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And so with the five show run of the Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest coming to a close on Saturday evening at Broomgrove, there was just one more task to complete - the takedown of the set and to restore the Nature Garden to the exact same condition in which it was handed over.

Plus a little reminiscing was required as to all that has been achieved over the past five months, and some very kind audio recordings to complete the process of capturing this project from start to finish online.

The entire cast and crew was on back on site early on Sunday morning. The behind the scenes talk was of a late, late night, with the post-show production party celebrating the success of the return of outdoor Shakespeare to Wivenhoe.

This was a bleary-eyed post performance - I wasn’t entirely sure who was still wearing stage make-up and who had yet to rest their head. I think that the actors and crew have deserved one night of artistic indulgence following the final show on Saturday evening.

It was also wonderful to see so many other hyperlocal helping helps from those not directly involved in the production, but happy to help out with the clean up.

Having returned on four occasions to capture the progress of the Company, I saw the staging of The Tempest from the other side on Wednesday evening. All of those hit and miss sessions in the kitchen of the Congregational Hall were long since forgotten - I was transported out of the backstage production and into the appreciation from a punter’s front row point of view.

It was incredibly professional, calm and sometimes irresistibly funny.

I was surprised then to find out on Sunday that some of the most distinguished and commanding performers suffered badly from nerves ahead of the opening night. This certainly didn’t show in the performance, Sir.

listen to ‘The commanding presence of Peter admitting to nerves ahead of his Alonso performance in #Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare’ on Audioboo

Reflecting on his captivating performance as Alonso, Peter North commented:

“It was a real team effort. It’s great fun. Although you are terrified before you go on, afterwards you get a great buzz because you have been part of a successful effort. Every audience reacted differently. Overall the reaction was positive. The cast and the Directors - who were inspirational - came together.”

This collective form of working is certainly a feeling that other cast members also found.

listen to ‘Ellie reflects on playing Miranda in #Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare’s The Tempest’ on Audioboo

Ellie Chambers said:

“We’ve had brilliant Directors. You have to try new things. Doing Shakespeare is one of the best ways of trying a new type of acting.”

listen to ‘Leading man Ferdinand on what he has learnt from #Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare’ on Audioboo

Michael Common, the leading man to Ellie’s Miranda added:

“We were very relaxed. We worked on it to have a good time. We developed as we went along with some guidance from Janita. We had some fun to see where we could go with it, and how it would turn out at the end. It all really came together in the last two weeks during dress rehearsals. We were all there in support of each other. You are so reliant on the rest of the cast to turn up and do their bit. The teamwork was fantastic.”

And so the question now comes down to one of what next?

listen to ‘Sarah and Pippa share their #Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare experiences’ on Audioboo

Still smiling on Sunday morning was Sarah Rout following the success of her interpretation of the cheeky Trinculo.

Sarah said:

“We’ve already said to Sheila and Jan, the Directors: we do not want to wait another eight years. We are hoping that next year there will be another Open Air Shakespeare in Wivenhoe.”

Speaking with some of the more mature members of the production crew, there is very much a sense of no one is getting any younger. Staging a five-show run of outdoor Shakespeare drains just as much energy as it does time.

The commitment to keep Shakespeare in Wivenhoe remains, but some extra energy is needed. The more ‘experienced’ folk were incredibly pleased that some young Wivenhoe talent was drawn out for the auditions. It is hoped that this youthful input will now be able to carry on with the project and continue to offer something unique in Wivenhoe each summer.

It takes a great amount of skill just to stage outdoor Shakespeare. The knowledge is there when it comes to production, prop creation and even how you go about financing and securing such a venture. What is needed now is the opportunity to pass these skills on.

Director Sheila Foster has been responsible for re-igniting the passion, alongside fellow Director Janita LeFerve:

“I think that Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare has taken on a life of its own. I think that if people want to do it enough then it will happen again. There is a building momentum that should make it happen again.”

listen to ‘Final thoughts on #Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare from Director Shelia. Coming back next year…?’ on Audioboo

As for Sheila’s final observation?

“I sat last night and just smiled all evening. I am very, very happy. We gathered outside the bat tent and we all raised a glass to William Shakespeare.”

