Shakespeare Unstaged: Merry Wives Of Windsor
About this Event
SHAKESPEARE UNSTAGED | Merry Wives Of Windsor
This event is happening at The Reading Abbey Ruins
Friday 31st July 7.30 - 9.30pm
A Shakespeare play put on in a day!
Directed by Emily Jenkins of Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare Unstaged® was inspired by the diary of a manager at an Elizabethan theatre, which revealed that a company of actors might have put on forty plays in a year. And that these had to be rehearsed in a matter of days. In 2026, Shakespeare Unstaged® and Theatre Deli bring you Shakespeare's original comedy cycle from quarto, rehearsing and performing one play in one day each time.
Our Comedies season continues with... Merry Wives Of Windsor! Falstaff tries to pursue two married women; the women are smart; they put him in a river, dress him as a woman, and bring him to a haunted forest; everyone is happy.
60 Hour Shakespeare have raised over £9k for charity. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Theatre Deli in keeping spaces affordable and in supporting emerging artists through residencies, commissions and our Shift + Space programme. 60 hour Shakespeare have also featured four productions on BBC Radio and have worked with Colin Hurley and Michael Corbidge. Please see some reviews of our productions below.
‘I saw a piece of theatrical bravura on Monday – a wonderful production of Hamlet, rehearsed and put together over just one weekend. The strong sense of movement created a special dynamic – you felt that almost anything could happen.’ (Susan Creed, Henley Standard)
‘The use of language was brilliant, and the performances throughout were spirited and in turns both hilarious and moving.’ (Ali de Souza, Director of Drama at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School)
Credits
Gavin Leigh - Artistic Director
Charlotte Cline - Producer
About the venue
For one night only, Shakespeare Unstaged (by 60 Hour Shakespeare) is performing in the open air, on the Dormitory Lawn at the 900-year-old Reading Abbey Ruins (10 minutes' walk from the Elizabeth Line). Bring a picnic and a blanket, or a portable chair, to raise funds for emerging artists, companies and communities whose identities, backgrounds, disciplines or work are underrepresented in theatre. Directed by Emily Jenkins of Shakespeare's Globe, all proceeds of ticket sales will be donated to Theatre Deli.
The show must go on in inclement weather. The venue is accessible via a sloping footpath from Chestnut Walk.
A public toilet is located next to the Ruins in Forbury Gardens.Doors open 30 minutes before the performance.
About this performance
Age guidance: Parental guidance may be required
Content warningPlease refer to this link for content advisement
Interval: This performance will have a 15 minute interval
Accessibility
See our Accessibility Guide for information about access in our venue.
Find out more about 60 Hour Shakespeare
60 Hour Shakespeare rehearses and performs Shakespeare plays in 60 hours to raise funds for charity and to recreate original theatre practice. Shakespeare Unstaged gets even closer to original theatre practice by rehearsing and performing a Shakespeare play in a day. The productions are based on a quarto text, which leans into original theatre practice and tells the plays in surprisingly different ways. We cast amateur and professional actors from around the world through open auditions to perform in England.
www.60hourshakespeare.com
Facebook: /60HourShakespeare/
Twitter: @60HrShakespeare
Instagram: @60hourshakespeare
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 10.00
