WILTSHIRE theatre company Shakespeare Live are delighted to announce they have found a new venue for 2017.

Their summer production of A Midsummer Night's Dream will take place at Cleeve House, in Seend, after the group were forced to move from Lackham House, now part of Wiltshire College, where they have been based for several years, after a rise in hire costs.

Group spokesman Gill Morrell said: "With lovely gardens, superb views, great facilities, easy parking and friendly hosts, Cleeve House looks to be a fantastic venue for the group, and an ideal setting for the plays.

Shakespeare Live is now in its 30th year of bringing high quality, large scale, outdoor performances of Shakespeare's plays in Wiltshire, having started with shows at Hazelbury Manor in Box.

A Midsummer's Night's Dream will be directed by the group's chairman, Rod Moor-Bardell, with performances from July 3-8. "Rod is setting the play in pre-Christian Greece in the woods surrounding Athens and the production will include songs, dance, Athenian and Amazonian armies, elven wood-nymphs and a group of grumpy old men," joked Ms Morrell.

As always, Shakespeare Live is keen to recruit new actors at its open auditions, which will be held this coming Sunday, January 15, from 10am to 4pm at Cleeve House. Just come along or, for more details, contact shakespearelive@outlook.com or look at www.shakespearelive.com/backstageblog.