- March 2021
Shelved! A student-written sketch comedy of unprintable books! Join us in the little (book) shop of horrors and see why this little back-end book joint has all its books condemned as "unpublishable"! Plunge into a whirlwind of genre sketches, covering all the shop's books, from the most lurid children's books the the most swear-y romance novel, the most down to earth sci fi and the least gripping detective thriller.
- March 2021
“The Gulf is not a prison. It is salvation!”
In a forgotten reality a little to the left, hangs a planet of lost souls: The Gulf. For thirty years, Leila Varok has worked tirelessly as its Governor, turning the dregs of the Earth into an ever-expanding community of happy, healthy people.
Except that’s not how it seems to Kell, ripped from his memory and thrown in a cell. To him, it seems very much like a prison. Emotionless guards prowl the corridors, robots routinely experiment on the citizens, and something sinister is happening to the dying.
And deep in the bowels of The Gulf, a prisoner is writing on the wall. A prisoner who has been there a very long time. A prisoner with a bowler hat, a paintbrush, and a plan. A prisoner who, once upon a time, owned a rather fabulous balloon... And today he is going to escape.
This spiritual successor to The Man in the Air Balloon begins a journey that will span worlds, universes, and perhaps the odd painting for good measure.
- March 2021
"I have seen many Ministers say rather a lot, but rather badly; I have seen many more Ministers say very little, but very well; but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone say so little so badly as you just did."
In the near future, PR hell breaks loose in Whitehall when Graham Barnett MP, newly-appointed Minister for Climate Change, accidentally denies the existence of global warming on his first day in office. Meanwhile the UK reels from the impact of the recently-suppressed pandemic, and all eyes are on the looming publication of an inquiry report into the Government’s less-than-flawless handling of the crisis. Over the course of one chaotic morning, jobs are jeopardised, bucks are passed, and Graham just can’t seem to get his coffee.
In Denial is a new student-written satire of last-ditch political posturing gone terribly wrong, but in its own terribly funny way.
- December 2020
Ella Hickson’s ‘Eight’ explores a generation defined by apathy, and what it takes to feel.
Danny sleeps next to corpses, Millie bonks for king and country, and Miles thanks a terrorist for his new life. This series of monologues carefully sketches a cast that is alternatingly repulsive and fascinating.
- November 2020
Makar and Varvara live across the road from each other in squalid room shares. Their lives are largely miserable, but they distract themselves by exchanging letters and books, and squandering what little money they have on presents for those dearest to them. Through their letters, we learn their tragic backstories and their plans for the future, in their ever-changing state.
In this new adaptation, Dostoevsky's classic story of social and emotional struggle will be accompanied by music and film, abstracting its timeless tale and turning it universal.
- November 2020
Delilah Samson, once a world-renowned actress beloved by the theatre and film industry, is preparing for her comeback role as Lady Macbeth after her career is derailed by a catastrophic accident. Whilst steadying herself in anticipation of this important performance, she hears a knock at her dressing room door. The person who enters the room will change everything.
'The Understudy' revolves around the Cain and Abel-like dynamic between between an ageing actress and her understudy, who eerily reminds her of her past traumas and who she used to be. Throughout the play, the audience bears witness to the couple's tensions, arguments, and quiet moments of solidarity. Based on the film 'All About Eve', the Book of Genesis, as well as the writer's own warped imagination, the play sets out to challenge anyone who watches it, and leave them feeling haunted even after they leave the theatre.
- June 2020
“Why, you gave yourself to me like a flower, to do anything I liked with. You were the prettiest of playthings.”
It's 1927. In Lady Hunstaton’s decadent country estate a party is in full swing. There is sparkling jazz, jovial charlestons, frivolous chat and of course Wilde’s damning satire. Amidst this there is an uneasy air of superiority. Mrs Arbuthnot, a pious single mother, and Hester Worsley, a distant visitor, are sneered at for their sex and background. There are those, through blackmail or insult, who would like to keep them firmly at the bottom. But, this is a story of unity and triumph over these people who underestimate and disrespect them.
Join us in the Golden Age of Radio for an hilarious broadcast of this brilliant comedy complete with original adverts for that all important ironized yeast, spirited dance-a-longs and the never ending hunt for John's muffler.
