Corn Exchange and New Greenham Arts

The Corn Exchange, Newbury, and New Greenham Arts

Box office

01635 522733
The Corn Exchange, Newbury. A map is here.
New Greenham Arts, 113 Lindenmuth Way, New Greenham Park, Newbury. A map is here.
Productions are at the Corn Exchange if no venue is shown.

The Big Fellah, 2nd to 4th September, 19:45 at The Corn Exchange
Young fireman Michael Doyle decides to live up to his Irish heritage by joining the IRA. He’s recruited by Costello, the charismatic “Big Fellah”, who wants to use Doyle’s brownstone apartment in The Bronx as a safe house for an escaped killer. But it soon becomes clear that someone is leaking information to the FBI… Set among Irish Americans in New York, Richard Bean’s epic, glinting, funny play spans three turbulent decades surrounding the IRA.

Arquiem, 3rd to 4th September, from 20:30 at Newbury Town Centre
Arquiem tells the chilling tale of a boy who murders his love to preserve one moment for ever. With live music, stilts, pyrotechnics, acrobatics and beautifully crafted mobile structures, Arquiem is a powerful promenade performance inspired by William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience and Robert Browning’s poem Porphyria’s Lover.

Twelfth Night, 14th to 18th September, 19:45 at The Corn Exchange
In this enormously funny, fast-paced production of Shakespeare's much loved comedy, dynamic narrative, witty invention and bursts of music result in a joyous celebration. This is undoubtedly one of the freshest and most acclaimed Shakespeare productions of recent years and was originally performed in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival.

The Animals and the Children Took To the Streets, 23rd to 24th September, 19:45 at The Corn Exchange
Walk along Red Herring Street, until you reach the infamous Bayou Mansions, a sprawling stinking tenement block, where curtain twitchers and peeping toms live side by side, and the wolf... is always at the door.

The Bug and the Butterfly, 25th September, 11:00 at The Corn Exchange
Go outside. Look under a leaf. Turn over a log. Part the grass and look very very carefully. What do you see? In a world where a dew drop is the size of a swimming pool and a flower is as tall as a skyscraper, an insect falls in love with a beautiful butterfly. A heart-warming story in miniature about love, friendship, reaching for the moon and dancing leaf to leaf. Swim with the shadow-fish to the ocean and fly with a nightingale all the way to the romantic stars. Inspired by the poems of Federico García Lorca, dance and music fuse with Spanish and English text in this exciting new show for children aged 4 and over and their family and friends.

Jekyll and Hyde, 6th to 9th October, 19:30
A Newbury Nomads production.

Devil in the Detail, 13th to 14th October, 19:45 at The Corn Exchange
A devious landlady and her ambitious daughter make ends meet by renting out a small apartment to two men who never meet, as one works days and one works nights. To maintain the deception the conniving pair must keep the men apart, and refurbish the room twice a day. But both men have secrets hidden in the room, secrets that emerge with ghastly consequences when one of them returns home early. From the acclaimed ex-Artistic Director of Trestle, this is a black comedy about greed and deceit with five highly skilled mask actors and a very mangy dog.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, 16th October, 11:00 at The Corn Exchange
Based on the classic Pigeon books by Mo Willems, this lively family show is full of fun, feathers, laughter and excitement featuring original music and lots of audience participation! The friendly bus driver leaves us with one simple instruction: 'Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!' But Pigeon is very clever and whines, bribes and pleads even singing a song to get his own way. But will you let him drive? Age 3+.

The Mill, 22nd October, 19:45 at The Corn Exchange
Experience the sweat, grind and grit of physical work in a wheel of wood and steel which is powered by five performers and suspended in the air. In The Mill a seemingly small decision or action can gather momentum and impetus beyond your control, snowballing until you find yourself running like mad to power the treadmill whilst someone else is riding it like a ferris wheel. A roller-coaster ride through every human emotion and its effects are unpredictable and dramatic.

The Adventures of Monsieur Robinet, 23rd October, 13:00 at The Corn Exchange
A collection of tales about a shy Frenchman with a dog called Chirac with some unusual (but clean) habits, which include burying his dog's kennel and his own luggage pieces. The stories appear alongside other new works, which include a poem about a non-talking parrot and some animal impersonations with the aid of a handkerchief. The audience are invited to sing along. But not to dance. Much! Age 7+.

My Fair Lady, 27th to 30th October, at The Corn Exchange
KATS take what is possibly one of the most well-known musicals of all time to Newbury Corn Exchange for a colourful evening of song and dance. Follow Eliza Doolittle as she is transformed from a cockney flower girl into a duchess by Professor Henry Higgins, and everything that ensues as she realises that she can be independent and does not need him.

The Night Time Whisperers & Puppet Making Workshop, 28th October 11:00 at New Greenham Arts
Join us on Tom’s fantastical journey led by the mischievous night time whisperers for the adventure of a lifetime. An inspiring afternoon for children and their families combining theatre, live music and movement. Things at home may not be harmonious but when Tom is whisked away and set free in his dreams he doesn’t realise that facing his fears in his imagination could change his life for the better… After the performance join The River People for a family puppet making workshop and create your own puppet, adults take part as well as children. Age 4+.

