When London's acclaimed Globe Theatre brings its production of Hamlet to the West later this month, it will be a homecoming for the theatre's artistic director Dominic Dromgoole.

He first trod the boards at Strode Theatre in Street, when he was a student at nearby Millfield School.

And from April 19-21 he will be back with a play he described as "a thrilling, compelling and extraordinary story and probably Shakespeare's wittiest tragedy".

The Globe, a modern reconstruction of the Elizabethan theatre in which Shakespeare had a stake, launched touring seasons last year. Its first visit to Somerset has been hailed as a tremendous boost to a county still reeling from the withdrawal of arts funding by the county council.

Speaking during a break in rehearsals, Mr Dromgoole said: "We are delighted to be going to Street. I did my first acting there in a house play when I was at Millfield, so it's a wonderful reminder of that.

"We used to do Tom Stoppard plays and we loved the Strode. It was very glamorous, the biggest and best equipped local theatre, and to play there was a very big honour."

He began thinking about taking a production to Strode after talking to its manager, Liz Leyshon.

Last year, her sister Nell became the first woman playwright to have a play performed at the Globe in its 400-year history, and Mr Dromgoole hopes it will be the beginning of a long relationship with Strode.

He was one of several high-profile figures in the arts who urged the county council to think again when it proposed the 100 per cent cut to arts funding.

"It's shocking what is happening down there, that subsidy has been lost," he said.

"Subsidy of one sort or another is fundamental to our culture and how we make theatre in this country, and why we are so good at it and why it is so remarkable.

"Subsidy is as old as theatre, and back in Shakespeare's time patrons included the Queen, and there were gifts in terms of costumes and commissions, so I think the idea that they survived by what they took through the box office is complete twaddle."

The Globe is thriving famously without funding, but Mr Dromgoole stressed: "We are part of a community of theatres. We depend on work by actors and directors who have learned their trade in subsidised theatres."

Performances are at 7.30pm on April 19 and 20 and 2pm on April 21. For details, visit www.strodetheatre.co.uk or call01458 442846.