Anne Boleyn talk and play as part of Hever Festival Theatre’s 2022 season

February 08 2022 | Attractions What's on

Hever Festival Theatre – Marriage of Figaro – Opera Brava

Two of Hever Castle’s historians will be talking about Anne Boleyn and visitors will be able to see a performance about the second wife of Henry VIII as part of Hever Festival Theatre’s 2022 programme.

Hever Festival Theatre is a stunning open air seasonal venue set in the grounds of Hever Castle and this year is putting on over 40 shows.

The programme runs from Saturday 28 May to Tuesday 30 August with performances including opera, plays, films, jazz, music, speakers, comedy, family favourites and the best tribute artists.

Hever Festival Theatre’s events will take place in three spectacular locations; The Loggia in the tranquil Italian Gardens with its magnificent lake view, the woodland glade of Anne Boleyn’s Walk and in the two tiered seated theatre on Two Sisters Lawn.

 

Theatre taking place in the 2022 season includes The Three Inch Fools’ Twelfth Night and Illyria’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as well as family shows such as Illyria’s Peter Pan and Awful Auntie by David Walliams.

In the year the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee and Hever Festival Theatre will be marking the occasion with two Proms. Guildhall Strings, celebrate British composers including Greensleeves with First Night of the Hever Proms and the Brandenburg Sinfonia return with all the flag waving classics for the Last Night of the Hever Proms.

This year is 500 years since Anne Boleyn’s first appearance in English court and where better to celebrate her life with First Knight’s production of the play Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton for three nights (18-20 Aug).

Two of the curators of Hever Castle’s new Anne Boleyn exhibition Dr Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey take to the stage to talk about her formative years in Becoming Anne.

Two more historical writers discuss their novels, Lauren Mackay with her book Among the Wolves of Court The Untold Story of Thomas and George Boleyn in St Peter’s Church, Hever where Anne’s father Thomas is buried. Alison Weir will be back on stage to talk about her latest novel Elizabeth of York The Last White Rose and signing copies hot off the press.

Other musical highlights include Q The Music, the Music of James Bond 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, 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.

Tribute performances include two double bills The Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin Stories and Blurb and the Kaiser Thiefs. The Simon and Garfunkel Story return and Just Floyd; Take That Rule the World and No Town Like Motown perform at the theatre for the first time.

There is more drama and romance with Edenbridge based Another Way Theatre’s production of Jane Eyre and for a one-off matinee performance the touching and amusing letters between the actress Celia Johnson and her husband, explorer Peter Fleming are read by their daughter Lucy Fleming and her husband Simon Williams in Posting Letters to the Moon.

There is an eclectic mix of comedy this year at Hever Festival Theatre. East Grinstead’s award winning Grinstock Comedy Club will be bringing some of the best acts on the circuit. Writer, comedian and broadcaster Jon Holmes will be performing his original BBC Radio 4 satirical soundbites show The Skewer DJ Set and a new format for the Hever Festival this year sees the audience watch an episode of the programme as part of the hilarious evening including audience participation with A Celebration of Father Ted and Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote.

The family programme has something for all ages throughout the holiday season with Long Nose Puppets’ latest production The Hug; Immersion Theatre’s Rapunzel; The Wagon of Dreams about a caravan with a mind of its own; The Crow House, a silent movie inspired show with circus puppetry and Horrible Histories with their Terrible Tudors.

The festival favourites return including Ronnie Scott’s All Stars, Charles Court Opera with Gilbert & Sullivan productions: Patience and Mikado and Opera Brava bringing classics; Bizet’s and Verdi’s La Traviata.

Tickets for Hever Festival Theatre can be booked online or through the Box Office on 07379 488 477.

Hever Castle annual members receive complimentary Festival Theatre Friends Membership (usually £27.50) plus a 10% discount on tickets and catering at the event they attend. They can book from 10 February by calling the Box Office for a discount code.

Learn more about becoming an Annual Member.