The summer season at the Theatre Royal in Bath comes to its end with two extremely English productions: a new version of Noël Coward’s comedy of manners Hay Fever.and an open-air youth production of Robin Hood.

One of Britain’s favourite actresses, Felicity Kendal, stars with Simon Shepherd, in Hay Fever, when they play Judith and David Bliss, respectively an actor and novelist at the top of their professions, and their rather Bohemian adult children Sorel and Simon are incapable of sharing the spotlight.

Unconventional, risqué, and often downright rude, they are everything a respectable English family should not be. When each member of the family invites a guest to their rural retreat, the unassuming visitors are thrown into a living melodrama. Misjudged meetings, secret seductions and scandalous revelations proliferate during one outrageous weekend in Berkshire.

Much loved for her illustrious television and stage career, Felicity Kendal is one of the UK’s most popular actresses. She has starred in many long-running TV series and on the West End stage. Simon Shepherd is equally beloved of the viewing public, with many stage and screen appearances to his credit. He won the hearts of many when he played Dr Will Preston in more than 70 episodes of Peak Practice. Born in Bristol, he trained at the Old Vic Theatre School.

The production, which opens on Wednesday, August 20 and runs until September 6, reunites the considerable comic talents of Felicity Kendal and director Lindsay Posner, after their West End triumph in Alan Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking last year, which played in Bath before transferring to the London stage. One of the UK’s greatest directors of comedy, Lindsay Posner directs Coward for the first time with Hay Fever. Meanwhile, rehearsals began this week for one of Bath’s biggest outdoor summer performances as 78 youngsters started work on preparations for Storm on the Lawn’s thrilling new staging of Robin Hood at Prior Park.

The Theatre Royal Bath’s annual project sees the group, mostly strangers to each other, spend three weeks working with director Heidi Vaughan and the egg theatre’s professional team to create a spectacular open-air performance.

Robin Hood is a classic story that speaks to our time: an outlaw with a mission to restore justice and equality. Robin Hood, in a brand new staging adapted by Paul Dodgson, will take place from Wednesday, August 27-31 in the 18th century Ball Court in the grounds of Prior Park College, an ideal venue to turn into the Sheriff of Nottingham’s castle.

Wiltshire youngsters taking part come from Bradford on Avon and Westbury, part of the largest company ever involved in the show both on and off stage.

Tickets for both shows are available from the box office on 01225 448844 or www.theatreroyal.org.uk