Newbury Theatre

Newbury theatre guide

Find out about theatre events coming up in and around Newbury and West Berkshire, reaching out to Oxford, Basingstoke and Reading. This site is updated very frequently - see What's new below.

In the spotlight, week beginning 22nd January

Panto and Christmas show time!

Aladdin by Stagelights (Thursday to Saturday).
Cinderella by Faringdon Dramatic Society (Friday to Saturday).
Beauty and the Beast by Silchester Players (Friday to Saturday).
Aladdin by Sinodun Players (to Saturday 28 Jan).
Neverwhere by Progress Theatre (to Saturday 28 Jan).

News and special events

Don't forget the National Theatre production of Travelling Light is coming to the Vue Cinema, Newbury (and other cinemas in the area), on 9th February. It's had four-star reviews from the Financial Times, the Guardian and The Times.

Black Box Theatre Company presents the sparkling musical version of Stepping Out at the Cornerstone Theatre in Didcot from 9th to 11th February. More details on the right.

If you're under 25, you can get Watermill tickets for £10 from the box office. This is for performances from Monday to Thursday. You can also get Student Standby tickets on the day for £3.

The Newbury Spring Festival are introducing 'The Young Festival Critics' - free tickets in return for reviews! If you're between 16 and 30 and have a keen interest in the arts or journalism, Holly would like to hear from you. She has lots of free tickets to give out in return for festival reviews and the reviewers will be automatically entered into a competition for best review and could win £100. Go to facebook.com/Youngfestivalcritics. Updates on what events are up for review will be put up on Facebook and sent to the registration list. Tickets will be allocated nearer to the festival and it will be first come first served.

Gobo Theatre's next show is Having a Laugh on 4th February. Former BBC producer Paul Mayhew-Archer talks about his career in comedy from Mornington Crescent to Dibley. Responsible for much of the most popular British television and radio comedy in the last twenty years, come and hear what it's like to work with Dawn French, Richard Curtis, Stephen Fry and many more. In support are Frimston and Rowett, an up-and-coming comedy duo who, like so many great British double-acts, met whilst studying at Cambridge University. Fresh from great success at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe, this is your chance to see some stars of the future and witness their owl obsession. The show is at the Amey Theatre, Abingdon School, OX14 1DE.

Now you can get Newbury Theatre updates on Twitter. Follow us @NewburyTheatre for all the latest news. Click here to follow:

What's new

You can get the latest updates via RSS or Twitter (@NewburyTheatre). If you don't know what RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is, this may not be for you (find out more here), but if you're using an RSS reader already, this is a good way to keep up to date with the changes to this site.

Date	Item
27 Jan	Black Box Theatre Company presents the musical version of Stepping Out at the Cornerstone Theatre in Didcot from 9th to 11th February.
27 Jan	If you're under 25, the Watermill are offering tickets for £10, and for 16 to 30 year olds you can get free tickets for Newbury Spring Festival in return for writing a review.
23 Jan	Compton Players' next production from 28th to 31st March is Dangerous Corner by JB Priestley.
22 Jan	The Old Fire Station in Oxford is back in action with Mixed Doubles, the stage premiere of three plays written and performed by members of Oxford Actors’ Network. From 27th to 28th January.
18 Jan	Boundary Players' production from 7th to 11th February in Tadley is Daisy Pulls It Off by Denise Deegan.
18 Jan	Loddon Players' spring production is David Tristram's The Opposite Sex from 26th to 28th April.
15 Jan	New Hilary Term season at BT Studio, Oxford.
11 Jan	New season at The Hexagon and South Street, Reading.
11 Jan	There is a tribute concert to the memory of Masquerade Theatre Company's Martin Cooper, who was one of the founders, at Reading Hexagon on Sunday 22nd January.
6 Jan	Gobo Theatre's next show is Having a Laugh on 4th February in Abingdon.
31 Dec	Review of The Hexagon's Aladdin ("very slick, well-paced production... pace, wit, colour, glamour, music and flashing lights in abundance and you can't do much better than that... you would be very hard pressed to find anything better than this in the region" - NWN).

Coming soon

Silchester Players are performing that well-loved children’s classic, Beauty and the Beast. Filled with fairy tale magic, music, make-believe and comedy (with the villagers including Dame Bagwash, her son Bertie and the builder Bodgit) - a "Beauty-full" family treat at Silchester Village Hall from 27th to 28th January and 3rd to 4th February.

Faringdon Dramatic Society's pantomime is Cinderella. The society have produced some 25 pantomimes since the late 1980s, with a cast augmented by up to 40 children drawn from local schools, a few taking lead roles, the majority in the chorus or dance ensembles. It's at Faringdon Junior School from 27th to 28th January and 3rd to 4th February.

Boundary Players' Daisy Pulls It Off is a parody of once popular novels set in girls' boarding schools of the twenties and thirties. Join Daisy as she leaves her elementary school for adventures galore at Grangewood School for Girls. A rip roaring, absolutely spiffing evening's entertainment at Tadley from 7th to 11th February.

Black Box Theatre Company's production of Stepping Out comes to the Cornerstone in Didcot from 9th to 11th February. The heart-warming, hilarious story of a weekly tap class. Mavis, the eternally patient instructor, and her acerbic pianist, teach the would-be dancers their left foot from their right. 01235 515144 or www.cornerstone-arts.org

The Hungerford Town Show from 15th to 18th February is the Lerner and Lowe musical Brigadoon. The small Scottish village of Brigadoon is an enchanted place that only comes to life for one day every hundred years. But by the power of love one American reawakens the slumbering Brigadoon just long enough to reunite him with his amour.

In Gameland things are peaceful with the Gamesmaster ruling over the hard working and happy Games. But Roulette is convinced the games of chance are better than the games of skill so she orders her henchmen to steal the magical Book of Rules, the source of the Gamesmaster's authority and power. KATS' Panto Rules, OK! is from 16th to 18th February.

The Russell Players present the premiere of The Sapphire and the Flute, a fantasy tale of dragons, heroes and heroines, for all the family. Join the Children of the Sapphire as they embark on their magical journey to save their homeland Valladonia from devastation. It's on in Swallowfield between 24th February and 3rd March.

London, during the Blitz of 1940/41: while most of the population is having to cope with sheltering down the warren of tubes that is the London Underground, some have their own agenda. The Third Tunnel, a love story written and directed by David Slade, is A Class Act's production at Arlington Arts from 8th to 10th March.

From 22nd to 26th May, the Sainsbury Singers present Thoroughly Modern Millie, the story of a small-town girl who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love. Millie soon begins to take delight in the flapper lifestyle, but problems arise when she checks into a hotel owned by the leader of a slavery ring in China.

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This site was last updated on 27-Jan-2012.