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Founded in 2017, UCATT is a non-profit, student-run organisation representing some of the best theatrical, creative and technical talent the University of Cambridge has to offer. For the month of September we tour across the UK and East Asia performing and providing workshops in venues, schools and universities. Following the decision to postpone this year's tour, we are bringing our adaptation of the play to life via the radio as part of the ADC Online season.
- June 2020
TWITTER
He’s in the kitchen cooking spaghetti and he’s upset about the news from Tripoli.
A kaleidoscopic play which asks those who watch it and those who stage it “how do we create meaning?” This digital production of Love and Information will bring together 7 different companies and 7 different directors each responsible for one of the play's acts to search for an answer.
- June 2020
The novel Hell on Ice by Edward Ellsberg tells the story of Captain De Long and his perilous journey to the arctic with a crew of 33 on board the Jeanette steamship. In this original adaptation inspired by Orson Welles' production as part of the Mercury Theatre on the Air, we bring the exciting story of Hell on Ice to life once again on radio. Sit back and be transported to the arctic ice packs where De Long and his crew underwent an arduous trek across sea, ice and the Siberian wastelands.
- June 2020
A fast-paced ridiculous comedy murder mystery set on skype. Spoofing the classic murder mysteries, this short radio piece explores what happens if, instead of a train or a mansion, the suspects are cooped up in a virtual call, with all the accompanying quirks, such as, why exactly is it that one of them had to commit the murder - aren't they all miles apart?
- June 2020
SUTHERSHIRE FM IS PROUD TO KEEP PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES, AND REMIND OUR LISTENERS TO KEEP SAFE. DON'T GO OUTSIDE. HAVE 2 LITRES OF HOLY WATER SPARE AT ALL TIMES.
AND TRY NOT TO GET MAULED BY A DEMON.
Ask Aria is a radio comedy that proceeds as if the audience has tuned into 'Suthershire FM', the radio channel of a country town in the midst of a demon-onslaught-apocalypse. In between in-universe adverts, government announcements and other general chaos, we follow an episode of 'Ask Aria', an agony-aunt style show where members of the town call in with their problems - petty, private and deadly serious.
- June 2020
Exam term getting you down? Can’t sleep? Feeling stressed? Midnight Snacks is here to help. Cambridge’s finest comedians have weaved together a plethora of surreal stories and tall tales with which to relax. Featuring dreamy visuals and a serene soundscape, this will be a chill experience like no other on the internet: come drift with us.
- June 2020
The gospel has officially gone digital!
That’s right: all your favourite Biblical characters have been transported to the modern-day and started their own YouTube channels! Let Moses give you ‘10 MUST KNOW HACKS FOR SURVIVING AN APOCALYPTIC FLOOD’, John tell you ‘7 signs you might need to be BAPTISED’ or Lazarus recount how ‘I LITERALLY DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE NOT CLICKBAIT’. Old Testament and New, they are all asking you to like and subscribe to their stories!
- June 2020
From cooking classes to a blog by your mysterious neighbour on how to be an expert karate coach, you may be feeling bombarded with ideas on how to spend this time indoors productively, as you sit for hours doing… well, that’s your business. Lifestream takes us inside the lives, and minds, of young adults struggling to find purpose, friendship and any remaining loo roll in the thick of isolation. Burdened by a world of dubious information and the increasing pressure to “do quarantine right”, these characters find themselves turning to online crash-courses, social media and - if all else fails - to each other, in an effort to rediscover some kind of “normal”... whatever that might mean.
- June 2020
The only (radio) play Sylvia Plath ever wrote, 'Three Women' follows the three different experiences of pregnancy of Wife, Secretary and Girl, through interwoven voice monologues. Exploring birth, miscarriage and adoption, it questions what it means to become - or not become - a mother, in a stunning, half-hour, verse study of identity, love, hope, loss and healing.
This is a play ultimately about waiting: Wife decides that 'I shall meditate upon normality', a sentiment which has become universal in such times of uncertainty and anxiety, rendering this beautiful - and criminally unknown - piece more prevalent than ever.
- June 2020
Meet X: a normal girl who finds herself transported to the middle of nowhere. She's lost her body, her sight and all of her sensory apparatus apart from her voice. She doesn't know where she is. She can't figure out why she hasn't got a body. And she's forgotten who she is. X has just landed in a place that will turn her world upside down.