A pox o’ your bottle! This can sack and drinking do.

Chin chin.

To Broomgrove Junior School! …on Wednesday evening for the opening performance of The Tempest by the Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare Company. This has been a production that has been five months in the making - some might say even eight years.

Writing in the programme notes, Directors Sheila Foster and Janita LeFevre explain:

“In this Olympic year there are many productions of The Tempest taking place throughout the country, and we didn’t want Wivenhoe to be left out. It is an unbelievable eight years since the last Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare production of Twelfth Night took place at Ten Acres. We are delighted to be invited by Broomgrove Junior School to use the backdrop of their wildlife garden to present our take on The Tempest.”

With the Isles of Wonder found in The Tempest also inspiring that other minor Olympic event down the line at Stratford on Friday, this was the opportunity for Wivenhoe to take The Tempest into a hyperlocal setting, and to explore some of the themes that are still relevant in our own town today.

Four days after the Regatta sailed into the Quay, it was fitting that the return of outdoor Shakespeare in Wivenhoe played heavily on the nautical themes within The Tempest. The opening Act manages to create a shipwreck scene right in the centre of the Broomgrove playing space. You try doing that down the line at Stratford.

Coming to terms with the surroundings has been a parallel challenge for the Company alongside the learning of the lines and theatrical development. Outdoor Shakespeare is magical if the storytelling can match up with the surrounds.

This was the case for The Tempest, with the language coming alive in an everyday outdoor setting. Where Broomgrove kids usually gather to explore new findings by the Nature Garden and to learn and develop new social interactions, so was the case for the Wivenhoe Outdoor Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Betcha the Broomgrove kids need insect repellent as well…

And so with the sun setting over the backdrop of the Towers up at Wivenhoe Park in the north, and with the Quay south of the set blowing up a slight breeze, show time started at 7:30pm with the first sighting of the costumes.

Having blogged about The Tempest during the build-up over the past five months, we agreed not to touch on the costumes - #savethesurprise etc, a decision which certainly was worth waiting for.

Janita LeFevre’s attention to detail is amazing. A matching red costume to match the striking red hair of Sebastianna [it's a Wivenhoe thing...] Caliban’s costume capturing the grotesque but captivating side of the character, and even fully-grown beards especially cultivated for the occasion (men, not women.)

The first three Acts ahead of the interval relied upon the natural lighting coming in from the estuary. It’s a hippy dippy thing to say, but audience and actors alike were at one with the Broomgrove Nature Garden. Birds flew past over the set; the breeze rattled the leaves of the tress that made up the backdrop. Midges bit both participants and observers.

Tip: if you have the enjoyment of The Tempest still to come, cover up any naked flesh and be prepared to be brutal with the little buggers.

All of this was oblivious to the talent taking place in front of us. Both Sheila and Janita have cast the Tempest superbly. An amateur production in constitution, but highly professional when it comes to the performance.

As with most Wivenhoe volunteer led groups, The Tempest has been helped along by passion alone. The small pool of actors stepping forward has been absorbed, with some doubling up, but no excess of talent in which to draw up.

Peter McDonagh carries a commanding performance as Prospero throughout. With almost 30% of the entire dialogue coming from the big man with the big stick, this is a slightly more challenging role to that of playing a pantomime Dame.

He should be ready for the Great Dane next summer…

Ellie Chambers manages an obedient, yet still feisty Miranda throughout. Sara Rout’s Trinculo and Richard Edwardson’s Stephano display comedy chemistry, part fuelled by comic timing, part fuelled by booze.

The Sprites led by Rosie Harford as Ariel blend into the Broomgrove Nature Garden like a merry band of Jacobean eco punks. In Caliban and the company has created a monster, and a most magnificent one in Brian Ford. You could equally douse the beast with your insect repellent, or buy him another drink from the licened bar.

Elsewhere and Peter North projects incredibly well in the dignified role of Alonso; Steve Fisher’s Antonio makes much mischief with Sebastianna. The overall effect is that you’re not sure if The Tempest is a comedy, a tragedy or simply an everyday Wivenhoe pub scene. Or possibly all three.

