Leave London for a Cornish clifftop theatre

London has some of the best theatres in the world, attracting award-winning plays and brilliant directors, actors and crew. But the West End has nothing on this open-air auditorium carved into a cliff.

The Minack Theatre, along the coast from Penzance in Cornwall, takes alfresco drama to another level, with a steep drop and the Atlantic waves for a backdrop. It put on its first play in 1932 after Rowena Cade, who lived in Minack House, and her gardener hand-built the stage and lower steps for a moody production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’.

Nowadays you can settle in on the stone benches for all kinds of performances (in all kinds of weather), from family-friendly storytelling to short runs of shows like ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and ‘Chicago’.

Visit between shows to wander along the grassy terraces and admire dramatic views of the rugged coastline.

Porthcurno, Cornwall. From £5. Find out more here. 

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