History

The Chiltern Shakespeare Company was founded in 1986 by Michael and Aviva Wiseman, residents of Beaconsfield who were prominently involved in local theatrical activities.

Its aim was to fill a perceived need in the Chilterns for the public to be able to enjoy Shakespeare's plays featuring some of the finest amateur actors from the Chilterns and Thames Valley areas. Children were to be encouraged to participate in the plays thereby engendering their enthusiasm beyond the dry text at school.

From its early productions in a Beaconsfield school hall the company graduated in 1989 to the lovely open air setting of Hall Barn, a stately home on the outskirts of Beaconsfield, Bucks, UK by kind permission of the Burnham family. The company celebrated its 20th Summer Season at Hall Barn in 2008 with its third production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This was followed in 2009 by Romeo & Juliet. In total CSC has now put on 28 different productions - 32 of which have been in the open-air at Hall Barn.

A further key objective of the company was and remains the raising of funds for selected charities from any surplus funds generated by its productions. This is made possible by the efforts of the company's members who give so much of their free time and the generosity of Hall Barn's owners who continue to host the events on such favourable terms. For many of our patrons, an evening at Hall Barn is made complete with the pleasure of a picnic before the play in the glorious grounds.

The company readily welcomes new members, both actors and back stage crew, as well as volunteers for the many other tasks involved in staging the plays.