THEATRE down the pub and on the back of a horse and cart are two of the novel ways in which the Wassail Theatre is engaging with the community.

The Somerset based theatre company has exciting new plans in the pipeline of how it aims to expand on their ethos of being a community based production company.

Nick White, Director of Wassail Theatre explained what the theatre likes to do is to engage with the audience by giving them plays about Somerset which has local relevance.

He said: “One of the plays we have up and coming is the Somerset Charabanc which is an outdoor performance and takes place on the back of a horse and cart drawn by two Suffolk punch horses.

“The actors and the audience share the back of the cart as it goes on a five mile trip along the Somerset Levels.

“The play called Reclaimed is about the Somerset Levels and asks what impact the floods of 2014/15 had what happens when a community finds itself in crisis.

“It is a meaty play but there is comedy in the crisis.”

This will be shown for the first time in Langport between September 7-10 and then again for the Langport Festival from September 11-17.

This play is being funded by the Arts Council for England and South Somerset District Council.

As well as this, Wassail Theatre are planning to take Rex the King (a darts player who is given his dreams on a plate and they suddenly touch to ashes in his mouth) back on tour around pubs in the county.

And next year it plans to do a play to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

It reflects on the impact of the war on Somerset and looks at what are called the nine ‘Thankful Villages’ in the county whose men went to war but were not killed and all returned home.

“Most villages have a war memorial but these villages do not.

“We hope this play will be on stage in the Autumn of 2018.

“Wassail Theatre has a lot of irons in the fire and a lot of ideas at an early stage.”

For further details how to get tickets so you can see Reclaimed go online to wassailtheatre.co.uk