If you would like to listen to a story in a magical venue you will want to visit Cranborne Earthhouse this year.

The Crick Crack Club will be bringing a new season of twisted mythology, wild epic, ancient folklore and fairytales for grown-ups, including a retelling of King Lear in celebration of Shakespeare Day on Saturday 23 April.

On Saturday 26 March at 7.30pm they are presenting Uncaged and Little Red Riding Hood – a double-bill. A wild man in a cage is holding the exact thing you’ve been looking for. But you don’t have the key. Michael Harvey unearths a Breton version of a famous Grimms fairytale that will blow your mind while Nell Phoenix strays from the path in search of young, and not so young, ladies who have played in the woods, broken the rules, and ultimately got the upper hand when things go horribly wrong.

On Saturday 23 April at 7.30pm there is King Lear Retold. Debs Newbold, brings a bold, compelling and contemporary retelling of a great Shakespearean tragedy rooted in folk and fairytale. Explosive, deeply felt and often uproariously funny, this is Shakespeare shot from the hip.

Saturday 4 June, 8pm sees The Thief’s Tale and The Game of Candles. In a double-bill Daniel Morden conjures the folkloric fever dream of a reluctant hero of the people, complete with giant cow-eating cats, while Tim Ralphs and Sarah Liisa Wilkinson pay tribute to an unnerving folk custom from Edo-period Japan.

Tickets start from £12.50 per person. More details and tickets for all the shows are available on https://crickcrackclub.com/whats-on/the-earthhouse/

The grounds of the Earthouse open at 6pm for evening performances, so if the weather is good, audiences are very welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy at the site before their show.