Roadworks in Chesil Street will clash with Winchester Dramatic Society's dress rehearsals for its performance of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, which opens on Monday, June 2nd, at the Chesil theatre.

The move has angered the society which had been assured by Winchester City Council that work to widen the pavement and change the road camber would not start until after the week-long run of the play - but now it's been brought forward.

Director, Gerry Tuff, said: "We will still hold the rehearsals but, inevitably, there will be some noise and disruption.

"An added complication is that, in some scenes, actors in Elizabethan costume, some with swords, will have to run along the pavement between the small sidedoor near the dressing room and the main entrance to get to the stage."

A spokesman for Winchester City Council said: "If there is any delay in the work, the pathway and entrances to the theatre will be left in a safe and clean condition for audience and performers to have secure access for the week of the show."

The street will be closed to traffic on the evenings of Wednesday, May 28th, and Thursday, the 29th, between 7pm and 10pm with a diversion in place.