A summer picnic in Giggleswick like you’ve never seen before

This summer, outdoor theatre company Slapstick Picnic will return with a reprise of their mischievous reimagining of The Importance of Being Earnest a head to Giggleswick for the first time. Ripping up the recipe book and dishing out a hectic, two-actor production of Oscar Wilde’s classic play, audiences will be invited to tuck into a picnic and join in the silliness at outdoor venues.

Prepare to witness the impossible - the entirety of Oscar Wilde’s classic play of manners, affairs and handbags being performed by just two rather dashing entertainers with a little help from their hapless Stage Manager. They’ve no time for the twee tea-time titters - they want you guffawing with your gran and spitting out your sauvignon on your sister.

Director Nel Crouch said, “When it comes to enjoying the great British summer, you can’t beat basking in the evening sun, sipping an ice-cold drink, tucking into a delicious picnic and watching this classic Wilde comedy with a slapstick twist. Of course, it could rain, which would shatter that lovely image… but that’s all part of the fun isn’t it!”

Richard Whiteley Theatre Manager Mike Offland said, “I’m delighted that following a fantastic number of summers with the HandleBards we can welcome their sister company Slapstick Picnic to our stunning outdoor setting. Theatre is a different personal experience every night; and Slapstick Picnic make sure you will not forget your evening with them. We can’t wait to welcome audiences back this summer for some classic British theatre”

Slapstick Picnic comes to you from the mad minds that created the award-winning touring company, The HandleBards. The company shares actors and creatives with The HandleBards including theatre director Nel Crouch (RSC, Young Vic) and designer Connie Watson (New Old Friends) using their experience of outdoor theatre and adapting Shakespeare to produce this classic tale with an untraditional twist.