Coming out with all guns blazing, Creation Theatre has emerged into the summer sunlight with not one, but two pioneering shows to its name, ready to take on the already bewildering array of outdoor shows in Oxford.

First up is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed not so much in the round, as around Oxford, leading up to 120 people at one time among the city’s dreaming spires as the Shakespearian comedy plays out.

The premise is that several groups, made of up to 10 audience members in each, meet in secret locations around Oxford and are then directed between the cafes, offices and shops around Frideswide Square. They meet new characters in each location, who tell the story surrounding Theseus, the Duke of Athens’s wedding, before reconvening for the grand finale. By then, everyone has really bonded because A Midsummer Night’s Dream is exciting, intergenerational and brings everyone together, says Creation’s chief executive, Lucy Askew.

Pioneered last year, the wandering production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was such a big hit, selling out way in advance, that Creation made the decision to bring it back, bigger and better, to allow all those who couldn’t get tickets the chance to partake. “It worked so well and we enjoy doing something a bit different,” Lucy explains.

“Logistically of course it’s a nightmare to organise,” she adds, laughing, “but it’s so much fun and so immersive that we thought we’d have another crack at it, because there’s nothing else like it out there and we now have the confidence that comes from knowing how well it works.”

Nominated for two theatre awards already, it’s certainly a coup for Oxford. And the rationale behind it? “How to bring people together who have seen Midsummer Night’s Dream before while still engaging them in a different way,” Lucy adds. “

“Creation has a reputation for taking risks. We shy away from putting on nice productions in beautiful gardens, not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Lucy says, “but we like to challenge ourselves and show people what Shakespeare can be in a modern world.

“It was Director Zoe Seaton ‘s idea, and once she was in, we were all hooked.

“Because theatre really needs to get people involved, to make them realise and feel how ‘live’ it is, to connect with the audience so they care about the characters, and of all the shows we have done, this has got the biggest reaction.

“So it has surprised us all but it’s so uplifting that you come away afterwards grinning from ear-to-ear as well as discovering parts of Oxford you have never seen before.”

The same can be said of Alice, currently parading around in a Big Top in University Parks, complete with rabbits, dormice and a grinning cat. There’s even a special Alice beer provided by Tap Social to enhance the picnic atmosphere.

“Yes we are rather excited about Alice,” Lucy explains, “because it’s set in a circus this year and it means the show is both outdoors and indoors which is always important. It’s quite mad; the iconic story woven together in a coming-of-age tale. We wanted to offer an alternative to Shakespeare.”

Which is saying something for Oxford’s main Shakespeare company. “There is more Shakespeare on in Oxford than ever before,” Lucy sighs, “and as a professional company, it’s hard for visitors, tourists and even locals to choose between us all.

“So we don’t even know if we will put on a Shakespeare next summer, because our budget is so much higher than everyone else’s but we don’t want to brag about that and put everyone else down. It has however, become more and more of an uphill struggle,” Lucy admits. “

Also staging Alice at pop-up theatre sessions in Bicester Village, shoppers have been flocking to see Creation’s fantastic adaption. We perform there once a week and it;s been really successful. University Parks is the complete antitheses of course where it’s all about big open spaces, joggers and ducks and we love that contrast, But the kids love it and in terms of spreading the word it’s been amazing.

“Which is why we always have to offer something new, something that you can’t find anywhere else, because so much of our ticket sales are driven by word-of-mouth.

“It’s all very well putting on a great show, but we need people to go home and talk about how good it was.”

Alice is at University Parks until August 19

A Midsummer Night's Dream is on until August 5

creationtheatre.co.uk