Not Birnam Wood But Hastings Castle: The Scottish Play
Family-friendly, funny Shakespeare comes to Hastings Castle on the West Hill
Hastings Castle will welcome The HandleBards to the West Hill on Friday 10 July for a riotous open-air production of Macbeth, marking a significant step in the Castle’s long-term ambition to become a regular destination for touring outdoor performance.
Amongst the ancient ruins, audiences are invited to bring blankets or low-backed chairs, and enjoy a playful Shakespearean production with a dramatic seascape backdrop. Perfect for an impassioned soliloquy or two!
The HandleBards are known for fast, funny, and environmentally conscious Shakespeare. Their 2026 Macbeth is performed by a 3-strong troupe touring the UK by electric van, bringing a high-octane, slightly chaotic version of the Scottish play to outdoor spaces across the country. Forget solemn tragedy: this Macbeth is full of mishaps, mayhem and mirth, suitable for all ages and apparitions.
For Hastings Castle, the performance is more than a one-off summer date. It represents the first full outdoor theatre production in the castle’s current events programme and, the team hopes, the beginning of many more. As the site continues to develop its role as an open-air events space, the arrival of The HandleBards points towards a future in which Hastings Castle becomes a distinctive stop for touring theatre companies, artists and audiences looking for performances in extraordinary places.
Ellie Westbrook, at Hastings Castle, said: “We are so excited to welcome the Handlebards to help us open this next chapter for Hastings Castle. Their work is dynamic, irreverent, interactive and does everything possible to bring theatre alive in the outdoors. We want to do more of this programming and see this event as a beautiful launchpad.”
The story may be familiar: three witches promise Macbeth the Scottish Crown, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth make one spectacularly bad decision, and things rapidly unravel from there. Foul deeds are done, plots fall apart and mysterious spirits appear. In The HandleBards’ hands, however, Shakespeare’s darkest play becomes a gloriously unhinged evening of theatre.
Venue: Hastings Castle, Castle Hill Road, West Hill, Hastings, Friday 10 July, 7pm–9pm, doors open 6pm. Tickets: https://www.handlebards.com/show/macbeth-hastings-castle/. Audience advice: Outdoor performance. Bring a chair or blanket and clothing suitable for the weather. The Handlebards’ 2026 summer season includes Macbeth and As You Like It, with Macbeth touring from June to September 2026.
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