England's Minack Theatre is one of the most famous open-air theaters in the world. The spectacular setting has made it a place of pilgrimage for theater lovers. But above all else, it is still a working entertainment venue, presenting 175 performances on southwest England’s rugged Atlantic coast every year.

Perched on the granite cliff high above a turquoise bay, it is hard to imagine the Minack Theatre existing anywhere else in the world. Drama, opera and musicals are presented in this dramatic setting, offering theatergoers an unforgettable experience of a life time.

The Minack gets its name from the Cornish for "rocky place." It was built by a remarkable woman, called Rowena Cade. Her idea was to create a place for locals to stage Shakespeare’s play – "The Tempest."

The Minack headland was just a rough piece of cliff when Rowena moved to Cornwall and bought it for £100 (around 133 US dollars) in 1923. There were local people producing theater in the community, and Rowena got involved in making costumes and props for local productions.

"In 1929, a group of local people staged Shakespeare’s 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' in the nearby woodland setting. It was a great success and they began looking for a venue to put on the 'Tempest,'" said Minack Theatre Manager Phil Jackson. "Rowena had a garden next to the cliffs, which they thought would be a perfect setting for the production. So she and her gardener Billy Rawlings just built the stage and actors appeared in 1931 to 1932. That is the beginning of an amazing story."

The Minack Theatre is becoming internationally known as a place to visit, but people don’t realize it is still an operating theater that stages over 170 performances between Easter and October each year. Nearly 100,000 people watch the shows every summer, and 200,000 people just come to look around and experience the breathtaking atmosphere.

"Just to stand on that stage has been so much nicer than any time in my life I stood on the stage," said London visitor Elizabeth Rebecca Leah. "I have been in other shows and other recognized places even though I am not professional, just amateur as they say, but standing on that stage that was an experience," she added.

Stepping onto this world famous stage, local school children learn theater skills, and some of them even get to perform in front of the audience. It is now managed by a charitable trust that was set up by Rowena, in an effort to encourage more young people to get involved in performance arts.

“This is a community theater and most of the companies that play here are amateur companies. We do have professional actors play here, but it carries on Rowena's idea of amateur theater, allowing local people to play here too," said Phil Jackson.

After 80 years, Minack Theatre has become world-renowned, and Rowena’s vision is still thriving. Her remarkable contribution to the arts is sure to inspire theater lovers for generations to come.