Titchfield Festival Theatre stage The Tempest in unusual location

Shakespeare’s comedy tells a story involving a major act of betrayal, ill treatment, magic and revenge.

Robbed of his position, power and wealth, Prospero’s enemies have left him in isolation. But this is no ordinary man, and in a break with tradition, this no ordinary island. It's a motorway services.

Prospero is a magician, able to control the very elements and bend nature to his will. When a camper van appears at the junction, he reaches out across the roaring motorway to the van that carries the men who wronged him. Creating a vast magical traffic jam he wrecks the camper van and his enemies are stranded in his service station. They find themselves lost this fantastical place, where nothing is as it seems.

Director Daniel Fox, who previously directed Romeo & Juliet at the Great Barn in 2017 says: ‘The Tempest is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays due to the range of characters, the mystical elements it contains – and because it is quite different from his other works.

‘Shakespeare manages to balance his comedy and tragedy very well, which makes him such a great write. For this production, we decided to set The Tempest in a contemporary setting, hence the motorway service station idea. However, we have remained faithful to Shakespeare’s original text with a few minimal changes.

‘The Bard at the Barn summer season means a great deal to me and whether you are a fan of Shakespeare or are less familiar with his writing, we promise you a superb evening of entertainment at this historic and beautiful venue.’

There is a special offer for those who book both The Tempest at the Great Barn and Return to The Forbidden Planet together; an extra £1 reduction off the price of each ticket.

• The Tempest at Titchfield Festival Theatre, runs from June 25-July 4. titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com