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 Connecting professional and amateur theatre in Newbury, West Berkshire and beyond

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Newbury theatre guide

Find out about theatre events coming up in and around Newbury and West Berkshire, reaching out to Oxford, Basingstoke and Reading. Follow us on X (Twitter): @NewburyTheatre. Email us at

Posters of forthcoming productions, audition notices and requests for help are belowBelow

Newbury Theatre: the future

I created the Newbury Theatre website 25 years ago, in April 2000. At that time, there were very few amateur groups that had their own web site, and I provided a platform that they could use. Now they all have their own web sites, and this seems a good point to change Newbury Theatre.

Up to now, some groups have been sending me information about their forthcoming productions, and I have perodically searched other group sites for this information. I'll no longer do this searching, but if you continue to send me your information, I'll include it. I'll also continue to include professional theatre information, but only for the Newbury Corn Exchane, the Watermill theatre and the Mill at Sonning. So nothing for Reading, Basingstoke or Oxford.

On this basis, I'll retain newburytheatre.co.uk for at least two years. It contains a huge number of review pages - over 1000 - mostly from the Newbury Weekly News and I'm very grateful to the NWN and Trish Lee for giving me permission to publish them.

You can see what the site looked like in 2001 at web.archive.org/web/20010302021159/http://www.comptonplayers.freeserve.co.uk/. It hasn't changed  much! I'll continue to provide a weekly theatre page on Penny Post.

If you have any comments or questions about this, please email me, Paul Shave at .

In the spotlight

Spotlight

See What's on for a list of everything.

Newbury Theatre and Penny Post

Newbury Theatre has joined up with Penny Post to give updated theatre information, and it will also appear here. Penny Post is a great source of local information - if you don't know it already, I can thoroughly recommend it.

Online theatre

The National Theatre are making their NT Live recordings available online. You can subscribe for £9.98 a month or rent individual plays for £7.99.

You can search for reviews of previous productions - there are more than 1000 pages of them in the Archive!

Latest news

Date Item
22 Apr New Era Players' June production is Only Connect: a Trio of Short Plays between 12th and 21st June.
19 AprReviews of the Watermill's Piaf: 'Now and again, you watch a performance in which the inhabitation of a character is so skilful and deep that you can’t help but think this actor was born to play that part... [Audrey Brisson] lives — and sings with charismatic strength and passion — the role' The Times ★★★★; 'a charismatic tour de force performance' NWN; 'a raw, brave and utterly compelling performance' The Stage ★★★★; 'this is a must-see show' StageTalk Magazine ★★★★; 'Brisson is truly exceptional' WestEndBestFriend ★★★★; 'a stand out production' thespyinthestalls.com★★★★. And lots more.
19 AprNewbury Dramatic Society's next production between 10th and 15th May is Bletchley: Beyond the Gates, a show put together from material tht was first written and performed by people working at Bletchley Park during the war.
19 AprReview of Newbury YoungStars' Sister Act Jr: 'Newbury YoungStars once again pulled a blinder with their production... bringing such pleasure to both cast and audience' NWN.
8 AprCompton Players' next production from 8th to 10th May is Aphrodite, a very funny, poignant play.
6 AprReview of the Watermill Youth Ensemble's Emil and the Detectives: 'the enthusiasm and high energy of the large ensemble cast was impressive... there was so much to delight in this superb production... Bravo!' NWN.
6 AprReview of the Newbury Corn Exchange Youth Ensemble's Normalised: 'powerful physical theatre... this young company presented a thought provoking production and should be exceedingly proud of their achievement' NWN.
6 AprOn 28th June in Reading Gaol, RABBLE Theatre are presenting a deep dive into the professional creative process behind their highly-anticipated new play, William the Conqueror, written by associate writer Beth Flintoff.
6 AprFaringdon Dramatic Society's next production from 14th to 17th May is Entertaining Angels, a sharp-edged comedy.
30 MarNew Season at the Watermill: Three Hens in a Boat, Jesus hrist Superstar, Charley's Aunt.

