Name: Handlebards - Much Ado About Nothing
Start: 2025-08-17T17:00:00+01:00
End: 2025-08-17T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Hexham Abbey

Pedalling from venue to venue with all of their set, props and costumes on the back of their bikes, the HandleBards are a four-strong troupe of actors who are spending the summer bringing environmentally sustainable Shakespeare to venues across the UK.
Join the troupe at Hexham Abbey for a bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ like you’ve never seen before. In usual HandleBards style, expect riotous amounts of energy, a fair old whack of chaos, and a great deal of laughter.
And what’s the play about? Well – a group of soldiers return from the war to a household in Messina, kindling new love interests and re-kindling old rivalries. The parallel love stories of Beatrice, Benedick, Claudio and Hero quickly become entangled with scheming, frivolity and melodrama in Shakespeare’s famous comedy.
This is an outdoor production, so please bring a chair or blanket to sit on, a picnic to dig into, and dress for the weather!
★★★★★ – “The HandleBards’ Much Ado About Nothing delivers on everything” – Liverpool Echo
★★★★★ – “Explodes with energy and is a genuine treat from start to finish” – The Stage, on the HandleBards’ Twelfth Night
Notes on Performance
– Doors open at 4pm, so bring a picnic and come and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
– Chairs, picnics, blankets and any other low level accessories are welcome.
– In case of rain, please don’t bring umbrellas as they block sight-lines for other audience members. Ponchos and raincoats are just as fetching, so please wear these instead.
– This is an outdoors performance and surfaces may be uneven – if you have any access related questions ahead of the performance please get in touch!
Important Ticket Conditions – Please Read
– Under 5’s are free – no ticket needed.
– Tickets will also be available to purchase on the day at the venue for £21 each, subject to availability. If the show sells out in advance then tickets may not be available on the door so early booking is encouraged!
– You can bring your tickets digitally, on a phone or tablet, so save the trees and please don’t print them.