The Pantaloons are an English touring theatre company specialising in open-air productions of the plays of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. Their work draws from a wide variety of popular theatre traditions, and is often performed for free in public spaces.

History

The Pantaloons were founded in 2004 at the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

, performing an all-male, open-air production of '' As You Like It'' in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, Kent.The Pantaloons
/ref> They regrouped the following year for a small-scale tour of ''

The Winter’s Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'', which involved their first free performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The scale of their tours has increased since then, and the company now tour extensively across the UK. The Pantaloons have produced a variety of free performances every year since 2005 in public spaces such as

The Scoop The Scoop is an outdoor amphitheatre situated on the south side of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in London, located next to City Hall, providing seating for approximately 800 people. Designed by Townshend Landscape Architects, it is a venue ...

, London,

Preston Park, Brighton Preston Park is a park near Preston Village in the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. It is located in Preston Park ward to the north of the centre of Brighton, and served by the nearby Preston Park railway station. Preston Park ...

, and the

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies ...

. Since their foundation, the company have performed: *''As You Like It'' (2004) *''The Winter’s Tale'' (2005) *'' Romeo and Juliet'' (2006, 2009 and 2016) *''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...

'' (2006) *''

A Midsummer Night’s Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (2007 and 2013) *''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' (2008) *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' (2009) *''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'' (2010 and 2015) *'' Macbeth'' (2010) *'' A Christmas Carol'' (2010, 2011 and 2012) *'' The Canterbury Tales'' (2011, 2012 and 2016) *''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' (2012 and 2016) *'' Grimm Fairy Tales'' (2012) *'' Sherlock Holmes'' (2013 and 2014) *'' The Tempest'' (2014) *''The Pantaloons' History of Britain'' (2014) *''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...

'' (2014 and 2015) *'' Pride and Prejudice'' (2015) *''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (2015) *'' Gulliver's Travels'' (2016) * '' Pride and Prejudice'' (2017) *'' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (2017) * ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...

'' (2018) and (2022) * '' As You Like It'' (2018). The company began to attract national attention with their 2008 production of ''The Taming of the Shrew'', with coverage in ''The Guardian'' and ''Independent'' newspapers focusing largely on their free shows and family appeal. Their ''Romeo and Juliet'' was listed by ''The Sunday Times'' in 2009 as one of their picks for the summer. As of 2015, the company also give school workshops on Shakespeare for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4.

Recorded Media

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the early closure of their 2020 theatre tour of Bleak House. To recoup lost box-office revenue, they adapted the show into a radio play and a crowdfunding model was adopted to finance the venture. This is The Pantaloons' first (and to date, only) full length show available in a recorded medium. The play was adapted for radio and directed by Alex Rivers, while audio production and editing was by Chris Coxon. The cast were Edward Ferrow, Alex Rivers, Emily Beach, Neil Jennings and Chris Coxon.ChrisCoxon.co.uk
/ref>

External links

Official site of The PantaloonsOfficial site of the Edinburgh Festival FringeOfficial site of the Brighton Festival Fringe

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pantaloons Edinburgh Festival performers Theatre companies in England Shakespearean theatre companies