taming of The Shrew"
*1985 "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
*1986 "Twelfth Night"
*1987 "The Comedy of Errors"
*1988 "The Tempest"
*1989 "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
*1990 "Romeo and Juliet"
*1991 "Much Ado About Nothing"
*1992 "Othello"
*1993 "The Merchant of Venice"
*1994 "The Winter's Tale"
*1995 "Richard III"
*1996 "The Taming of The Shrew"
*1997 "Macbeth"
*1998 "As You Like It"
*1999 "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
*2000 "The Tempest"
*2001 "Twelfth Night"
*2002 "King Lear"
*2003 "Romeo and Juliet"
*2004 "Merry Wives of Windsor"
*2005 "Measure for Measure"
*2006 "Much Ado about Nothing"
*2007 "All's Well That Ends Well" / BOAT Ashore - "Romeo and Juliet"
*2008 "The Merchant of Venice"

Former B.O.A.T Members

Former members of Brownsea Open Air Theatre who went on to appear in Film and/or Television productions include the following.
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1739753/ Christopher Mellows] , a performer in Silent Witness and Midsomer Murders.
*Rebecca Night, who played the title role in the BBC adaptation of Fanny Hill (2007 serial), broadcast in October 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.brownsea-theatre.co.uk Official website]