Home-grown Wind In The Willows for Crawley’s Hawth

Kenneth Grahame’s classic has been adapted for the stage by Mike Kenny and directed by Chloe Bond. A cast of professional actors will be supported by community performers in the new in-house show from Parkwood Productions.

And Isaac can’t wait: “I am new to the company. Actually I found out about this through Facebook which is a terrible tool really! I just saw it and I thought it sounded interesting. I always think open-air theatre is just really exciting. I've done a few open-air shows in the past and they are just such fun to be part of but also The Wind In The Willows is something I've never got to tackle before and I do really love things with a literary background. I just thought this is going to be good gentle fun for the summer.

“One of the big values that comes out of it, the whole story, is that it is about friendship and that is very exciting. Toad has more than his fair share of adventures. Toad has got a very excitable nature, that child-like innocence and maybe he is also a little bit ignorant, a little bit brash and he's someone who just gets carried away. And maybe his friends show him that you need to be a little bit more measured in what you do. I do think that he learns to temper his chaotic-ness.

“Badger is someone that perhaps people are a little bit wary of. He keeps himself to himself and he is a very proper person and does things by the book, by the rules but as you get to know him and he opens up, you realise that he is a very warm character who would do anything for his friends. He would like to think of himself as the leader of the pack. He is maybe a little bit older than the others.”

All of which is perfect for open-air theatre: “Open-air theatre makes a nice difference for the audience as much as for the actors. When you are in a theatre there is a slight pomp and circumstance, there is this ‘here is where you sit, here is where you buy your ice cream, here is where you clap’, but with open-air theatre people come along and it's much more relaxed and they have their picnics. It is all very open, and everything is visible to everyone. You can see everything and that's certainly one of the things that I most enjoy about open-air theatre. I really enjoy productions where the audience are more than just spectators, where there is a bit of back and forth. I love being able to take a line and just really pick it up if you hear someone in the audience who’s got a fantastic laugh!”

Louise Lord returns as Mole following her highly-praised role as Little John in Robin Hood at The Hawth last summer. She invites audiences to join Mole as she navigates her way through fantastical and mysterious new places, escaping the boredom of a spring clean, choosing to live life instead.

Leon Topley makes his debut at The Hawth as resourceful Ratty while actor and television voice artist Toby Baddeley performs as the infamous Mr Toad.

Tickets from hawth.co.uk or on 01293 553636 (Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm).