Castle Theatre Company is delighted to announce its 2026 touring production of one of Shakespeare’s most entertaining comedies: The Merry Wives of Windsor. Set in 1960s suburbia, the show includes a number of musical interludes sure to put a smile on your face! Packed with trickery, duels, and a whole array of unique costuming, The Merry Wives of Windsor promises a side-splitting night of laughter and chicanery.

New in town and down on his luck, Sir John Falstaff arrives in Windsor and attempts to woo Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, the wives of two wealthy residents. Meanwhile, the Pages’ daughter, Anne, is pursued by three suitors. With Mistress Quickly being paid by all three to put in a good word for them, chaos ensues as they all vie for her hand. In between duplicitous love letters, eavesdropping, and plain old trickery, events culminate in a fantastical nighttime confrontation in Windsor Park, where Falstaff soon realises that he’s got more than he bargained for.

Castle Theatre Company is the oldest performing arts groups at Durham University, and for over four decades has taken an annual summer Shakespeare tour around primarily the south of England and the USA, performing classic comedies on the lawns of stately homes, gardens, and abbeys. The company is renowned for its high standard of performance, offering a full-length Shakespeare comedy that is suitable for all the family. 2025’s touring production of Twelfth Night was performed to sold-out audiences across England.

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£8 Performing Arts Members

This performance will take place in the Fellow's Garden, Durham Castle, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3RW.

Performances will begin at 2.30pm and run for 135 minutes with a short interval. Doors will open 30 minutes before the performance begins.

The Tony, Grammy and Oliver award winning hit musical Dear Evan Hansen comes to Durham! Follow high schooler Evan Hansen on a deeply moving story as he becomes entangled in a misunderstanding after his classmate Connor is found with a letter addressed “Dear Evan Hansen” after taking his own life.

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical which follows Evan Hansen, an anxious high school student who feels entirely invisible to his peers and is tasked by his therapist to write letters to himself. After a series of misunderstandings involving his letter and signed cast, Evan is mistaken for a close friend of Connor Murphy, a student who commits suicide, and is sucked into Connor’s family life and the lie of their friendship. Evan is plagued with visions of Connor and enlists the help of his classmates to create ‘The Connor Project’ in his honour, which catapults Evan into popularity.

Content warnings: Suicide, self-harm, death.

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£7 Performing Arts Members

This event takes place at the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, 40 North Bailey, Durham, DH1 3ET.

Shows begin at 7.30pm (or 2.30pm) and runs for approximately 2 hours with interval. Doors open 30 minutes before the show begins.