Now and coming soon

Kingston Bagpuize - Le Grand ReturnKingston Bagpuize Drama Group's next production from 24th to 26th April is Le Grand Return by Alan Stockdill, a gentle comedy drama about love, remembrance, war and peace. Set in 1994 at the 50th anniversary of D Day (which took place during the Second World War). Tommy, Alf and Edwin are incarcerated in Coldrick Nursing Home. Will Tommy with his dodgy ticker be able to make it to the 50th D Day anniversary in France or not?

New Era Players - A Day to RememberNew Era Players are helping to celebrate VE Day with West Berkshire Museum on 7th and 8th May doing two shows: one at 13:00, the other at 19:00. Each performance is different, showcasing songs, stories, poems and anecdotes about this historic day. Tickets for these performances are available by visiting the West Berkshire Heritage website. If you are unable to attend the museum shows you can catch the whole performance at New Era Theatre on 9th and 10th May. Doors open at 19:00 for a 19:30 start.

Compton Players - AphroditeCompton Players' next production from 8th to 10th May is Aphrodite. Following the lives of the four female employees in the busy call centre of Aphrodite, a sex toy manufacturer, and their gentle and innocent manager, Aphrodite is a very funny, poignant play about motherhood, friendship, love, and loss.

Newbury Dramatic Society - Newbury Dramatic Society's next production between 10th and 15th May is Bletchley: Beyond the Gates. “When Sarah Wilson approached me three years ago with some original scripts from Bletchley Park, where both her parents worked during the war, I knew we had a unique opportunity to put on a show in tribute to our codebreakers”, says NDS Chair Mike Brook. Now, in time for the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Newbury Dramatic Society present performances of a show put together from material that was first written and performed by people working at Bletchley Park during the war. This will be NDS’s touring play for this May, scheduled for four venues: Royaal British Legion Hall, Newbury, Kingsclere Library, Yattendon Village Hall, and St Michael and All Angels Church, Enborne.

Faringdon Dramatic Society - Entertaining AngelsFaringdon Dramatic Society's next production from 14th to 17th May is Entertaining Angels. As a vicar’s wife, Grace has spent a lifetime on her best behaviour. Now, after the death of her husband Bardolph, she can enjoy the new-found freedom of being able to do and say exactly what she wants. But the return of her eccentric missionary sister, Ruth, together with some disturbing revelations forces Grace to confront the truth of her marriage. The play is set in a lush vicarage garden and filled with sharp-edged comedy.

Corn Exchange - The BaddiesFreckle Productions are bringing The Baddies to life at Newbury Corn Exchange from 27th to 29th May. It's a wickedly hilarious adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s smash-hit story. Meet the very worst Baddies in the world! Don’t you dare to come too close to a witch, a troll and an ancient ghost! The Baddies love being bad. They roar, spook and cast wicked spells to try and scare a girl out of her wits… who will succeed? Or perhaps the girl is braver than they think… A laugh-out-loud riot for all the family.

New Era Players - Only ConnectBetween 12th and 21st June New Era Players present Only Connect: a Trio of Short Plays, a triple bill of amusing, entertaining and touching pieces. It’s a great opportunity to see some new and seasoned talent, as we introduce both actors and directors to our stage. And It Makes Me Wonder by Jenni Collins and Mandy Clark is based on a real-life encounter near Reading in the early 80s. Johnny is in the middle of his exams and torn between his dreams of rock stardom or settling for 'proper' job, until a chance meeting with an old lady at the bus stop makes him rethink his ambitions. The Cat Connection by Elyse Nass takes place on a park bench in New York City where two strangers meet. Their only connection is that they are feeding the same stray cat. Comedy and pathos unfold as they discover more about each other's lives. Bed Among the Lentils is a wry and witty monologue from Alan Bennett's Talking Heads series. A vicar's wife struggles with both her role and the demands of the parishioners but discovers a surprising new connection with Ramesh at the corner shop.

Auditions and requests for help

New Era - backstage help wantedNew Era Players (Newbury) want backstage helpers.

If you want your group's poster to be on the front page, then email it to the

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