Joining all of this together is the Queens Musick, directed by Wivenhoe musician Nick White and played by Julie-Anne White and Xanthia Fletcher. Full Fathom Five floats across the Broogrove outdoor space, carrying the magic of the play and projecting well across the playing field.

The local lighting crew of David Sleightholm, Tom Chambers and Keiran Smith take over from the natural illuminations after the short interval. Costume changes keep up with the stunning pace of change, but once again - #savethesurprise. Now was no time to go all snap happy with the camera - Acts 4 and 5 were there to be considered from the comfort of my seat.

The ending leaves Caliban - and the audience - considering the fate of the beautiful monster. The beast is last seen clutching Propero’s book, probably en route to return it back to the Broomgrove Juniors library.

And so that was opening night of The Tempest by the Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare Company. Effort, skill and commitment over almost half a year were rewarded with a production that wouldn’t feel out of place in some of the more celebrated outdoor theatrical spaces.

A confidence sans bound, blah blah blah.

You can probably still pick up tickets for Thursday, Friday and the two performances on Saturday from the Bookshop or Crossways.

Full flickr feed.

To the Quay! …on Saturday afternoon for the annual Wivenhoe Regatta - via Papa’s Chip Shop first, another annual tradition. The queue for Wivenhoe folk waiting to get their lips around one of Mr Papa’s king size saveloys was a good sign for the afternoon ahead. The Regatta overspill was similar to an exceptionally high spring tide creeping up Rose Lane.

Also creeping up Rose Lane, and *possibly* with a king saveloy tucked away with his truncheon was Sgt Lou Middleton.

‘evening all, etc. Or even afternoon all. The good Sgt was fresh from a Friday night patrol out in Sunny Colch, if one ever returns fresh from a Friday night patrol out in Sunny Colch.

The Regatta was a breeze, so to speak.

But actually it wasn’t. A dead still air descended over the Quay, which ‘aint actually ideal for those lovely Wivenhoe One Designs, gracefully making their way down the Colne from Brightlingsea.

Is there a more gentile sight to be seen Quayside? Steeped in hyperlocal history, and still given pride of place in the Wivenhoe Regatta to make the connection between past and present.

The Wivenhoe weather has been woeful all summer, apart from those events where we need sunshine for the smiles. Open Gardens, May Fair, the Jubilee Celebrations and now the Regatta. More of the same for the Outdoor Shakespeare next week would be most welcome.

The ACE Colchester Brass Band kept the ambience of the Regatta flowing along. There’s a time and a place for your traditional pufffing and blowing of a brass band, but it’s good to mix it up with some more contemporary tunes. Rule Britainia has the tradtion, but then so does the theme from Hawai-Five-O.

A short walk along West Quay and the stalls stretched all the way along the front. It was great to see a presence from WivGigs, as well as planty of local interest in signing up for the new crew.

The first outing, so to speak, took place earlier in the afternoon. Team WivGig had no shame in coming home second, sandwiched in between the two Brightlingsea boats.

But the main event for the afternoon that bought the crowds out for the Regatta was the annual raft race. The rules were simple: build your own raft using leftovers in your garage, and then may the best boat win. Or even the last man / woman standing / floating.

The four men in two baths tubs was ambitious; a few teething problems off the old hard, then the two bath tubs were surprisingly rather buoyant.

Raft design secrets were apparently up for grabs to be sold in various boozers around the town the night before. If any potential Wivenhoe rafter wants the slipstream to success, The Station is the best place to drink.

Chin chin.

And so shortly before 4pm and the Wivenhoe Regatta came to a close with The Station picking up the Shovel Trophy from Madam Mayor.

Can you dig it?

Wait until you see the *shhh* saveloy style raft already in production for the 2013 Wivenhoe Regatta.

Full flickr feed.

CHAMPION.

Which is never a bad way to start a blog post. It’s also never a bad way to capture that p.2 pic lead in The Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe Chronicle.

Yep - another month, another flicking past the front page and all the Brightlingsea chest beating and we get to:

Former Mayor is CHAMPION Town Crier.

Cllr Bob Needham is also many other things, all in a very positive way with many different hats to wear. There’s also *shhh* something quite special coming up over the coming weeks on a global scale.

