Wiltshire Creative has announced the programming for its Summer Festival Season, which this year incorporates Salisbury International Arts Festival 2023.

Highlights of this year’s Salisbury International Arts Festival include:
● The festival’s centrepiece will be Wiltshire Creative’s outdoor, site-specific production of The Tempest in a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic tale in Churchill Gardens from 24 May to 4 June
● Returning to the festival’s classical roots, vocal ensemble Siren will present Doomsday, performed beneath and inspired by St Thomas’ medieval Doom painting, exploring themes of chaos and uncertainty at St Thomas’ Church on 7 June
● Opera della Luna returns to the festival with Gilbert and Sullivan’s much-loved HMS Pinafore at Salisbury Playhouse in a hilarious recreation of the original hit on 8 June
● The Lord Chamberlain’s Men return in their outdoor, all-male production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, performed at Rack Close on 9 and 10 June.
Salisbury International Arts Festival includes a range of music events for the whole family, including With The Beatles, celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ performance at Salisbury City Hall in 1963 in collaboration with Salisbury History Festival.

Tweed-clad 10-piece ensemble Old Dirty Brasstards will perform their cross-genre eclectic party covers, while blues and jazz sensation Elkie Brooks will perform her numerous hit singles at the Playhouse.

Artistic director of La Folia, Howard Moody returns with a transporting evening of Bach’s Musical Offering on violin, flute, cello and harpsichord, in collaboration with Best Foot Music, which will be interwoven with music and poetry from across the world at St Thomas’ Church on 14 June.

Motionhouse will present the new circus production for all the family, Starchitects, incorporating gravity-defying choreography and digital projections at the Playhouse on 14 June.

Farm Yard Circus, a family-friendly farmyard-inspired eclectic mix of acrobatics, juggling, theatre and live music, will be at Rack Close on 11 June.

Gyles Brandreth and Susie Dent bring their award-winning comedy podcast Something Rhymes with Purple to the Playhouse stage on 17 June, with other comedy events from Marcus Brigstocke and Lucy Porter.

The festival will also feature exhibitions and films across the city.

Summer Festival Season outside of the Arts Festival, include Musical Theatre Salisbury’s production of Legally Blonde, returning to the Playhouse stage in July, as well the hugely popular Beerex festival, returning for its 41st year at the Arts Centre from 7-8 July.

Artistic director of Wiltshire Creative, Gareth Machin said: “We have mapped out another marvellous programme for Wiltshire Creative’s summer season. It’s hugely exciting to be creating the festival centre piece, The Tempest, here in Salisbury working with incredible professional artists alongside many members of our local community.

“Churchill Gardens will be re-imagined as Shakespeare’s island in our biggest, boldest event yet. Elsewhere, music, dance, circus and spoken word events will fill our stages, bringing world class talent to our audience here in Salisbury.”