Creation Theatre's impressive and long-awaited open-air

theatre in Oxford welcomes its first audience tonight, the first of 30,000 visitors expected over the summer, writes Monica Sloan.

The 370-seat amphitheatre in Headington Hill Park, opposite South Park, marks a new chapter for the

company, which began in the grounds of Magdalen College School eight years ago.

David Parrish at Creation Theatre's amphitheatre in Headington Hill Park

After a month of construction work, the venue is ready for a summer of Shakespeare with productions of Twelfth Night and The Tempest.

David Parrish, 35, came to Oxford nine years ago as an actor to perform in a production of As You Like It.

He was part of the original team behind Creation Theatre, and while the others have scaled down their involvement or dropped away, he remains at the helm as producer and artistic director.

He credits ideas, creativity and energy, rather than strict planning and business sense, for making the company a surprise success.

"I had no idea it was going to be so big. There was all this open-air stuff happening with people sitting around the grass on chairs. It wasn't all that professional - it was just taking money off tourists, basically," he says.

"We just thought we could do so much better. We didn't have a five-year plan, we just worked really hard, nearly died in the process from stress, but it went really well. The following year, we thought, 'should we bother again?' but it just grew and grew. We have constantly tried to improve the quality of everything."

A recent trip to South Africa brought childhood memories flooding back for David, who grew up there. He is planning to stage a charity night at the theatre with local supporters of Oxfam.

"I spent a large part of my childhood in places like Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria. We moved around a great

deal and lived in amazing places. I grew up in a way that was a world away from here. I thought I would do

a few things to at least make a modest difference."

During the visit to Cape Town in December he experienced a stark reminder of the poverty and hardship he had witnessed in his childhood. He saw how AIDS has ravaged poor communities, where many are unable to afford hospital treatment or life-saving drugs. He also learned that three out of his family's five employees have died from the virus.

During Oxfam Night on June13, half of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Oxford-based

charity to support its relief and development work in Africa.

David, who lives in Headington, describes the Headington Hill arboretum as a "beautiful and forgotten cousin of South Park".

It is on the edge of the city and accessible by foot, bike, bus and car, with Brookes University providing parking space.

A top-notch cast was needed to show off its new venue in the best light, and most of the actors are RSC and NT veterans.

Among them is David Frederickson, 55, who plays malcontent Malvolio in Twelfth Night. He has come to theatre from the circus of local government, as he used to be a Sheffield city councillor and a probation officer before having a midlife crisis 10 years ago and

changing career.

"Acting was something I had always wanted to do. People can understand you becoming an actor when you've been a local politician," he jokes.

Since then, the 55-year-old has kept happily busy with TV appearances in Emmerdale, Heartbeat and At Home With the Braithwaites.

Twelfth Night, directed by Charlotte Conquest, opens on June 6. The Tempest, directed by Zoe Seaton, will run from July 1 to September 13. Tickets are £7-£19. Box office 01865 245745 or visit www.creationtheatre.co.uk