Blimey.

But that’s an embargo waiting not to be broken…

As for the Esteemed Organ of Truth and Justice?

“A town councillor and former Mayor of Wivenhoe, local resident Bob Needham is also Colchester’s Town Crier, and as the Town Crier has recently enjoyed success in competitions and also represented Colchester at two festivals in Belgium and Germany.”

Das is gut.

Tell It Like It Is, etc.

Cut to the chase and we find that Bob blagged first place in the East of England Championship, based on the:

“volume, clarity, direction and inflection, accuracy, ability to engage with the audience and confidence on his bearing.”

Which is something that anyone who has ever attended a Wivenhoe Town Council meeting will be able to confirm.

Quite an act for the Young Jedi to try and follow.

Speaking of CHAMPIONS [um, sort of...] and we learn that:

Grant Will Help More Young Footballers.

“Wivenhoe Town Football Club has received a grant from the Football Foundation to enable it to expands its facilities to allow boys and girls aged 10 to 15 years of age to play regular football.”

Brilliant.

£5k has been trousered to invest in YOOF. Anyone who has kept a keen eye on the summer transfer window will have noticed that this is very much the ethos of the Dragons. No late bids for Andy Caroll have been tabled up at Broad Lane - and thank the chuffers for that.

Instead it is all about I believe the children are our future… blah blah blah.

A stray free kick from Andy Carroll up at Broad Lane and the ball could end up in the back garden of The Flag. Which brings us to:

Derek Scarpenter Reviews Changes at The Flag Inn.

ACE.

John and Kathleen Leave, Kate is New Mine Host.

“The Flag Inn at Wivenhoe closed for two weeks, following the decision by landlord John Parker to retire. John had run the pub for the past four years, he was front of house, while his wife Kathleen did the cooking.”

I’m still salivating over the joys of the gammon and pineapple experience. Bootiful, etc.

But out with the old, in with the new:

“Kate Kitson is the new mine host at the Flagg Inn. Kate told the Chronicle: I intend to retain the facilities such as the lunchtime meals and Sunday roasts and the pub will continue to run pool and darts teams.”

Quiz nights are planned, a new chef has been appointed and the space is available for private hire.

Good luck, and please keep the gammon and pineapple.

Chin chin.

The success of the Wivenhoe Tennis Club’s Open Summer Tournament is celebrated on p.10. A woeful, wet Wivenhoe morning wasn’t quite the order of play expected on 24th June:

“Everyone held faith with the BBC’s forecast of the final heavy rain falling at 1pm before a sunny afternoon… and it proved true.”

ACE, etc.

A maximum of twenty entrants competed up at Broad Lane. Mary Cory [cripes] was crowned men’s CHAMPION, with Ginny Scott and Jeanette Shea taking the joint ladies title.

No midsummer publication of the Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe Chronicle would be complete without a preview of an outdoor Shakespeare production.

And whaddya know:

The Tempest to be Performed at Wivenhoe.

And not just any old Tempest in any old Willy Loveless Hall either:

“The final play to be written by William Shakespeare, The Tempest, will be performed by the accomplished local thespian group, Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare later this month. Sheila Foster, well known in the local theatrical scene is the play’s director and Nick White is the musical director.”

Wivenhoe weather woes aside, it will be all right on the night as well.

Broomgrove School blah, blah, blah, 25th - 28th July, tickets from the Bookshop and Crossways. £8 is a bargain to see the sight of a specially built boat close to the Nature Garden at Broomgrove.

Which brings us to…

The Wivenhoe Town Regatta.

Aha!

Or even Ahoy!

Nope…

“The Wivenhoe Town Regatta will be held on 21st July. A band will be playing close to the Rose and Crown. These activities will commence at noon.”

Old gaffers and smacks will be involved. There will be boats as well.

Ha, bloody ha.

The Wivenhoe Folk Club gets the customary p.14 piece, with the open stage night on 2nd August at The Flag being… flagged.

And then we have:

“Radio Wivenhoe - Wivenhoe’s own hyperlocal [HURRAH!] radio station - is on the look out for budding radio presenters and producers who would like to get involved. Radio Wivenhoe Ambassador [blimey] Martin Newell said: Radio Wivenhoe already possesses a unique style and flavour of its own. But we still need people of all ages.”

