Puppets take centre stage at Red Rose Theatre in Forest


Witch puppets from the award-winning company who created the puppets for Life of Pi! will take centre stage at Theatre in the Forest’s Macbeth at Sutton Hoo.

This summer, Red Rose Chain will transform Sutton Hoo into great Birnam Wood as one of Shakespeare’s blood thirstiest tragedies, MACBETH, takes centre stage at Suffolk’s biggest and best loved outdoor theatre event. A breath-taking production in a stunning and atmospheric new setting sees the meeting of two icons of Suffolk’s culture, Theatre in the Forest and Sutton Hoo.

Red Rose Chain is delighted to announce that Nick Barnes Puppets is designing three giant witch puppets for the production. Fresh from their Olivier award winning puppets in The Life of Pi, the company’s designs will bring the witches to life beyond any imagination! 

“We are so excited to be working with Red Rose Chain. The collaboration has challenged us to create witches like you have never seen before and we are looking forward to bringing these classic characters to life in a wonderful and original way!” Nick Barnes Puppets

“I have never been so excited about directing a show. I have the perfect creative team and our new partnership with Nick Barnes Puppets is inspirational. This will be a Macbeth to appeal to everyone’s imaginations. I can’t wait to see our wonderful audience at Sutton Hoo in our beautiful new pop up theatre.” Joanna Carrick, Red Rose Chain Artistic Director

See Shakespeare as you’ve never seen it before – outdoors and under the stars at Sutton Hoo!

Theatre in the Forest is famed for making Shakespeare accessible and fun for all, staying true to the text while injecting high energy, dance, music, colour and magic! This year, MACBETH promises to be the biggest Theatre in the Forest yet!

The magic of Theatre in the Forest begins as soon as you arrive! Audiences can soak up the pre-show atmosphere with a picnic, or with food and drink from The King’s Road Café at Sutton Hoo! And, why not make a day of it and visit Sutton Hoo’s world-famous Anglo-Saxon burial mounds and then watch Theatre in the Forest in the evening! 

Theatre in the Forest prides itself on being an accessible event, with wheelchair accessible seating and facilities and close-up parking. 

Macbeth will be at Sutton Hoo from 27th July until 20th August. Tickets can be booked at www.redrosechain.com/macbeth or from the Box Office on 01473 603388