Wylds Christmas Tree Farm in Liss will host A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of the Petersfield Shakespeare Festival from July 18 to 20.

The play was last staged in 2021 as lockdown lifted and festival organisers sought to banish the memories of Covid.

While rehearsals were strange and distanced, the performances - featuring guest appearances from a full moon and a rainbow - were riotous and rapturously received.

As the formula worked so well, the same production is being revived and dedicated to Jon-Paul Rowden, who played Bottom. Proceeds from the festival will be donated to the charity MIND.

Eight versatile actors will aim to delight their audiences by performing this timeless Bard classic in a clearing beneath an ancient oak tree.

The evening will begin with refreshments and live music at the Bottoms Up bar before the audience walks up a hill to be immersed in the magical world of the play - an enchanted forest full of warring fairies, sparring lovers and a troupe of amateur actors secretly rehearsing a play. What could possibly go wrong?

The venue will open early to create a family-friendly festival vibe in beautiful surroundings before the show.

A member of the audience in 2021 said: “A perfect setting, a rumbustious, lively enactment in the true spirit of what Shakespeare really intended.”

A reviewer added: “I longed to be the youngest child in the audience because it was completely magical and I’d have a lifetime of memories.”

Another reviewer said: “Eight outstanding actors play all the parts between them with a freshness and vitality that never flags. Our imaginations do the rest.”

Performances will be held at 7.30pm on July 18, 2pm and 7.30pm on July 19, and 7.30pm on July 20.

Tickets are available from One Tree Books at 7 Lavant Street in Petersfield and at https://psfest.co.uk/