The Spectacular Minack Theatre, Cornwall

 I enjoy live theatre and have been to many theatres over my life time from local playhouses to grand theatres in London and the USA, even to vast, awe inspiring  ampitheatres in Turkey but the Minack Theatre in Cornwall is like nothing I have ever seen before. 

Located only a few kilometres from  Lands End on the stunning coast of Porthcurno Bay, the 750 seat theatre was the brain child of Rowena Cade.  Rowena had bought the headland for 100 pounds in the 1920s and built her home there. As a great lover of  theatre she quickly became involved in local productions offering her garden for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  She then decided that since there was no theatre in the area she would build one herself on her rugged coastal property.

Rowena began work on the Minack in 1930 and although having able assistance from her loyal gardener, Billy Rawlings, and some local workmen, did much of the work herself carrying buckets of sand and wooden beams up and down the very steep site. By 1932 she had the bare bones of the theatre in time for it to host a production of The Tempest. Facilities at that time were sketchy so stage lighting was provided by battery and car headlights, however, her work continued and the theatre expanded and improved over time.

Seats engraved with the names of productions performed at the Minack

 Rowena mastered a technique of making the concrete and sand seats look like stone and she painstakingly engraved Celtic patterns and the names of the plays performed there into the backs of the seats. In the whole theatre there is only one granite seat which Rowena dedicated to Billy Rawlings who died in 1966.

The perfect location for a war time look out post

During the second World War the theatre was requisitioned for use as a look out post. After the war major restoration and improvements were undertaken and in 2014 it was named as one of the most spectacular theatres in the world, a truly wonderful legacy for Rowena who continued working on the theatre up into her mid eighties.  She died in 1983 just short of her 90th birthday.

The steep seating ensures good views of the stage below and the sea beyond

Today, to cater for modern audiences, improvements continue but are made strictly in keeping with the style and vision of Rowena.  There are now professional lighting and sound systems, toilets and a coffee shop and a small exhibition area where you can see historic photos of Rowena at work. Nevertheless seating is still on grass or concrete terraces and patrons are advised to bring cushions to sit on.  Productions are held here rain or shine so umbrellas and raincoats are also advised depending on the weather.  I can only imagine how thrilling, albeit rather uncomfortable, it would be to see a production of The Tempest in an actual tempest with waves crashing on the rocks right behind the stage.  It was my good fortune to visit on a glorious sunny day and it was, without doubt, a major highlight of my trip to Cornwall.

Loving the ambiance- on the stage

www.minack.com