Shakespeare festival will not return to Stafford castle in 2024

The 2023 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream was held at the Gatehouse Theatre

Stafford's annual Shakespeare show will stay in the town centre for another year, because of the costs of holding it at the castle.

A production of Twelfth Night will be held at the Gatehouse Theatre instead.

Stafford Festival Shakespeare had been staged in the castle grounds for more than 30 years, before it moved due to the Gatehouse last year to cut costs.

Freedom Leisure, a not for profit trust which runs the festival, has faced an increase in its bills.

They include rising energy costs as well as the costs to build all the infrastructure to create an outdoor theatre at the castle site and increasing actor's fees.

One councillor, Tony Pearce, said: "Any performance of Shakespeare at the Gatehouse is not the same as attending one at the castle because of the atmosphere up there."

He said he accepted the situation Freedom Leisure was in, but suggested they could stage other outdoor events at the castle instead, over the summer.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.