A new adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play The Tempest premieres on Portland this September.

The innovative outdoor production has been created by professional actors and writers working with community members from Portland and surrounding areas to create three unique plays. 

Audiences can experience the three plays over one weekend as part of B-Side Festival Fringe at stunning outdoor locations – Chiswell Earthworks, High Angle Battery and Portland Bill.

The project responds to these natural spaces and explores connections between the play, Portland's heritage and climate crisis. 

"The whole play is imbued with everything about nature and humans' relationship to it and how much they disregard or honour it," said productions director Charmaine Kay, explaining the choice to adapt the play on Portland.

"It's the power of civilisation and man-made construction versus the power of knowledge of nature."

The Tempest: Rerigged has been created from workshops and rehearsals with local people since the spring and also shares links to SISATA's touring production of The Tempest, which has been delighting audiences around the UK.

The actors from that production are working alongside the community actors of the Portland Players and Offshoot Collective. 

Producer Jon Nash said: "The show is a real collaborative effort with professional and local community actors performing scripts written by local writers, costumes designed and made by local designers and Bournemouth students and music and song performed by Portland's Island Voices Community Choir and Weymouth's Harmonics Choir.

"It's such an exciting coming together of different people and their ideas and talents, all inspired by the local area."

Sue Sparks, part of Offshoot Collective, describes the project as "a people's Tempest: by, with, from and for people like you and me". 

Audiences are invited to enjoy the outdoor locations and share their own reflections on the environmental themes. The plays will be performed on September 15, 16 and 17 and tickets are now on sale at www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/portland/secret-location/the-tempest-rerigged/e-kgddmj