Publicity for my production of Twelfth Night (Dodicesima Notte) at Italy’s Licinium open-air Shakespeare theatre When I met the board of directors and the president, Signora Luisa Rovida de Sanctis, I was delighted to be offered the enchanting theatre and a tiny operating budget. But the real gift was the mandate to create my own form of Shakespearean production. How could I resist? So far I have staged two productions, using a ‘carpet’ of music as a base for the text, and making extensive use of video scenery (see YouTube video ). Every summer I work with excellent professional actors from nearby Milan, as well as talented local performers, on a magical circular stage that has a potency I’ve never before experienced. Financial support is from local businesses and local government bodies: Comune D’Erba, Provincia di Como, Camera di Commercio di Como and Regione Lombardia. We are blessed with an extensive family of faithful supporters many of whom give their services free. Local artists create the physical scenery (led by Francesca Ghedini) and costumes (led by Sara Bianchi). I am also hugely fortunate to have the services of an excellent video artist, Stefano Pan, who collaborates with me endlessly and patiently. Frequently we rehearse in the blazing heat of an Italian summer’s afternoon or in the unexpected chill of the evening. All lighting/video projection rehearsals have to start at sundown, so work often continues through the night …. For me, this is the creative process at its most exciting.