After fears it might never be staged again, the curtain is set to rise tonight on a new era for one of Hampshire's best-loved drama festivals.

Shakespeare's timeless language will echo around the historic setting of the tithe barn as Titchfield Festival Theatre revives its tribute to the Bard.

Escalating costs forced organisers to cancel performances last year but now, after securing a new backdrop to the festival, the show goes on.

The desire to perform Shakespeare in what could have been the plays' original setting in Titchfield Abbey led to the formation of Titch-field Festival Theatre in 2001.

With its open-air setting the festival became a huge hit, attracting up to 6,000 theatre-lovers.

However, the festival had to be scrapped last year when the abbey's owners, English Heritage, presented organisers with a bill for £26,000 to use the site - even though they had been using it for free for many years.

The massive hike in costs was put down to the extra cost of implementing new health and safety rules and licensing regulations.

But organisers decided that the show must go on, and they have now bounced back with a new venue for the Shakespearean feast, thanks to Portsmouth Football Club. The club have allowed them to use the barn, which sits on land owned by the club.

The tithe barn, just off Mill Lane, Titchfield, is the largest barn in Hampshire and its unique structure and medieval architecture will provide the perfect backdrop.

Kevin Fraser, the event's founder and producer, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be performing this year's season in the historic setting at the Great Barn in Titchfield. It is just a stunning location, which is steeped to history.

"It has taken a lot of hard work to get up and running again, and it is only thanks to Portsmouth Football Club, who allowed us to use their land, that we have succeeded "There is a lot of evidence to show that Shakespeare came to Titchfield, so we like to think of Titchfield as the Bard's second home. That is why it was so important to keep the festival here."

This year's festival will feature A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor and two solo shows. The season runs from tonight until September 8.