Scandal and Storytelling: Jane Austen Drama and Wind in the Willows Brought to Life at Lincolnshire Showground This Summer

The award-winning outdoor theatre company ‘Illyria’ is set to visit the Lincolnshire Showground with an exciting production of Pride & Prejudice and Wild in the Willow this summer.

This will be the first time Illyria has entertained local audiences. “At its best, theatre is shared storytelling. And to experience this in the open air is uniquely special.” says Artistic Director Oliver Gray.

“Outdoors, with good company, good food and a glass of something bubbly is a much less formal way to enjoy theatre,” Oliver continues. “And there’s something truly unifying about actors performing, and audiences listening, all under the same sky.”

The shows will takes place at the Lincolnshire Showground, whatever the weather, on 5th July and 2nd August.

Sophia Phillips, Sales and Events Manager at the Lincolnshire Showground says, “With an esteemed reputation spanning more than thirty years, Illyria’s productions are simply unmissable. There’s no better way to celebrate British summertime.

Saturday 5th July

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, adapted by Oliver Gray

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Mrs Bennet certainly thinks so, contriving to find suitable husbands for her five daughters. Thank heavens Lizzy, her second daughter, finds disdainful Mr Darcy detestable! Or does she…? Can she see beyond his pride – and could he overcome her prejudice – to consider a possible future together? Following seven sell-out seasons of this sparkling adaptation, award-winning Illyria returns to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in style. Bring a picnic and enjoy her at her vibrant, forthright, bitchy best!

Saturday 2nd August

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, adapted by Oliver Gray

Mole yearns to explore the wide world. Gruff old Badger enjoys peace and quiet. And Rat likes picnics and just messing about in boats. Their idyllic lives on the Riverbank are turned upside down when Toad, bewitched by the roar of an engine and the screech of burning tyres, pursues his latest in a long line of extravagant obsessions: a fast, red motor-car. Multiple award-winning Illyria celebrates Kenneth Grahame’s timeless tale of friendship, laughter, the longing for home and the lure of adventure. Enjoy it all summer across the UK where the story is set: in the great British outdoors.