Name: The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary
Start: 2024-07-18T19:00:00+01:00
Location: The Old Library, 10 Lower Bore St, PL31 2JX

Emma Bovary is bored. She’s bored with her boring doctor husband, bored with her boring provincial village and bored with her role as a dutiful wife in (boring) nineteenth-century France. But Emma reads novels. Lots of novels. And in novels, life is much more fun… Now, four actors battle hilarious mishaps and misbehaving props to tell the (massively) tragic story of Madame Bovary.
Laugh and cry in equal measure as Emma Bovary chooses the wrong husband. Lose yourself in mesmeric love scenes featuring a stupendous collection of devastatingly handsome men. Question the impotence of women in a patriarchal, Victorian society (if you want). There will be vermin, visual absurdity, wild animals and a nun.
Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary was published in 1856, prosecuted for obscenity and hailed as the greatest novel ever written.
2 hours not including interval.
Ages 12 +
The show contains themes of a mature nature, with numerous sexual references. The show also includes themes around suicide and mental illness.

What to expect and what to bring:
Car parking charges still apply in the Cardinham Woods. The event will be no longer than two hours, so it will be £4. More information here: https://www.forestryengland.uk/cardinham-woods. You can pay for the parking at the machines or using the RingGo App. The location is 31017.
The performance space is in the garden, behind the Woods Café - What3Words - ///unloaded.waltz.fully
The show will begin at 4pm, so give yourself time to get there and set up beforehand.
The Woods Cafe closes at 4pm, so either come early for some of their delicious food and drinks, or bring your own refreshments. You're welcome to bring a picnic.
The toilets are in the main car park, which is a 3-minute walk from the performance space.
Please bring your own chairs or blankets. We will have a few benches as a backup, if you don't have a camping chair.
The sun will be out! The space is surrounded by trees, so you may find a shady spot, but please bring sun hats and wear sun cream – and sometimes the shade can be chilly, so pack a jumper. And sometime it does rain, so pack a rain coat! Umbrellas block the view behind you, so they’re not so good, unless you stand at the back.
What happens if it does rain? The show will go on! Unless it torrential thunderstorms, in which case we will cancel the show and let you know via email that morning at the latest.
There can be midges in the air…! They might not be out at this time, but if you have any bug spray, it might be worth packing that. We'll have some citronella incense sticks.