About
OUR STORY
About Bretforton Grange & Theatrebarn
12 miles from Shakespeare’s birthplace, Bretforton Grange has been a place of gathering, storytelling and creativity for over 1000 years.
Since the 8th Century, when Bretforton Grange was granted to Evesham Abbey by King Offa to support the activities of the monks and visiting Abbots, this site has been a place of work, residence, creativity and fun.
From its beginning, during the reign of King Offa, this monastic grange has nurtured communal living, agriculture, artistic endeavour and fun through the centuries.
Today, the Bretforton Grange estate has entered a new chapter where creative people can be themselves and explore. In a rapidly changing world where creative practices are under threat, we have a place of safety where people can be unafraid to be creative.
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Bretforton Grange & Theatrebarn is a greenhouse for theatre development, a sanctuary for freelancers, and a vibrant cultural space for the local community.
We are committed to preserving our heritage as we shape the future of theatre and the creative industries. By way of its historic roots, global ambitions, innovative programming, and meaningful connections with our community, Bretforton Grange & Theatrebarn, and its other beautiful spaces and grounds, are a destination for cultural excellence.

We are a place for inspiration and renewal, a place to breathe the same oxygen, for dreamers, makers, and storytellers; for collaboration, inspiration and renewal. We invite you to be part of this extraordinary story.
CHARITABLE MISSION & VALUES
What we stand for
We believe that creativity has the power to connect, heal, inspire, and drive innovation. The Charity strives to make creativity possible for everyone; to nurture talent, increase participation, and create a safe and supportive environment where artists and their ideas can thrive.​
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Our vision comprises three purposes:
Creating the theatre of the future
We believe that the days when artists expected to suffer for their art are over, and that they need to be nurtured and celebrated in order to fulfil their potential.
Our facilities will allow collaborators the chance to be together in one place.
With numerous flexible spaces, specifically designed for creative development, we can stand out as a place which puts inspiration first and optimises the creative process, allowing for experimentation, failure, creative alchemy and play.
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Supporting creative freelancers
We believe that artists need to be nurtured, celebrated in order to fulfill their potential.
We can offer them a reminder of why they came into the industry in the first place: the pursuit of excellence, passion, and the collaboration of people.
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As a meeting place for freelancers, we will also encourage the passing on of industry skills through generations; the past preserving the future.
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Working with our local community
Bretforton Grange has a history of being a proud member of its local community.
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As well as received performances in Theatrebarn, it will offer opportunity as it arises to see the
progression of work as it is created and develops on site - “a glimpse behind the curtain”.
It will remain at the heart of its community, committed to ensuring that everyone can benefit from its assets. Our cultural offering will be accessible to all, and everyone will be invited to participate.
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THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS
What we offer
Our spaces are numerous, flexible and endlessly adaptable. Venues can be hired independently or together in any combination. All with exclusive parking in a beautiful setting. Your imagination and requirements can fill them.
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178 seat theatre for for developing, rehearsing and performing
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Bar, restaurant & commercial kitchen for gathering and celebrating
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Function rooms, spaces and bars for events, classes and activities
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Fully licensed wedding venue for celebrations of all kinds
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Grounds and woodland for exploring, learning and playing
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Outdoor activity spaces for for camping, festivals and retreats
WHO WE ARE
Trustees & Team
The Board of Trustees
Our Board consists of some of the finest practitioners in their fields, brought together by a shared belief in the enduring worth of creativity and the Arts.
The Team
DIRECTOR
Dafydd Rogers
Dafydd began his career by running theatres including The Royal Court Theatre, The Open Air Theatre Regent's Park and in the West End of London, the Aldwych, Shaftesbury and Playhouse Theatres and more recently was the Executive Director of Cambridge Arts Theatre. He is a multi Olivier and Tony award winning commercial independent theatre producer. For twenty-five years, he was one half of one of the most successful producing partnerships ever, creating and producing predominately new work as the lead producers or licensed across the world. Of these shows, five were presented on New York’s Broadway (two winning the 'Best Play' Tony Award) and thirteen in London’s glittering West End (winning four Olivier ‘Best Play /Comedy’ awards) as well as countless weeks of UK and global touring. The shows that they created include: ART, God of Carnage, The Full Monty, Calendar Girls/The Girls, The Band (Take That) musical, The Blues Brothers, Equus with Daniel Radcliffe, Heroes, Kneehigh Theatre's Brief Encounter, The Play What I Wrote & Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. Dafydd has sat on either the SOLT / UK Theatre Boards for more than seventeen years and currently programs the commercial weeks at the 2360-seater London Coliseum for the English National Opera.
