The Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall is Rowena Cade’s famous cliff-side theatre close to Lands End in Britain. From an actor's point of view, stepping out onto the stage of The Minack is certainly one of the most exciting experiences possible. But being a spectator is just as amazing. Audiences return again and again to be captivated by a stage framed with cliffs and sea - a stunning backcloth to the dramas unfolding before them.
Next Stage made its first appearance at the Minack Theatre in June 1998 with a production of Alan Ayckbourn's Sisterly Feelings. Subsequent productions have been Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun (Aug 2001), Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses (July 2003), Sir Alan Ayckbourn's The Champion of Paribanou (Aug 2005), Nicholas Wright's adaptation of Phillip Pullman's epic His Dark Materials Parts 1 & 2 (Aug 2007), Amadeus by Peter Shaffer (Aug 2009), Jay Presson Allen's adaptation of Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Aug 2011), Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good (Aug 2013), Glyn Robbins’ adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Aug 2015), Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of Sebastian Faulk’s Birdsong (July 2017) and Great Expectations in 2019.
Forthcoming:
Next Stage Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that it will be returning to the Minack Theatre on the Lands End peninsula, in August this year. A glorious open-air amphitheatre in Porthcurno, the Minack was created by Rowena Cade and has stunning views across the sea to the Lizard. From an actor's point of view, stepping out onto the stage of The Minack is certainly one of the most exciting experiences possible. But being a spectator is just as amazing. Audiences return again and again to be captivated by a stage framed with cliffs and sea - a stunning backcloth to the dramas unfolding before them.
Since 1998 Next Stage has toured 11 shows to this outstanding theatre and the company is well underway with preparations to bring its 12th Minack production - A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams - to Cornish audiences. Next Stage was last seen at the Minack in 2019 with Great Expectations – a highly acclaimed show that played to sell-out audiences. Prior to 2019 Next Stage productions of Birdsong, His Dark Materials and The Royal Hunt of the Sun were just some of the company’s stand-out shows.
A Streetcar Named Desire
Sunday 6th - Thursday 10th August 8:00pm
Matinee Tuesday 8th August 2:30pm
Matinee Thursday 10th August 2:30pm
Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece set in the jazz-soaked streets of New Orleans is a powerful and iconic portrayal of love, lust and loneliness.
The fragile Blanche comes to stay with her sister Stella and husband Stanley. Amazed at their frugal lifestyle and Stella's dependence on her chauvinistic husband, Blanche is seemingly unaware of the unsettling affect her presence has upon the couple.
Drawn like a moth to a flame Blanche is both attracted and repelled by Stanley. She watches as he and his friends play poker during the hot New Orleans nights, and Stella grows big with Stanley's child. But, in a city of winners and losers, it is Blanche who ultimately pays the highest stake of all.
Since its inception in 1994 Next Stage Theatre Company has achieved an enviable reputation for its interpretations of Tennessee Williams’ works. On this, the company’s 12th visit, Next Stage is delighted to bring A Streetcar Named Desire to The Minack stage. It will be the first time that this iconic American masterpiece – heralded as one of the “greatest plays of the twentieth century” – has been produced at The Minack.
