Summer nights get musical twist
Thousands of people enjoyed open air movies at Shugborough Hall in a new twist on the venue's traditional picnic evenings.
Around 7,000 film fans flocked to the grounds of the stately home near Stafford for screenings of hit musicals Mamma Mia! and Grease. And many visitors camped it up dressed as characters from two of the silver screen's biggest box office smashes.
The shows replaced Shugborough's Proms event after the company which staged the annual event decided not to continue there this summer.
So bosses at the attraction decided to change tack and say they are thrilled at the popularity of their new idea, which saw a 10.5 by 4.5-metre screen erected two metres above ground level in front of the mansion house. Also on site were 40 gazebos and five catering units.
First up on Friday was Mamma Mia which was a 4,000 ticket sell-out, while Grease, on Saturday, wasn't far behind in terms of sales.
Adverts for Shugborough were run on the giant screen until the sun went down sufficiently for the audience to be able to view the picture unimpaired.
Corinne Caddy, spokeswoman for Shugborough Hall, said: "The atmosphere on both nights was fantastic. It was a huge success. Lots of people turned up in costume and it was very popular with hen parties. We had a lot of people asking if we will be doing it next year and we definitely will.
"The weather was very kind to us and we are absolutely over the moon with how it went. When the organiser of the Proms pulled out of Shugborough, we wanted to continue with something where people could enjoy the grounds and bring a picnic.
"I also think it was priced just right at £7, which is comparable to a night at a normal cinema."
Teams cleared up the grounds between midnight and morning after both screenings to prepare the grounds for visitors entering from 11am the next day.
Among the revellers was Darren Evans, aged 44, a sign manufacturer from Cheslyn Hay, who dressed up as John Travolta's lead character in Grease Danny Zucko.
He said: "It was great. We saw it advertised on a leaflet and as we loved Grease when it came out I decided to take my wife Sara and our three children."
