If you want to start the childrens’ summer holidays in style, then a vist to Blists Hill Victorian Town for their Cultural Olympiad’s open weekend seems a great way of doing it.
The town, a 52-acre site which recreates life in Victorian England, is in Shropshire’s Ironbridge Gorge, and is set to put on a variety of Amusements and Distractions on the Village Green.
The day’s events, on Saturday, July 24th, will showcase a range of traditional theatrical performance styles and give a taste of what a Victorian audience might have enjoyed back in the 1800s.
Visitors will be treated to a fun selection of different styles of street theatre, including a traditional Punch and Judy show, Victorian conjuring tricks from Yendor, the Magician, and mime performances by the much-acclaimed Kaleidoscope Theatre Company.
The Prince Albert Players, a small company of strolling players, will also perform scenes from a variety of plays.
The weekend’s theme is ‘accept a challenge’, and as part of this, visitors are being invited to make and wear their own Victorian costume when they visit Blists Hill.
In the evening, adults and older children can enjoy a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, when The Green will be transformed into to an open air theatre for Oddsocks, one of the country's favourite Shakespearean touring theatre companies.
Gates for this open at 6.45pm allowing time for theatre-goers to enjoy the strolling minstrels before the show begins at 7.30pm.
For further information, contact the Ironbridge Tourist Information Centre on 01952 884 391 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk.
The event is part of a nationwide weekend of activities to celebrate the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad – a programme of national and regional events and initiatives which place culture and creativity at the heart of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
