5 August 2020 Whilst theatres across the UK are still closed due to the challenges brought by Covid-19, Selladoor continue to commit to ensure the local communities of North Devon still have access to live theatre and the Summer Festival will provide this in an outdoor, socially-distanced environment. The Summer Festival presents a programme of live performances between Thursday 27 and Monday 31 August. Whilst theatres across the UK are still closed due to the challenges brought by Covid-19, Selladoor continue to commit to ensure the local communities of North Devon still have access to live theatre and the Summer Festival will provide this in an outdoor, socially-distanced environment. The Summer Festival presents a programme of live performances between Thursday 27 and Monday 31 August.With its unusual double conical design, The Landmark, located in the beautiful coastal town of Ilfracombe, has been operated under the management of Selladoor Worldwide since January 2019. The venue closed following the government closures announcement back in March but successfully reopened its Quarterdeck Café on the 9th July, offering a tasty selection of hot and cold food and drinks as well as occasional Sunday outdoor barbecues. Although the venue isn’t currently planned to reopen its theatre doors until November 2020, the launch of the summer festival in the outside grounds of The Landmark brings the next positive step in ensuring the venue can continue to provide a brilliant programme of much-wanted live theatre entertainment to the region.The programme for the Summer Festival commences on Thursday 27th August with two performances of Illyria’s The Wind In The Willows at 3pm and 5pm. Based on the book by Kenneth Grahame and adapted by Oliver Gray, this perennial classic is brought to the stage in Illyria’s inimitable style. Tickets cost just £12 and include an ice-cream or a family ticket (4 persons, minimum 1 child) is available for £40.On Friday 28th August at 3pm, the vintage inspired vocal harmony trio, Vintage Summertime with The Femmes, whisk you back to the 1940s and then take you through the years with toe-tapping tunes that will guarantee to get you in the mood for a glorious bank holiday weekend. Comedy at The Landmark follows at 6pm and 9pm, headlined by the hilarious Simon Brodkin. Enjoy some of the best acts from around the country as they return to the stage for the first time in four months - trying out new material for your viewing pleasure. A mouth-watering BBQ will accompany these later shows, ensuring you don’t laugh on an empty stomach! Tickets for Vintage Summertime with The Femmes cost £15 and Comedy at The Landmark tickets cost £20.On Saturday 29th August, renowned magician and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ben Hart performs his most intimate magic show yet, 2 Metre Magic, in an evening of “close-up magic” featuring his classic routines with performances at 5pm and 8pm. In an era when social distancing is paramount, Ben presents a magical and skilful show which transcends the 2-metre gap and provides a connection through magic and wonder. Tickets are priced at just £18 with under 16’s tickets available for £15.With thrills, spills, surprises and social distancing, Pirates Ahoy, the swashbuckling summer pantomime, will entertain the whole family with 2pm and 5pm performances on Sunday 30th August. Presented by Made to Measure Productions, this show is packed with rib-tickling laughter, swashbuckling songs, glitz, glamour and the pottiest pirate crew in pantoland! Tickets cost just £12 and include an ice cream or a family ticket (4 persons, minimum 1 child) is available for £40.The Landmark ends this year’s Summer Festival with two performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented by Three Inch Fools. Three actors with far too many instruments bring you one almighty play on Monday 31st August at 2pm and 5pm, with tickets priced at just £15.There will be social distancing measures in place throughout the Summer Festival as well as staggered arrival and seating times to ensure that this is maintained throughout each visit. All visitors are also requested to adhere to the following guidelines:If you have COVID19 symptoms, please do not attend.It is recommended that you wear a face covering during your visit.Maintain social distancing throughout your visit.Please use the hand sanitiser provided and ensure that you wash your hands regularly.Use contactless card payments where possible.Be considerate of others.David Hutchinson, CEO of Selladoor Worldwide, said “It’s now been nearly five months since we were forced to close the doors at our theatres and whilst we are still not able to present work inside our auditoriums, we didn’t want to miss the chance to connect with our North Devon audiences this summer – and so are delighted to announce our Summer Festival at The Landmark at the end of August. We have a curated programme from family performances to comedians and magicians, to complement our café and bar offering at the Quarterdeck. It has been a really tough year for theatres across the country – and as we launch our first live shows in the beautiful grounds of The Landmark – we urge our loyal patrons to come back and show their support for both the theatre and incredible artists who are presenting work this month for the first time since March.”“It’s exciting that Ilfracombe’s Landmark will be one of the first UK venues to be able to do something like this, thanks to the open grounds around us”, says Stuart Shanks, Director of Venues for Selladoor. “Alongside our popular café offering, it will be a great day out for all the family. Tickets are easy to purchase via our website and we can’t wait to welcome everyone over the Bank Holiday weekend. Our team are working hard to make it a safe environment for our visitors, including increased cleaning regimes, social distancing and changes in the way we all work. Everyone is having to adapt and we are looking forward to this new style of entertainment in North Devon.”For further information about The Landmark’s Summer Festival and to book tickets, visit www.landmark-ilfracombe.com Go Back
