“Nobody Does It Better” Carly Simon
Hever Festival Theatre returns this year with over 40 shows to entertain you from Saturday 28 May to Tuesday 30 August. The vibrant and varied programme includes opera, plays, films, jazz, music, speakers, comedy, family favourites and the best tribute artists.
Our events will take place in three spectacular locations in the award-winning gardens of Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, one of Kent’s top tourist attractions. The Loggia (the tranquil Italian Gardens with the magnificent lake view) where this year you can enjoy two fabulous Shakespeare comedies The Three Inch Fools’ Twelfth Night (Tue 31 May) and Illyria’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tue 30 Aug), Anne Boleyn’s Woodland Walk (a secluded open-air ancient woodland glade) is the perfect setting to enjoy some family shows including Illyria’s Peter Pan (Fri 3 June) and Awful Auntie by David Walliams (Fri 29 July) and the Two Sisters Theatre (the original heart of the festival) where the outdoor seating is tiered and under cover or you can choose to sit where you like on the lawn and enjoy the vista from your own chairs or blanket, in the sunshine or under the stars.
In the year the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee we will be marking the occasion with two Proms. Guildhall Strings, celebrate British composers including Henry VIII’s Green Sleeves with First Night of the Hever Proms (Sat 4 June) and back by popular demand Brandenburg Sinfonia return with all the flag waving classics for the Last Night of the Hever Proms (Sun 28 Aug).
Other musical highlights include Q The Music, the Music of James Bond (Fri 5 Aug) with Live and Let Die’s bond girl Madeline Smith introducing the iconic tunes. Grammy nominated artist Stacey Kent sings songs from her latest album Songs From Another Place (Sat 23 July), The 4 D’s will be singing hits from Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons among others and Sinatra Sequins and Swing bring some Hollywood glamour with The Capitol Years (Sat 6 Aug).
We have some fabulous tribute performances including two double bills The Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin Stories (Sat 28 May) and Blurb and the Kaiser Thiefs (Thurs 4 Aug). The Simon and Garfunkel Story return to Hever (Sun 24 July) and we welcome for the first time Just Floyd (Thurs 25 Aug); Take That Rule the World (Fri 26th Aug) and No Town Like Motown (Sat 27 Aug).
This year is 500 years since Anne Boleyn’s first appearance in English court and where better than here to celebrate her life with First Knight’s production of the play Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton for three nights (18-20 Aug). Hever Castle’s curator of their current Anne Boleyn exhibition Dr Owen Emerson returns to our stage with Kate McCaffrey as they talk about her formative years in Becoming Anne (Wed 10 Aug). Two more historical writers join us to discuss their novels, Lauren Mackay with her book Among the Wolves of Court The Untold Story of Thomas and George Boleyn (Sat 25 June) in St Peter’s Church, Hever where Anne’s father Thomas is buried. Alison Weir will be back on stage with us again to talk about her latest novel Elizabeth of York The Last White Rose and signing copies hot off the press (Sun 29 May).
There is more drama and romance with Edenbridge based Another Way Theatre’s production of Jane Eyre (Wed 1 June) and for a one-off matinee performance the touching and amusing letters between the actress Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter, This Happy Breed) and her husband, explorer Peter Fleming are read by their daughter Lucy Fleming and her husband Simon Williams in Posting Letters to the Moon (Wed 3 Aug).
We are thrilled to have an eclectic mix of comedy this year. East Grinstead’s award winning Grinstock Comedy Club will be bringing some of the best acts on the circuit (Thurs 28 July). Writer, comedian and broadcaster Jon Holmes will be performing his original BBC Radio 4 satirical soundbites show The Skewer DJ Set (Fri 29 July) and we are introducing a new format to Hever Festival this year where the audience watch an episode of the programme as part of the hilarious evening including audience participation with A Celebration of Father Ted (Sun 19 June) and Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote (Sat 30 July).
Our family programme has something for all ages throughout the holiday season with Long Nose Puppets latest production The Hug (Fri 22 July); Immersion Theatre’s Rapunzel (Wed 27 July); The Wagon of Dreams about a caravan with a mind of its own (Thurs 4 Aug); The Crow House, a silent movie inspired show with circus puppetry (Wed 17 Aug) and Horrible Histories with their Terrible Tudors (Wed 24 Aug).
The festival favourites return including Ronnie Scott’s All Stars (Sun 21 Aug), Charles Court Opera with Gilbert & Sullivan productions: Patience (Sun 5 June) and Mikado (Sun 29 Aug) and Opera Brava bringing classics; Bizet’s Carmen (Sat 13 Aug) and Verdi’s La Traviata (Sun 14 Aug).
Bring your picnic, sit back and enjoy!
Book online www.heverfestival.co.uk or through the Box Office 07379 488477
(General booking opens from 21 Feb)
For further information, high-res photographs, interview and press ticket requests please contact Alison Bundy – 07710074075 alison@heverfestival.co.uk