Having read your article about the 2003 Shakespeare Festival, I was saddened to hear of the difficulties Mr Williamson and his company faced and that a third summer visit from the company might be in jeopardy.

I saw the excellent production of Romeo And Juliet in 2002 and this year was lucky enough to see As You Like It on July 10.

What your article didn't say was how good the production was. All our party had a brilliant evening in a fantastic setting and, from the laughs and cheers, I'm certain the rest of the packed audience also did.

The cast was excellent and you would never have known some members had been replaced at short notice. (Indeed I was rather glad not to see Tracy Shaw who I found in the Blue Room to be rather poor.)

I think the open air Shakespeare festival is a great thing for our city and I urge Brighton and Hove City Council to support it as much as possible to enable the event to take place next year.

-Karrie Glyde, Hove