The Artsreach Summer Programme has brought live Spanish circus, pop up opera, Senegalese music, rising young actors and more to rural venues across Dorset.

And now this season culminates with an outdoor tour by the much loved Cornish Company Miracle Theatre.

Grab a blanket, pack a picnic and join them in the open air as they venture into a world somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and Father Ted, where the earth is not round but sausage-shaped; where eccentric policemen fall in love with bicycles and you can visit eternity via a rickety lift, hidden beside a lane in the heart of rural Ireland.

Artsreach is finishing their performance season on the crest of a wave after recently securing further funding from the Arts Council until 2022.

This funding, along with continued support from local authorities and business sponsors such as Blanchards Bailey, ensures that rural Dorset will continue to have access to professional performing arts in accessible community venues, and this outdoor tour is a perfect example.

With its hilarious characters, streaks of dark humour and unforgettable plot twist, The Third Policeman earned its author, Flann O’Brien, a world-wide reputation as one of Ireland’s great comic geniuses.

His scorching wit and delicious turn of phrase, combined with Miracle’s delight in physical comedy and absurdity, is proving to be a winning combination as the show tours across the South West. Fans of this cult classic and newcomers alike should expect the unexpected!

The show will be touring to Springhead Gardens near Shaftesbury, Sandford Orcas near Sherborne and Kimmeridge Bay near Wareham from August 3 to 5 August. Tickets are available online at artsreach.co.uk