OBSERVER: Wind In The Willows
This summer, the Australian Shakes-peare Company’s The Wind in the Willows marks its 40th anniversary season at the Royal Botanic Gardens, from December 18 – January 24.
Created by Australian Shakes-peare Company founder and Artistic Director Glenn Elston in 1987, The Wind in the Willows has become one of Australia’s longest-running outdoor theatre productions, having played to more than a million people across Australia and introduced generations of children to the magic of live theatre.
Staged against the natural backdrop of the Royal Botanic Gardens, the production brings Kenneth Grahame’s well known characters Ratty, Mole, Badger, Otter, Portly and Mr Toad back to life for another summer of adventure, music, laughter and outdoor theatre.
Glenn Elston said: “40 years is an extraordinary milestone. When we first performed The Wind in the Willows in 1987, we could never have imagined that it would still be bringing families together four decades later.
“We have audiences who came as children who are now bringing their own children, and even their grandchildren.
“That’s what makes this production so special, and I feel incredibly lucky that we’ve been able to share it with generations of Australians.”
Audience members are encouraged to arrive early, bring picnic blankets, favourite snacks and drinks to enjoy a relaxed, picnic-style event.
The performance will then move between various scenic spots within the gardens, making it an adventure for the whole family and a unique way to experience theatre under the Melbourne skies.
The Australian Shakespeare Company is one of Australia’s leading independent theatre companies, renowned for taking theatre out of traditional venues and into parks, gardens and other spectacular outdoor settings, and for having pioneered large–scale outdoor theatre in Australia.
Location: Royal Botanic Gardens, Oak Lawn Gate
Dates: December 18-January 24
Times: 10am and 6pm
Tickets: $25– $30 or $90– $110 per group of four
Bookings: shakespeare
australia.com.au or call 8676 7511 or via Ticketmaster

