If you'd been down to the woods today..................

.....You could have joined us at the Wild Woodland Summer Ball at Terhidy Woods, near Portreath. We went en famille to this open air performance in a woodland clearing put on by Rogue Theatre. If you haven't been, the order of the afternoon is:
*  Wait in a queue until let into the woods in small groups.
*  Walk along a woodland path, being ambushed/entertained on the way by a variety of performers.
*  Enter the woodland world through a portal guarded by the Fairy King.
*  Enter a clearing, with a raised stage in the centre surrounded by straw bales as seats.
*  Enjoy a performance of song, dance, music and stories for a couple of hours.
*  Reverse the process to go back to the cars.

The photographs below will give a flavour of the experience. We'd been for an evening performance last year and had really enjoyed it. This year?  You can't fault the setting and the way you are guided to the stage but we had young children with us this year and, if I'm honest, it went on too long for them. Their attention started to drift after a while and it would have been better if the interval had been the end. In the event we had to leave at the interval so that we could get the children home at a reasonable hour and in good time for bed.

Having said all that, it was worth going and Rogue Theatre put on some very imaginative productions. Given the setting, maximum pleasure will be derived from an evening performance when the spookiness of being in a wood is enhanced with the lights.

Strange things dangled from trees on our path to the stage.

Oh look, there's a singing mermaid.

And here's some woodland karaoke.

A human spider weaving her web.

The Fairy King inviting us to pass through the door into his world.

The start of the performance with the Fairy King appearing in a puff of smoke.

The moon had a central role throughout as a commentator and observer. Imagine how much better she would have looked if spotlit in the dark.

An ensemble piece.

You have to pretend that the fire represents the flames of a dragon. Maybe it's just me but I don't think that the Health and Safety goggles add much to the fantasy.