Patronage by a Pop Genius. Job’s a good ‘un.

CHAMPION.

To the Town Council Office! …on Monday evening for a parlour game of Borough Councillor Bingo. Eyes down, two fat ladies, droopy drawers and all the fours.

BINGO!

Blimey.

But apparently not. Droopy Drawers were nowhere to be seen. All four Colchester Borough Council Cllr’s for Wivenhoe were down at Gala Bingo [POSSIBLY] and absent from the WTC chamber. Same goes for Cllr Julie Young of ECC.

Man Alive! All the fives…

No worries.

The good Cllr’s of WTC cracked on with the scorecard irrespective. Ten minutes into the Planning agenda and I declared:

“69! Either way up…”

Before being asked to leave the chamber. Or maybe that was the CBC Cabinet meeting two weeks previous?

Hey hoe.

But Borough Councillor Bingo games aside, there was something of an end of term atmosphere for this final WTC romp ahead of the summer break. Sure, there was still serious business to bang on with, but when the phrases “naked female mud wrestling” and “hang ‘em” appear scribbled down in your notepad, you know that the two-week break away in the caravan can’t be far off for the good Cllr’s.

In the absence of any face-to-face contact, at least Cllr Young submitted a written report. We heard about POTHOLES (14 new ones apparently reported) and changes in Highways law allowing for 20mph zones to be implemented easier.

The response from around the WTC top table was to add a further refresher of the refreshed POTHOLE list, with Ernest Road, Philip Road and Woodland Way all now hopefully on the Essex County Council POTHOLE radar.

Eye Spy a POTHOLE protest comin’ along, Comrades.

Talk then took on a DIY approach. WTC has been exploring the idea of commissioning a private contractor to repair any POTHOLES around the town, and then to invoice ECC for the work done.

And good luck with that one, fellas.

Caution was called for by Cllr Albey Stinson, who argued that in the absence of any CBC Cllr’s, it was tricky to establish if a precedent has already been set for this.

POTHOLES: political careers have been won and lost on this hyperlocal issue.

A written point was then read out by the absent Cllr Bob Needham:

“CBC has yet to set up a list of assets of community value in the borough. This is required under recent government legislation.”

The point being suggested was that WTC should be chasing up the borough on this issue, seeing as though community assets in the town such as the Philip Road Centre could be hitting the hyperlocal asset transfer agenda quite soon.

Maybe we could send someone on a bus all the way to Colchester Town Hall to see what is happening.

Ahh - but which bus would you be catching, where would you alight, and more importantly, how would you be hailing it?

Yep, it can only mean one thing: time for the report by Peter Kay, the esteemed Transport Correspondent for WTC. We heard how the Osborne Street bus station in Sunny Colch (that isn’t really a bus station…) still hasn’t got the routes decided. Peter has asked for the 62 to stop along Queen Street, seeing as though this is one of the main shopping routes into the town.

A gloriously bonkers debate then broke out about how residents of Wivenhoe should hail a bus. Anyone fancy a hyperlocal pamphlet on the correct procedure?

Hands up?

Aha!

Seamless…

The written report from Cllr Cyril Liddy of CBC was then read out. This covered Cllr Liddy’s cemetery work (deadly serious) and the Colchester Labour Party line on the Localism Bill.

Suggestion: It should be called the Hyperlocalism Bill, Comrades.

Plus Cllr Liddy’s submission confirmed that the public land opposite Millfields School is “unlikely’ to go to a public inquiry as part of the attempt to resolve the situation with our friends from Elmstead Parish Council.

*shhh* stalemate…

Planning matters pondered the placement of public litter bins down by Cook’s. CBC is apparently looking these after. So sleep easy, reformed litter louts.

Cllr Kevin Read confirmed that he would represent WTC at the CBC Planning Committee meeting on Thursday where the agenda item includes the request by Taylor Wimpey to change the use of four commercial units into residential properties.

It wasn’t indicated which way WTC hangs, so to speak, on this issue. But given the wider infrastructure concerns, you can presume [NEVER PRESUME] that WTC is possibly against the application.