Tiny Volcanoes, 3rd November, 20:00 at New Greenham Arts
The Great British Bulldog has been usurped by snarling hybrids. The bowler hat has morphed into the hoodie. The culture of polite society is now a culture of blame and hatred as our land of hope and glory is torn into extremes. Fusing theatre, comedy, dance and tub-thumping tunes, two actors play a cast of thousands in a fast-paced, hilarious and excoriating inquisition into broken Britain. Strap yourselves in for a full throttle rollercoaster ride through the dilapidated attractions of noble old Blighty, exposing the millions of tiny volcanoes bubbling up through our green and pleasant land. With hymns.

Farm Boy, 6th November, 13:00 and 16:00 at The Corn Exchange
It sometimes felt as though time had stood still down on the family farm - swallows nesting in the eaves, the old Fordson tractor quietly rusting at the back of the barn, Grandpa still tending his chickens - that is, until the summer his grandson finished school and came to stay, and the old man started telling stories of what it had been like on the farm when he was a boy. Age 7+.

Curtain up!, 17th to 20th November, 19:30 at New Greenham Arts
Curtain Up! is the hilarious story of five women who inherit equal shares in a dilapidated theatre and plan to bring it back to life again. They try various fundraising schemes but their most ambitious is to hold a concert featuring local talent and a world-famous star, who agrees to appear for no fee! However, their plans go awry and it’s a race to keep their audience from guessing the truth of the matter.

Elmer the Elephant, 20th November, 12:00 at The Corn Exchange
Elmer was not an ordinary elephant. Elmer was red and yellow and green and blue. In fact Elmer was every colour of the rainbow! But Elmer didn't want to be different, he wanted to be just like all the other elephants. Told with breathtaking puppets, original music and stunning scenery, this heart-warming and funny story will thrill all who experience it. Come and join Blunderbus as they whisk you away to a land of fantasy and make believe with this bewitching, new musical adaptation of David McKee's Elmer the Elephant.

A Christmas Carol, 21st to 22nd December, 20:00 at New Greenham Arts
Scrooge is visited by three spirits sent to redeem his soul by offering him a vision of what was, what is and what shall be. Will he be able to repent in time and finally understand the true meaning of Christmas? Dickens’ classic tale is retold in their trademark ensemble style by SLY Theatre, in this new version by artistic director Pete Watt.

Sleeping Beauty, 3rd December to 3rd January
The team behind our smash hit productions of Aladdin and Puss in Boots are back with their most magical pantomime yet. Poor baby princess Rose is cursed when a palace mix up means an evil fairy doesn’t get an invite to the christening. The colourful royal household and her fairy, furry and human friends will need all their ingenuity to break the cruel spell and ensure she safely reaches her 21st birthday and meets her handsome prince. Help protect Rose from pricking her finger, aid our dashing hero in his battle through the thorns to her side, and enjoy enough riotous song, dance and slapstick to wake a storybook palace from one hundred years of slumber. Starring plenty of familiar faces from our wonderful pantos past and packed with all the usual music and mayhem this is a guaranteed festive treat for all ages.

Review of Puss in Boots

4th December 2009 to 3rd January 2010.

From the Newbury Weekly News.

Purr-fect start to the season

Corn Exchange puts on the cat's whiskers of a pantomime in Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots, at the Corn Exchange, Newbury, until January 3

It's that time of year again - "oh yes it is" - when panto comes to Newbury, and once again the Corn Exchange and Hiss and Boo have produced an absolute cracker of a show in Phil Willmott's Puss in Boots. In fact it is the 'purr-fect' start to the Christmas season's entertainment.

This show was real family fun with something for everyone. There was oodles of audience participation, a talented energetic cast, a witty script with loads of local references, some wonderfully 'awful' jokes and exceedingly high production standards.

This was a traditional panto with all the magical elements of theatre - special effects, pyrotechnics, slapstick, stunning costumes, inventive choreography (Lizzi Gee) and a vibrant musical score by musical director Leigh Thompson.

Adam Brown was splendid as Harvey Nicks, the Royal Herald, who narrated the story He had an excellent rapport with the audience and a wonderful sense of comic tuning. In this version of Puss in Boots tthe cat, Banderos, was Spanish; an athletic convincing performance by Joseph Wicks.

The audience were invited to celebrate the birthday of Princess Clara, sensitively played by Joanna Woodward, who had an outstanding singing voice. She fell in love with Tom Cobbly our hero the cobbler, strongly played by Tom Oakley who quickly won the hearts of the audience.

Things were not going well at the palace and Queen Gertrude was very much down at heel and in need of money. Ian Mowat was an absolute joy to watch as Gertrude. Here was the consummate panto 'dame' with the most magnificent and many costume changes, who simply was the 'star' of the show working with the audience with complete confidence and ease. Bravo.

Every panto needs a fairy godmother and Clare Plested gave a sparkling performance as the overworked Fairy Thatcham, who had so many pantos to look after. Her interaction with the audience was awesome.

Mathew Grace was a terrific village bumpkin and as Chef du Jour, Paddy Crawley brought a lively touch of French slapstick comedy.

This was the 'cat's whiskers' of a production. Tickets are selling fast so book soon.

Highly recommended, don't miss it.

ROBIN STRAPP

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