Here we are with only three weeks to go before The Taming of The Shrew opens and it is a fantastic boost to the confidence of the cast knowing that three quarters of the seats are sold. This is an amazing effort – but it does also mean that one quarter of seats remain unsold. I urge all members and friends to make a supreme push to break the 1,000-seat barrier and move towards full houses on 5 nights.

At an EGM on Monday, 15th June, we voted to make Cymbeline, King of Britain the Arcadians’ 20th production.

It was in the summer of 1991 when an enthusiastic cast under the direction of David Gayler performed The Merry Wives of Windsor at The Old Rectory in Quenington and it is noteworthy to record that our birthday play next year will be the 16th to be performed out of the 38 in Shakespeare’s canon. Only 4 have been done twice – a remarkable achievement.

Shakespeare pulls out all the stops with Cymbeline and loads its plot with every trick of the dramatic trade learned during two decades of writing for the London stage. We can be sure that its performance in the Cotswolds under the direction of Jonathan Vickers will be no less pulsating and memorable