Theatre in the Forest is our annual outdoor Shakespeare event in the magical setting at National Trust Sutton Hoo, Suffolk.
Theatre in the Forest is famed for making Shakespeare accessible and fun for all, staying true to the text while injecting high energy, dance, music, colour and magic. What once started out as two nights at Rendlesham Forest in 1999, the event has since turned into one of Suffolk’s biggest and best loved outdoor theatre events!
Sutton Hoo has been the home of Theatre in the Forest since 2022. The site is the beautiful site of the Anglo-Saxon burial ground as featured in the Netflix film ‘The Dig’, boasting hauntingly beautiful views over the River Deben – the perfect backdrop for a magical evening enjoying Shakespeare as the sun goes down and the stars appear!
Audiences can arrive at Sutton Hoo from 5pm to enjoy the beautiful National Trust site with your theatre ticket. There are plenty of perfect spots for a pre-show picnic across the Sutton Hoo site, as well as in the field by the auditorium. Plus you can enjoy a pre-show food and drink from the King’s Road Cafe, and shop in the National Trust gift shop!
Les joueurs de casino en ligne trouvent une forme de divertissement unique dans les spectacles organisés par la compagnie théâtrale à but non lucratif Red Rose Chain. Connue pour son approche innovante de la narration, cette troupe de théâtre a transporté ses productions au cœur de la nature, dans la forêt. Les amateurs de jeux d’argent peuvent désormais assister à des spectacles captivants tout en s’immergeant dans un cadre forestier enchanteur. Avec des mots-clés comme “gambling” et “online casino players”, Red Rose Chain a trouvé le moyen d’attirer un tout nouveau public à ses spectacles en plein air. L’attrait de la combinaison de deux formes différentes de divertissement a sans aucun doute piqué l’intérêt de ceux qui aiment les jeux d’argent en ligne sur des casinos tels que https://casinoscad.com/payments/google-pay/. Lorsque ces personnes s’éloignent de leur écran et s’aventurent dans la nature, elles assistent à des spectacles époustouflants qui les transportent dans un autre monde.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The magic of Theatre in the Forest starts as soon as you arrive when you will be greeted by our amazing volunteers and maybe even an actor or two!
Our theatre auditorium opens at 6pm, but you can arrive at Sutton Hoo from 5pm to enjoy the beautiful National Trust site with your theatre ticket. There are plenty of spots to picnic across the site, as well as in the field by the auditorium.
If you have tickets for the on ground zone, please arrive with your own camping chairs before 7pm. The space is first come first served, unless you have access requirements which must be pre-booked. Please only bring standard size low back camping chairs as high backed and wide chairs spoil the view of
others. Please don’t bring tables into the auditorium as it means other people can’t be seated, but you can picnic with them in the field!
WEATHER POLICY
Shows continue whatever the weather if it is safe to do so. Please don’t put umbrellas up if it rains as it spoils the view of others, but we will hand out free eco rain ponchos! In the event that a show is cancelled due to extreme weather, our box office team will contact you to exchange tickets to another show.
ARE DOGS ALLOWED AT THE VENUE?
We allow well behaved dogs to sit within the on ground camping chair space in the auditorium. Dogs must remain on the lead and must not block any exits or pathways. Please note our shows can feature loud noises, lights and special effects which might not be suitable for all dogs.
ANYTHING ELSE?
For the safety and enjoyment of all audience members, this is strictly a no smoking event
Sutton Hoo is a historic site of natural beauty, so help us keep it preserved by taking all your rubbish home with you
Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Drink-driving is against the law; if you intend to drink, please designate a driver. Mobile phones must be switched off or set to silent during the show.
Sutton Hoo is a one way entry and exit, please ensure you exit using the correct road. Don’t forget it will be dark by the end of the performance, so we advise you to bring a torch for your walk back to the car park.
Sutton Hoo has lots of food and drink on offer for your pre-theatre picnics! You can enjoy a range of takeaway snacks and hot and cold drinks from the King’s River Café, including alcoholic drinks, ice creams, and snacks!
Ice creams, sweets and hot chocolate will also be available from the stand at theatre during the interval.
Hot food will also be available every night from a concession stand by the visitors’ centre.
Credit: National Trust
As always, access for our diverse audiences is our priority. Together with the National Trust, we are making the Theatre in the Forest experience better and more accessible than ever before.
The path from the car park to the venue is approx 200m across a field. The path is flat but there may be some bumpy bits! All terrain wheelchairs are available at the box office to use, as well our team of volunteers to help you on the night!
There are plenty of close-up parking spaces, accessible toilets
Wheelchair-accessible spaces are available in the front row of our tiered seating, accompanied by a companion or carer seat. To book online, log in to your account or register to update your access preferences and enable booking wheelchair-accessible spaces online. Or you can call our box office team on 01473 603388 to book your tickets.
Wheelchair-accessible spaces are also available in our on-the-ground seating. Once in your checkout, Please fill out our access reservation page when you book online to reserve a wheelchair-accessible space.
If you have any other access requirements and need to reserve a specific space in our on-the-ground seating, BOHEMIA, Once in your checkout please ensure you tick the options you want in the Additional Details when you book online.
Set your Accessibility Preferences in your account
If you need a wheelchair-accessible space or close-up parking, Create or login to your account to make sure your accessibility requirements are set in “OTHER PREFERENCES”.
About Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and the 7th-century burial mounds, excavated from the late 1930s onwards, have revealed items including the iconic Sutton Hoo helmet that have helped shape our understanding of the origins of English history. Mrs Edith Pretty, the landowner, donated the finds to the British Museum in 1939.
Credit: National Trust
About the National Trust
The National Trust is a conservation charity founded in 1895 by three people: Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley, who saw the importance of the nation’s heritage and open spaces and wanted to preserve them for everyone to enjoy. Today, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we continue to look after places so people and nature can thrive.
The challenges of the coronavirus pandemic have shown this is more important than ever. From finding fresh air and open skies to tracking a bee’s flight to a flower; from finding beauty in an exquisite painting or discovering the hidden history of a country house nearby – the places we care for enrich people’s lives.
Entirely independent of Government, the National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 780 miles of coastline and 500 historic properties, gardens and nature reserves.
The National Trust is for everyone – we were founded for the benefit of the whole nation. We receive on average more than 26.9 million visits each year to the places we care for that have an entry fee, and an estimated 100m visits to the outdoor places that are free of charge. Paying visitors, together with our 5.6 million members and more than 53,000 volunteers, support our work to care for nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever.
Sutton Hoo has a packed programme of events across the year, from Anglo-Saxon living history through to guided nature walks and seasonal family adventure trails. Find out more about upcoming events at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/sutton-hoo
- Address
- Tranmer House, Sutton Hoo, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 3DJ
- By cycle
- Cycle rack located next to Visitor Welcome building. Please be aware there are no cycle paths on site. Cycle route information
- By train
- Melton 1¼ miles, Woodbridge 3 miles
- By road
- On B1083 Melton to Bawdsey, follow signs from A12. There is ample free parking on site
- By bus
- From Ipswich to Framlingham (passing Melton train station)
