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

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 Twitter Twitter: @NewburyTheatre. Email us at

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

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
30 NovThe Aldermaston York Nativity Play returns again this year at St Mary the Virgin Church, Aldermaston from 7th to 10th December.
28 NovBoundary Players present Murder in the Theatre on 9th December on behalf of Save the Children at Englefield House. They are also holding a play reading on 14th December at the William Penney theatre, Tadley at 7:30pm in advance of a production date in April 2024. The play is a new political comedy by Mike Brook and Steve Schollar called We’ll Bring The House Down.
23 NovReviews of the Watermill's The Wizard of Oz ("fun... charming" ★★ The Times; "a treat for all ages" ★★★ The Stage; "perfect winter’s evening out" Wokingham Today; "multi-talented cast who sing and play music as well as they act" ★★★★ StageTalk; "a perfect show to bring your youngsters to this festive season" ★★★★ Curtain Call Reviews; "a totally delightful show" ★★★★ PlaysToSee; "two hours of pure delight" ★★★★ WhatsOnStage; "an ideal Christmas treat for all" British Theatre Guide; "beautiful puppets... there are some incredibly strong performances" ★★★ British Theatre Guide; "fizzing with fun" Marlborough News; "an absolute Christmas treat for all" NWN).
22 NovCreation Theatre's seasonal show from 2nd December to 6th January is A Christmas Carol at the North Wall, Oxford.
18 NovBAOS are already taking bookings for their Basingstoke production of Evita in March 2024.
18 NovHook Players' panto from 30th November to 2nd December is PantoMania.
18 NovOxford Theatre Guild are presenting Macbeth from 5th to 9th December.
18 NovCompton Players' next production is a Murder Mystery Evening (with food) on 15th December.
8 NovRussell Players' next production in Swallowhurst between 2nd and 10th December is The Panto Puzzle.
2 NovReview of the Watermill's Macbeth ("a perfect way to bring it to life for pupils... if you know the play, you will enjoy this imaginative take on it" - Newbury Theatre; "how great to see such a bold interpretation" - ★★★ PlayShakespeare.com; "vibrant, diverse and innovative, this sensitive adaptation by Pickard-Price is truly a Macbeth for the modern age" - NWN).
2 NovReviews of Compton Players' The Ghosts of Halfway House ("gifted cast... this company of community players pulled it off with the skill, wit and sincerity of experienced professionals" - NWN; "skilful direction... an evening of suspenseful entertainment" - NODA).

Now and coming soon

New Era - Blithe SpiritNew Era Players' next production from 23rd November to 2nd December is Blithe Spirit. Fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine has remarried but finds himself haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, Elvira, after a séance goes awry. Clever, insistent and well aware of Charles's shortcomings, Elvira is called up by a visiting “happy medium”, the eccentric and flighty Madame Arcati, and proceeds to wreak havoc in Charles and Ruth’s previously happy home. Noël Coward himself labelled this play 'an improbable farce' and it is full of his typical waspish humour and some delicious one-liners.

Russell Players - The Panto PuzzleRussell Players' next production in Swallowhurst between 2nd and 10th December is The Panto Puzzle. Dame Dolly Mixture and Cheeky Charlie arrive at the theatre only to find that the pantomime has been cancelled for this year. The caretaker reveals that previous pantomimes are stored in boxes when they are not in use. He agrees to show Dolly and Charlie the panto boxes, only to discover that someone has been tampering with them and three things are missing from Cinderella's box. A distraught Cinderella has been left a cryptic note which is the only clue to the identity of the thief and the whereabouts of the stolen goods. It is clear the villain is set on causing as much disruption to the pantomimes as possible. He or she needs to be stopped! With the help of a rather surly emergency fairy, and some out-of-date fairy dust Dolly and Charlie visit the other pantomimes in their quest to identify the culprit and recover the missing items.

Creation Theatre - A Christmas CarolCreation Theatre's seasonal show from 2nd December to 6th January is A Christmas Carol at the North Wall, Oxford. It's a new spin on theirr 2017 production of A Christmas Carol (see the review here), complete with suitably grim Victorians, a Fezziwig party you’ll never forget and, at its heart, the most christmassy tale of redemption around.

York Nativity PlayThe much loved Aldermaston York Nativity Play returns again this year at St Mary the Virgin Church, Aldermaston from 7th to 10th December. Last year's Newbury Weekly Review said "carefully staged tableau, good acting by all participants, colourful costumes and well-designed lighting". This year you can book the free tickets online.

Boundary Players - Murder MysteryBoundary Players have another murder mystery on 9th December on behalf of Save the Children.
It is audition and casting night at the Border Players Theatre (BPT) for their next production. They intend to stage a play called Mellor Returns at Christmas in which the grandson of Lady Chatterley’s lover is the central character. A small extract from it is used by the characters as an audition piece. It has been written by a local author who will not be charging them any royalties, but it is of dubious quality. The night has also been organised around a ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ themed ‘Open Evening’ at Englefield House. The group hope this will attract more members and better still a paying audience. The group has struggled over the last few years and only survived through the generosity of the new committee chair Paul. His largesse though has created some tensions in the group. Finally the group’s theatre may also be under threat from a new landlord seeking to maximise the rental. The group do not know the identity of the new landlord who bought the theatre just last month and so far, have only had email dealings with a managing agent.

Compton Players - Murder Mystery EveningCompton Players' next production is a Murder Mystery Evening on 15th December. Uncover the secrets behind Robin Emblind, manager at the local bank Grabbit & Run. It’s 1843 and Charles Dickens has just published his classic novel A Christmas Carol – many are likening Robin to its main character, Scrooge! Will his employees (including Orson Cart the Coachman and Ida Down the Governess) receive the Christmas bonus they’ve been expecting, or will there be an even bigger, more gruesome surprise ahead? Perhaps the unexpected arrival of Penny Less, the flower seller will shed some light…

Auditions and requests for help

Boundary Players - Murder MysteryBoundary Players are holding a play reading on 14th December at the William Penney theatre, Tadley at 7:30pm in advance of a production date in April 2024. The play is a new political comedy by Mike Brook and Steve Schollar called We’ll Bring The House Down. Details as follows:
A political comedy in two acts by Mike Brook and Steve Schollar
Royce Owen is the Labour MP for Crystal Palace South but despite a comfortable majority, he thinks he’s in trouble. Having confidently campaigned in support of two leadership candidates who lost he is now desperate to curry favour with the Jeremy Corbyn leadership. Will sharing his Commons office with left wing Dave Tanner help him or should he consider joining the MPs plotting to set up the new ‘Impartial Group’? Under pressure from the ambitious chair of his local party, his son and local Trade Union reps, will Royce find a way forward or will he realise that he just doesn’t care enough to carry on?
11 roles – 7 male 3 female and 2 variable, but there may be scope to convert a male role.

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

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