THEATRE fans can enjoy a picnic while they watch an open air performance of the classic Romeo and Juliet next weekend.

MDCC Theatre Company will be starting its summer tour at Redditch's Forge Mill Museum next Saturday and Sunday.

Petrina Muscroft, a member of the group since 1987, has decided not to act this year but will direct instead.

She is the great-great-great-grandaughter of actor William Macready, who at the age of 15 made his debut in Birmingham playing Romeo.

And her 10-year-old son Callum Muscroft, a pupil at Birchensale Middle School, will also be performing in the production alongside a cast of 15.

The production is set in the 1920s, embracing the music and costume of the period.

The performance is open air and audience members are invited to bring a picnic but no dogs are allowed. Performances start at 5pm and tickets, priced £5, are available on 62509 or 60806.

The tour then moves on to Broms-grove's Avoncroft Museum on July 1 and 2, Lichfield on July 8, 9, and 15, Birmingham's Botanical Gardens on July 19, 20, 26, 27, Pembroke Castle in Wales on August 1, 2, 3, 4, and Moseley park on August 12 and 13.

For more details, visit www.mdcctheatre.com

or email the

company on mdcc@talk21.com