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Minack Theatre
The Minack Theatre is an open-air theatre built by Rowena Cade (Rowena Cade) in 1932. It is built along a steep rock gorge and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Every summer, it hosts a variety of shows, including stage plays, musical shows, and concerts, attracting visitors from all over the world. We visited during the off-season. Although there were no shows, we were able to relax in the theater more comfortably and visit the exhibition inside the theater to learn about its unique architecture and history.
The theater's garden was built by local horticulturists Niall Milligan (Niall Milligan) and Jill Milligan (Jill Milligan) in the late 90s. It's perfect for today's sunny weather. Coupled with thriving plants, it makes people more energetic!
The plants in the garden mainly come from South Africa, South America, and the Canary Islands; these plants are rare in other parts of the UK. By creating a microclimate environment at the top of the cliff, as well as good drainage and acidic soil, this garden can withstand extreme weather conditions and grow tender plants such as bald eel, aloe, bellflower, sorrel, and mountain longan.
For me, the most impressive thing about the theater is its unique audience seats. Each seat is engraved with the name and year of the stage play, clearly showing how many rich plays the Minack Theatre has carried over the years. In addition to the seats, we can also see lots of lettering on the ground next to the cliff.
There is a coffee shop in the theater, and I ordered a cup of mocha and enjoyed a relaxing time overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. After a short break, we visited an exhibition on the history of the theatre.
The story of the Minack Theatre began in 1929, when Rowena participated in an open-air performance of Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” (A Midsummer Night's Dream). The play was a huge success, and after that, she wanted to stage Shakespeare's “The Tempest” (The Tempest), and Rowena proposed that they use her Cliff Garden to perform. As a result, she decided to build a practical performance area and audience seat.
The Minack Theatre was built without excavators or heavy machinery. Lovina and her assistants mainly used hand tools (and occasionally explosives) to shape the theater we saw today. She cut and haul rocks at the edge of steep cliffs to build the first terraces. There, if you're not careful, you'll fall into the rippling ocean.
Lovina spent her life building the Minack Theater. Most of the buildings we saw today were made of concrete and coastal sand, and she personally carried this sand up the cliff in sacks. When I left the theater, I discovered that every pillar had Minak's logo engraved on it. Lovina's efforts for the things she loves are admirable.
How do I get to the Minack Theatre?
Take the train to Penzance station, then transfer to the LAND bus to Car Park station (about 40 minutes) and walk for 10 minutes. (Click here for Google Maps)
💡 Official website:https://www.minack.com/
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Hello, everyone! I am Nicole, a Hong Konger living in the UK. I hope that by sharing my experience, I can give you some insights. All the articles and website design of this blog are done by me slowly. If you have any enquiries about studying, travelling, work, design, or business cooperation, feel free to contact me!
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