BROWNSEA Open Air Theatre is celebrating its own golden jubilee year this summer with performances of two Shakespeare plays and a commemorative book.

Trips to the National Trust-owned island for a picnic and an evening of culture have become an established part of the Dorset “season” over the past decades.

Regulars have learnt to cover up, take blankets, waterproofs and mosquito repellent – while actors have to cope with getting changed in a cowshed and competing with squawking peacocks and revving powerboats.

But when everything comes together, the event can prove a magical experience.

BOAT archivist Linda Nother has put together the limited edition book Brownsea Open Air Theatre: The First 50 Years. Each section covers a decade and contains a wealth of anecdotes.

“With the 50th year coming up, it seemed appropriate that we should have some sort of pictorial and historical record of what’s been happening on Brownsea Island since the first performance in 1964,” she explained.

As the book recounts the driving force behind BOAT was Edna Clarke, a leading member of Bournemouth Little Theatre Club. She and her friend Joyce Caton persuaded the company to become involved with an open air Shakespeare production to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s birth.

Edna, who died last year, insisted that the auditions should be open, and the first play was the Tempest. Among the cast were future Bournemouth Mayor Keith Rawlings as Caliban and his wife Eileen playing Ariel. Three performances were scheduled, and despite the audience having to sit on the grass, demand for tickets was so high that a fourth performance was slotted in. The following year saw the first production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That play has been repeated in 1977, 1985, and 1999, when the cast included Rebecca Night – later to achieve fame in the title role of BBC TV’s Fanny Hill – and Lisa Dillon, who went on to train at RADA and appear in television’s Cranford.

Traditionally the plays have been Shakespeare, but in 1978 BOAT performed Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons; in 1980 The Queen and the Welshman by Rosemary Anne Sisson and in 1983 Jean Anouilh’s Becket. The summer of 1980 was BOAT’s 25th anniversary and the first – and last – time audiences had the choice of two plays (the other was the Tempest).

This year it’s happening again, with performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream from July 24 to August 2, and the lesser-known Pericles from August 7 to 16.

Around 70 people have contributed their own memories and anecdotes to the book, which has sections on each decade and is illustrated with a wealth of colour and black and white pictures – and a few cuttings from the Echo.

“It’s not a serious book, it’s quite quirky,” said Linda, who began working on the project about three years ago.

Performances are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday so if they are cancelled, they can be rescheduled for the following day, but Linda says few performances have had to be abandoned.

“Very few people are put off by the weather or the inconvenience of going to the island. I think we have a very dedicated set of patrons. They come literally from all over the world.

“You can see them arriving with their big picnics and see their faces relax the minute they walk on to the island. They love every minute of it. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be going in another 50 years.”

n Brownsea Open Air Theatre: The First 50 Years can be bought for £10 plus £3 postage from Linda Norther – ring 01202 673149 or email l.nother@ntlworld.com for details. Copies can also be bought from the front of house marquee on play nights.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is sold out but there are tickets available for Pericles from August 7-16. Tickets are £21 each, including the return boat fare from Poole Quay, from brownseaisland-theatre.co.uk or in person from the financial services office on the second floor of Beales in the Dolphin Centre, Poole. Call 01202 251987 or email boxoffice @brownsea-theatre.co.uk.