Minack Theater
The Minack Theater (also simply called The Minack ) is a unique open-air theater on the south coast of Cornwall ( England ), which was built into a cliff right on the sea near the village of Porthcurno . It's just a few miles from Land's End . In the Cornish language , meynek is the name for a rocky place.
history
The theater was the idea and life's work of Rowena Cade , who bought the site for 100 pounds in the 1920s and lived there in a house she had built. A local ensemble had the piece then 1929 and 1930 A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare listed on a nearby field and now planned the performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest . Rowena Cade offered her garden, which ended on a slope to the sea, as a performance location; this background seemed appropriate because the piece is set on an island. In the coming winter, Cade and her gardener Billy Rawlings laboriously created a stage and seats, for which they brought stones both from higher ground and from a nearby beach. The piece was performed in 1932 and was a great success. From then on, Cade worked all of her life to extend the theater into old age. She was supported by Rawlings and his friend Charles Angove, and later by other volunteers and acquaintances. The work took place in winter, while games were played in summer.
Since 1976 the theater has been recognized as a charitable trust (a kind of foundation ).
Rowena Cade died on March 26, 1983 at the age of 89. It left behind extensive plans for further expansion, some of which have not yet been implemented.
today
16 pieces are currently performed annually between June and September. Ensembles come from Great Britain and the USA . According to tradition, works by Shakespeare are often given; Every 10 years there is an anniversary performance of Der Sturm.
Sometimes the game is also played in the evening and, if necessary, in bad weather. Spectators then come with thermos flasks, rain capes are provided by the theater.
The spectator stands are all made of stone and partly overgrown with grass. The title of each piece played is stamped on one of the stone backrests with the corresponding year, so that now hardly any of the approximately 750 seats are left unmarked.
Above the theater is a permanent Rowena Cade exhibit that documents Cade's life and the history of Minack, as well as a small café. Since 1998 some of the slopes have also been transformed into colorful gardens by planting them. The Minack is open to visitors all year round.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 2 ′ 26 " N , 5 ° 39 ′ 3" W