The Minack Theatre is an open-air theatre carved into the granite cliffs at Porthcurno, at the far tip of Cornwall, a few kilometres from Land's End. The terraces descend towards the sea and the stage has the turquoise Atlantic as its backdrop: in summer plays, musicals and concerts are performed here, accompanied by the sound of the waves and the gulls. It is one of the most spectacular theatres in the world, created almost single-handedly by a remarkable woman.
History
Rowena Cade moved to Cornwall with her mother after the First World War and built a house on the Minack cliff. In 1929 a local theatre group was looking for somewhere to stage A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the performance was held successfully in a nearby meadow. Rowena then decided to create a real theatre in the cliff below her garden. Over the winter, with her gardener Billy Rawlings and a helper, she moved boulders and earth, and in August 1932 the theatre opened with Shakespeare's The Tempest, lit by batteries and car headlights.
For the next fifty years Rowena continued to work on the theatre with her own hands, even in old age: she carried sacks of sand up from the beach and decorated the concrete terraces by carving Celtic patterns, names and play titles with a screwdriver. She died in 1983. Today the theatre is run by a charitable trust and welcomes tens of thousands of spectators every year.
- 1929A local group performs A Midsummer Night's Dream near Minack
- 1932The theatre opens with The Tempest
- 1983Rowena Cade dies
What to see
The theatre
Even without seeing a show, you can visit the theatre by day. You go down the terraces, hand-decorated by Rowena Cade, to the stage, with columns and arches that look like ancient ruins. From every point the view over the ocean, Porthcurno Bay and the headland of Logan Rock is extraordinary; with a bit of luck you may see dolphins, seals and basking sharks.
The gardens
All around the theatre are gardens of succulents and subtropical plants, such as aloes, agaves and aeoniums, which grow among the rocks thanks to Cornwall's mild climate.
The visitor centre
The visitor centre tells the story of Rowena Cade and the building of the theatre with photographs, objects and a film.
The performances
From May to September the Minack hosts a season with dozens of productions, from Shakespeare to musicals, from opera to concerts, often by amateur companies of a very high standard. Bring a cushion, a blanket and a raincoat: shows go ahead almost always, even in light rain.
Practical information
The theatre is open to visitors for most of the year; on matinée days visits are limited. Tickets for performances and visits should be booked online. The path and terraces are steep. Opening times are on the official website.
Getting there
- By train and bus: by train to Penzance, the end of the line from London Paddington, then a bus to Porthcurno in about 40 minutes.
- By car: from Penzance towards Land's End and then Porthcurno; parking on the clifftop.
- By air: Newquay Airport is about an hour and a quarter away.
Nearby
- Porthcurno beach, one of the most beautiful in Cornwall, and the telegraph museum.
- Land's End, the westernmost point of England, and the fishing village of Mousehole.
- St Michael's Mount, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project.
Tips
- How long: an hour for a visit, an evening for a performance.
- When to go: May to September for performances; at sunset the light on the theatre is magical.
- A tip: before or after your visit, go down to Porthcurno beach, with its white sand: from below you realise just how much the theatre really clings to the cliff.