Minack Theatre Cornwall

...that we visited was the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno. Unlike many of the other attractions it had a real Cornish feel to it and was really worth seeing.

For those of you who have never heard of the Minack Theatre (and that's probably most of you) it's a really spectacular place with a fantastic history to it. The theatre is literally carved in to the rocks of the cliffs at Porthcurno, creating one of the most incredible arenas for ...
...it is quite astounding.

In 1932 Miss Rowena Cade and her dramatic group performed Shakespeare's Tempest in Porthcurno with the sea as their backdrop in Miss Cades back garden. Liking the setting Cade and her gardener made a terrace and rough seating - the start of the theatre that we see today. Year upon year the theatre was changed slightly and modernised, theatre companies travelled from miles around to perform their plays on this ... more

Previously when I have been to Cornwall and the weather has been good we have spent most of our time on the many beaches. This time however the weather was poor, with lots of wind and rain - not the sort of weather you want to be sitting on the beach in, unless you're a surfer of course and then I suppose it is ideal! This didn't really matter too much though because it gave us a chance to visit many of the famous sights and attractions. We visited lots of places including Saint Michaels Mount and the Eden Project, but probably the most charming thing that we visited was the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno. Unlike many of the other attractions it had a real Cornish feel to it and was really worth seeing.

For those of you who have never heard of the Minack Theatre (and that's probably most of you) it's a really spectacular place with a fantastic history to it. The theatre is literally carved in to the rocks of the cliffs at Porthcurno, creating one of the most incredible arenas for live theatre anywhere on the planet - the beauty of it is quite astounding.

In 1932 Miss Rowena Cade and her dramatic group performed Shakespeare's Tempest in Porthcurno with the sea as their backdrop in Miss Cades back garden. Liking the setting Cade and her gardener made a terrace and rough seating - the start of the theatre that we see today. Year upon year the theatre was changed slightly and modernised, theatre companies travelled from miles around to perform their plays on this prestigious stage. Nowadays, the theatre is used between the summer months of June to September and still houses the plays of numerous theatre companies from all over the UK.

Performances are always of an evening with rehearsals sometimes occurring during the daytime - you can sit and watch these if you wish I am led to believe. If you come during the daytime as we did you can explore the whole place, that's not only the theatre but the surrounding gardens too - these are quite extensive and are extremely colourful, containing many different flowers and plants. It really is a must see, if only for the obscurity of the place and the fact that the theatre literally falls back onto the sea. Another perk is that because of the bad weather that is quite often experienced in these parts, it seems that the actors and owners of the theatre have become quite hardened to it and so as a result performances are only ever cancelled in extreme weather conditions - they continue even when it's raining! For this reason if you are seeing one of the plays you should dress appropriately because there is not shelter from the rain whatsoever, although inexpensive rain macs can be purchased.

Although we didn't actually see a live performance because we had other things to do in the evenings it is something which I will definitely do in the future. Visiting the theatre during the daytime was good and there was a lot to see, but you just get the sense that the place really comes alive during the evening when the performances are on. It's quite easy to find too and there is a car park for day visitors and theatre goers.

Prices (for day visit):
Adults £3.50 Over 60's £2.50 Under 16's £1.40 U12's FREE - fantastic value.

Opening Times:
9.30am - 5.30pm open daily throughout the year.

Address:
Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 6JU (4 miles from Lands End) - for directions www.minack.com

Thanks for reading. 

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