Berkhamsted theatre camp success as youngsters perform Shakespeare at Hudnall Park

Thirty children aged ten to 14 have finished their summer theatre camp with a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Berkhamsted after spending a week in the countryside.

Hudnall Park, which is just six miles from the town, played host to the youngsters who were able to explore the 85 acres of parkland and woods.

Victoria Williams, one-half of the husband-and-wife team who run Gobstoppers said: “We had a night walk in the woods where we heard an owl screeching to protect her young and we used a special detector to listen to bats navigating around us.”

The group had an open mic talent night and a quiz set by the children.

Victoria explained: “The students could only use their mobile phones for an hour in the evening, so they actually talked to each other, and listened to each other and we saw friendships forming

and children bonding”.

Internationally renowned theatre maker Michael Corbidge, who works with the Royal Shakespeare Company, helped the youngsters make the most of the surroundings and themselves.

The performers used the natural setting to put on Shakespeare’s comedy which happens to be set in a forest. Gobstoppers put on a production for families and friends in a clearing in the woods.

Victoria said: “The children came from all sorts of backgrounds and circumstances, but we hope the park worked its magic for them all.”

There will be another Gobstoppers summer camp in Hudnall Park in summer 2023.