Imaginarium spins a yarn at outdoor venues this summer

Imaginarium will be weaving together tales of rural rituals and superstitions at parks and gardens throughout Merseyside this summer.

The Prescot-based theatre company presents Rob Brannen’s The Yarn, which it first staged to acclaim a decade ago, at venues including Reynolds Park in Woolton, Taylor Park in St Helens and the new Ken Dodd Performance Garden at Shakespeare North Playhouse.

The production, supported by the Arts Council and Knowsley Borough of Culture, is set in the early 19th Century countryside and its fantastical and thought-provoking stories explore themes of inequality, poverty and hunger as villagers fight for survival in the age of enclosure and industrialisation.

Imaginarium’s artistic director Gaynor La Rocca says: “In 2012 we toured The Yarn across the North West and up to the Edinburgh Fringe. Audiences and press raved about the production, and it sparked an exciting long-term creative relationship with playwright Rob Brannen.

“I’m so excited to reprise The Yarn this summer with several of the original cast, but this time directed for the great outdoors and touring to many of my favourite green spaces across the region, and to the Sir Ken Dodd Garden Theatre of the new Shakespeare North Playhouse.”

The cast is an ensemble of 20 community performers aged six to 76, and the show includes an original score.

The Yarn is at various locations between July 9 and August 14. For full details and tickets visit the website HERE