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 and follow us on Twitter .
Posters of forthcoming productions are here.

In the spotlight

Robin Hood: Watermill Theatre Reviews (Thu 15 Nov to Sat 5 Jan).
Dick Whittington and His Cat: Oxford Playhouse Reviews (Fri 23 Nov to Sun 6 Jan).
Jack and the Beanstalk: Corn Exchange Reviews (Fri 30 Nov to Sun 6 Jan).
Peter Pan: Creation Theatre at the North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford (Sat 1 Dec to Sat 5 Jan).
Alby the Penguin Saves Christmas: BT Studio (Burton Taylor) (Thu 6 Dec to Sat 5 Jan).
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Anvil (Thu 13 Dec to Sun 6 Jan).
Sleeping Beauty: T.A.D.S (Sat 15 Dec).
Dick Whittington: The Kenton Theatre (Sat 15 Dec to Sat 29 Dec).

Mummers

It's that time of year again, and as usual there are performances from the Cold Ash and Hermitage Mummers, the Abingdon Mummers, and the Wantage Mummers. Details here.

See What's on for a list of everything.

News and special events

From 13/12/2018, we're no longer going to update the RSS feed. Why? The use of RSS has declined and browser support is dwindling. If you're passionate about RSS and think we should keep it, let me know - I might change my mind!

Jigsaw Stage Productions need a male singer for the part of the Burmese lover "Lun Tha" in The King and I in Wantage and Didcot in April. Playing age should be around 20-30 years.

What's new

Here's the list of what's changed in the last month. You can also get the latest updates via Twitter.

Date	Item
13 Dec	Local groups of Mummers are performing in this area between 14th and 26th December.
13 Dec	We're no longer going to update the RSS feed. Why? The use of RSS has declined and browser support is dwindling. If you're passionate about RSS and think we should keep it, let me know - I might change my mind! Editor
12 Dec	Review of New Era's The Heiress ("an enjoyable, powerful play, that has deft touches of humour... an excellent cast... this talented, hardworking, enthusiastic company" - NWN).
12 Dec	Review of Boundary Players' Men of the World ("all three did very well in a variety of quick-change characters on a bare set... these were well worked out vignettes" - NWN).
12 Dec	Jigsaw Stage Productions need a male singer for the part of the Burmese lover "Lun Tha" in The King and I in Wantage and Didcot in April. Playing age should be around 20-30 years.
11 Dec	Mortimer Dramatic Society's next production is Stiffed at the Speakeasy between 18th and 26th January - an interactive Murder Mystery.
9 Dec	Reviews of the Oxford Playhouse's Dick Whittington and His Cat ("a big show feel, with its exuberant array of showbiz numbers and lively renditions of pop hits" - NWN; "the rat's whiskers... a supremely comic production" - The Guardian; "unfocused but spectacular, musical extravaganza" 3 stars - The Stage; "the best example of modern day pantomime I can possibly envisage" 5/5 - Oxford Times; "panto in all its traditional glory" DailyInfo).
9 Dec	Reviews of the Corn Exchange's Jack and the Beanstalk ("family-friendly panto that should definitely be on your Christmas list. Not to be missed" - NWN; "a great family show... a traditional pantomime with good acting, song and dance, some awful jokes and lots of audience interaction" - Newbury Theatre).
2 Dec	Review of Kintbury Players' Downturn Abbey ("a thoroughly good romp, played up for all it was worth by the actors, who must surely have enjoyed themselves as much as the audience" - NWN).
2 Dec	Reviews of The Mill at Sonning's Guys and Dolls ("a bright and colourful musical"- NWN; "rambunctious boutique production of a Broadway classic bursting with energy and invention" 4 stars - The Stage; "there is no weak link in this cast... no deficit of talent, energy, spirit - or luck" 4 stars - Broadway World).
2 Dec	Russell Players' panto in Swallowfield is Snow White and the Magnificent Seven between 1st and 9th February.
19 Nov	Reviews of the Watermill's Robin Hood ("a delight for grown-ups and kids... highly recommended" - Newbury Theatre; "clunky script... the humour here misfires with the adults" 1 star - PocketSize Theatre; "the funniest villain you could imagine... perfect for age 8+ as well as being great fun for adults and not too scary for smaller children" - Daily Info).
18 Nov	Didcot Phoenix Drama Group's January panto is Rumpelstiltskin from 18th to 19th January at Didcot Civic Hall and 26th January at Harwell Village Hall.
14 Nov	Review of the Watermill's Jane Eyre ("a marathon performance from all three... with the barest minimum of props, the cast brought Jane's story to life, making this a most enjoyable 70 minutes" - NWN).

Coming soon

Watermill - Robin Hood The Watermill's Christmas show is Robin Hood, on now until 5th January. Join the fearless, witty hero and a host of lively friends as they set off on a mission to steal from the rich and give to the poor. This hilarious new adaptation is written by acclaimed children's author Laura Dockrill. And see the reviews here.

Corn Exchange - Jack and the Beanstalk The Corn Exchange's panto is Jack and the Beanstalk on now until 6th January. Join Jack and the whole gang on an adventure of enormous proportions… from high-flying dreams to magical beans; be transported to the enchanted panto-land of Newbury Bottom, where anything is possible. Climb the beanstalk with Jack and enjoy dance routines, tunes to sing along to and plenty of audience participation!

TADS - Sleeping Beauty TADS' panto is Sleeping Beauty on 8th and 15th December in Tilehurst. At the naming ceremony by the King and Queen of their newborn daughter, Princess Rose, the Good Fairies bestow their gifts but bad Fairy Nightshade arrives and casts her spell of death by pricking her finger on a spinnng wheel. The Chief Fairy changes this to falling asleep for 100 years only to be woken by a kiss from a Prince.

Didcot Phoenix Drama Group - Rumplestiltskin Didcot Phoenix Drama Group's panto is Rumplestiltskin in Didcot and Harwell between 18th and 26th January. Marie will surely win the heart of the King as she has a talent of spinning straw into gold... or does she have help from the evil little goblin, Rumpelstiltskin? Join Phoenix for a veritable feast of songs, slapstick and terrible jokes to cheer up a dreary January day!

Mortimer Dramatic Society - Stiffed at the Speakeasy Mortimer Dramatic Society's next production is Stiffed at the Speakeasy between 18th and 26th January - an interactive Murder Mystery. During our three course Italian dinner a cast of characters will reveal enough evidence to enable you to, hopefully, deduce ‘Whodunit’. The action is set in a 1920’s New York speakeasy and is a ‘Gangsters and Molls’ night. You are encouraged to come dressed appropriately.

Russell Players - Snow White and the Magnificent Seven Russell Players' panto in Swallowfield is Snow White and the Magnificent Seven between 1st and 9th February. Can Snow White and her friends survive the treacherous and evil schemes of her wicked and manipulative stepmother? Join us and we’ll take you on an adventure to the depths of the Wild West. Add some mischievous cacti to the mix and you get a recipe for an enjoyable family show.

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This site was last updated on 13-Dec-2018. Our web hosts are ION Systems.