A highly confusing legal discussion then followed all about access and Highways rights for the Quay. It all got a little coded and technical; it also covered an ongoing issue with a local resident that both sides are trying to resolve.

“Digging for minerals, ownership of the air above” - phew. It was enough to force a bored Monday night blogger back to the Rose and Crown for a half shandy top up.

Can we cadge a lift?

Chin chin.

Sticking with the front and Cllr Read was then keen to clarify the situation regarding the children’s play area that will soon be in place:

“This is not being installed by Taylor Wimpey, but Colchester Borough Council. We have written to the council to get a confirmed date. There has been plenty of rumour that money for this has been taken away to pay for the slipway. This is incorrect. We have actually got increased funding for the play area.”

Hurrah!

Likewise with the Wivenhoe Jubilee / Wildlife Garden (depending on who you talk to…) There’s nothing like the passing of time and a new life starting where one sadly ends. A polite request has been made for the WTC ground staff to “dig a bloody great big hole” in the Wildlife Garden, next time they are required to dig for victory with a burial.

Blimey.

Two birds, one stone etc.

The bloody great big hole is needed to plant a hedgerow, rather then put up fencing which isn’t so sympathetic to wildlife.

Youth Facilities kept up the high spirits. The Hub celebrated last week with 112 young folk of Wivenhoe turning up for the Tuesday night taster session, ahead of the new school year in September.

A BBQ was apparently the highlight of the evening. There’s a message in there: burgers as bribes. Quarter Pounders should be served up on the public benches at the next WTC meeting.

Mayoral activities for Mayor Kraft over the past couple of months have covered five civic outings for June, and seven already for July. Highlights included the Torch Relay procession in not so Sunny Colch, the annual WTC cricket match (a defeat) and a service at the Congregational Hall that was “very rock ‘n’ roll.”

Well I never.

Updates from the good Town Clerk included a slight delay in the ground staff cutting the grass and hedges. The bad weather is to blame. A damaged tree has been removed from the KGV, and new seats are now in place on the swings in the KGV play area.

An estimate has been received for the upgrading of the skate park, but quite possibly the saddest news of the evening is that a goal net was replaced, only for it to “go missing” only days later.

Madam Mayor was keen to stress:

“This is genuinely very upsetting. A lot of work goes into supplying these.”

And finally we heard how the licence for the KGV is currently being negotiated to be handed back to WTC.

Cllr Andrea Vaughan commented:

“Don Quinn [the current licence holder] is more than happy to relinquish the licence. He feels that WTC is the right organisation to hold this. We are in the process of transferring it over. The only thing we have to decide is if we want to add wrestling to the events.”

Or even bingo.

52, Danny La Rue, Turn on the Screw.

Or something.

Happy holidaying, Comrades.

To Broomgrove School playing fields! …on Sunday afternoon - which isn’t your average hyperlocal blog boast. But pleasant though the Broomgrove Nature Garden is, the real reason for the afternoon rendez vous up towards the top of the town was to catch up with the Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare Company.

Hurrah!

With just over a week and a half away from show time, the production of The Tempest has come a long way since those early, nervous introductions in the Congregational Hall back in February. The run of five performances commences on 25th July up at Broomgrove School, all the way through until Saturday 29th, with a matinee and evening show to celebrate.

But before Caliban gets to become the Wild Man of Wivenhoe [oh yes] - there is still plenty of last minute polishing for the production, not to mention sharing the sense of enjoyment and co-operation that this company of actors has managed to pull together in such a short space of time.

Sunday afternoon was the second opportunity for the Open Air group to explore the space of Broomgrove. With the lovely ankle biters occupying the school Monday - Friday, timing is everything, both on and off stage.

Transforming those initial nervous introductions into what is shaping up to be a professional production, has achieved a great deal on many levels. Acting aside, it has proven that it is possible to rehearse an outdoor production in Wivenhoe.

The Tempest has almost been a touring production, taking in the Congregational Hall, The Legion, Open Space down at the Business Centre and even some front room rehearsals back at base for some members of the cast.

Wot No William Loveless Hall?

