Shakespeare silenced by blackout

People were turned away from the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon after the town centre was plunged into darkness.

The lights went out on Wednesday evening, forcing the company to cancel its performances at the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres.

A spokeswoman for power suppliers, Central Network, said 19,000 customers were without power for over an hour.

Power lines came down on the A46 and the road remained closed on Thursday.

A spokesman for the RSC said a full refund is available and the 1,400 members of the audience had been extremely understanding.

He said the company had no choice but to cancel the performances as the electricity went off about 50 minutes before the plays were due to start.

It decided to cancel because Central Networks could not guarantee when the power would be restored.

The power company is investigating why the power lines came down and emergency work is being carried out to make the A46 safe.

It is expected to remain closed until at least Thursday evening.