This is outdoor Shakespeare, dahhhling…

Which for Sunday afternoon meant making sure that the Nature Garden entrance and exit positions were all in place. The local musicians, led by Nick White, also needed to see how the timings works when it comes to matching up the music with the outdoor actions.

After tempestuous Tempest Wivenhoe weather the day before, the company was blessed with the weather for the Sunday afternoon slot up at Broomgrove. The opening storm scene was still managed to be achieved on a patch of land where the Broomgrove Juniors would normally be settling down for some quite outdoor time.

How so, you ask?

Ahh - that would be telling… It is incredibly believable however as the opening shipwreck scene sets up the plot and the magic that is to come on the island / Broomgrove Nature Garden. The storm summoned up on demand almost managed to blow away one of the production tents.

Whoops.

It will be all right on the night, etc.

For the next couple of hours I sat back and saw Prospero and pals explore the magic and uncertainty of the island. A Broomgrove butterfly danced across my vision, right in the middle of Full Fathom Five.

It sounds like a Hey Nonny Nonny moment waiting to happen, but sitting back in the deckchair with the sun on my face and watching a Wivenhoe cast come together - well, it certainly bettered the window cleaning chores that were being put off for later in the afternoon.

You can never have enough LOG JOKES in any outdoor Shakespeare production, and it’s not giving too much away when I say that a certain scene in The Tempest is stuffed full of LOG JOKES. The fact that this takes place during a more romantic moment is slightly… erotic.

Only ever so slightly though.

Phew.

But yeah - LOG JOKES. You’ll love it.

A number of cast members wandered over to the deckchair action and whispered that they were holding back ahead of the opening night on 25th. A timely run of seasonal colds seems to have washed over the Wivenhoe Outdoor Shakespeare Company.

But the voices boomed, the delightful original musical score carried across the field and the magic of The Tempest can be found right here in Wivenhoe. If this is holding back then the full force of Full Fathom Five is going to be mighty, mighty fine.

The company has achieved a tremendous amount of creative success in such a short space of time. With demanding day jobs and responsibilities all round, rehearsal time has been tight. There is some incredible local talent involved in The Tempest, both on stage and off.

Nerves and energy surround the production - this is good. It makes for a performance that has yet to peak with even more potential to fill.

And so come rain or shine on 25th July, Open Air Shakespeare will return to Wivenhoe for the first time since 2004. The rain or shine isn’t really relevant - the show will go on, irrespective, but within reason…

If a pleasant Sunday afternoon sitting in the sun up at Broomgrove can magic the production tent to be blown off the ground, then Prospero and pals should be able to control whatever else the Broomgrove Nature Garden can throw at the show on the opening night.

Tickets for The Tempest are on sale now from the Wivenhoe Bookshop and the Crossways store, priced £8 for adults and £5 for children.

Full flickr feed.

Have you become lost in the Wivenhoe Bermuda Triangle of late? It’s an easy slip up to make, what with the blooming patch that covers the Co-op / Jardine and Wivenhoe Eyecare.

The raised planting bed has been in place for over a year now. Reap what you sew, etc - it all looks rather lovely.

The previous patch of land wasn’t exactly inspiring. Step forward Wivenhoe in Bloom, whom in the space of a single working morning managed to transform the Triangle to become something quite special.

Buy you have to be patient when working with plants. I wanted a refund from B & Q when my magic sunflowers failed to charm the back garden after a full five days of watering and waiting.

It is only this summer (yeah, right…) that the Wivenhoe Bermuda Triangle has started to take shape. The irony is that the choice of plants were carefully selected so as not to require any watering. A Paddy field may have prospered on the same patch over recent months.

My fauna identification falls apart somewhere in-between daisies and daffs. I’ve no idea what goodness is now growing within the Wivenhoe Bermuda Triangle, but it does add a dash of colour when I cycle past each morning.

The Eyecare folk have had a spot of bad luck of late. Do take some time to admire the Wivenhoe Bermuda Triangle; do pass some business their way if you can’t see the wood for the trees, so to speak.

You might even get to see the glory of the Co-op / Jardine / Eyecare / Bermuda Triangle in all of its glory.

Eye eye.