To return back home, X must travel to five different places and collect the pieces of her name she has yet to remember. But the journey won't be easy. X must walk across the perilous Samsaran Desert, avoid the Bodhi Guards in Skhandres City, and make the risky crossing over the treacherous Lacuna Ridge. Find out how X navigates this strange new world where rice balls can be toxic, silence can be mayhem and men can proclaim themselves to be both Buddha and Christ. 'Lacuna Ridge', a new show brought to you by Anna Trowby, explores the religious terrain of an increasingly secular and technological world, and challenges its audience to think beyond the parameters of the realm we live in. Join X on her journey, if you dare.
- May 2020
Having been renewed for its 18th season, join us for a live read through of the first episode of the new season of Secret Murder. After faking his own death to give a group of hunky Priests the slip, Detective Inspector Agent Malone Murder-Detective is back and ready to solve murders more secret than ever before. It’ll be a great chance to see behind the scenes of your favourite show and ask some of your favourite actors some of your favourite questions.
- May 2020
Marigold is on her second gap year in 1987, putting off her degree in Plant and Soil Science at Aberdeen in favour of exploring her hometown Camden as a young adult - in particular the booming punk scene. Chrys is home from university in the summer of 2019, and she is bad at poetry. And she fancies her best friend Sabina. And she just has no idea how to take control of her life, or make it a story worth reading. But maybe with a list of boldening activities, she (and Camden) can make her a braver woman before the end of the summer.
- May 2020
A single parent, a dried up vlogger, a couple in crisis, two home-alone siblings, a retired nurse and a climatologist are thrown into uncertainty when the world around them seems to stop. Family members disappear, they cannot leave the rooms they are in, and they can only communicate through an online network. Is this Gaia attempting to save the planet? A government experiment gone wrong? Or something more sinister? The group must figure out how to unpause the world, or if it is even worth trying at all...
4.5 stars - TCS
Watch now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlUV9OfbGak
Listen to the soundtrack! https://soundcloud.com/katrina-rose-9/sets/paused-a-musical-in-self
- May 2020
Tune into listen to Piece By Piece where each Writer/ Performer is given a starting line and a finishing line to a sketch (a piece) they have to write! The sketches will then be taken and the show will be put together 'piece by piece' (see what we did there!) to form a coherent(ish) sketch show covering a variety of topics and genres by our Associate Writers. Who knows what will happen? Come Listen!
- May 2020
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No - it's Sharkman! Tune in to CamFM for a rip-roaring radio play full of action and adventure, starring none other than the world's greatest half-man, half-shark superhero!
"A labour of love ... frankly exhilarating ... The combination of dialogue, music, and sound effects along with pitch-perfect narration makes for thrilling moments that would not be possible in any medium but radio. I'm a really, really big fan. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐" - The Cambridge Student
- May 2020
You’ve heard of the Muses, right? Those nine ancient deities of the arts and proclaimers of heroes like Hercules. Well, they’ve just launched three YouTube channels to keep up-to-date with each other and produce top-notch content for your viewing pleasure. Think of it as the Iliad meets Vlog Brothers.
Join the Muses as they navigate their way through the internet to bring you song covers, beauty tutorials, reaction videos to historically inaccurate animated films, and so much more in this brand-new student-written vlog series. There’s sure to be drama of epic proportions and you don’t want to miss it! (Not that you’ll totally miss it because it will still be available to watch on YouTube!)
- May 2020
"Where there’s art, there’s no place for old age … no, Nikita, we’ve sung our song."
Vasili is locked in a theatre, reflecting on the brilliance of his long acting career. Attended only by Nikita, an old prompter, he dwells on death and the life unlived.
Chekhov’s one-act play is a tale of tattered grandeur and fast-fading glory
- May 2020
A lift is a place that unites a building. Everyone has to take the lift if you live high enough up. But, let’s face it, lifts are awkward places: no one looks at each other and no one talks… So when John arrives to repair the lift of an urban tower block and starts speaking to the residents, no one is sure exactly how to behave. Listening in to the conversations that happen in this tiny space and the connections that begin to form, we watch the humble lift become what it could be: the centre of the community.
- May 2020
Moving to London, trainee journalist David Mason starts to notice a presence in the skies, and a man on his heel.
His home, his wedding, his hairdressers - the Balloon Man is there.
Battling a ruthless office hierarchy and disbelief from family and friends - from budding artist Bella, to relentlessly cynical colleague Stefan - David becomes determined to prove the existence of this strange old man and his hot air balloon.
But as the years go by and with his world closing in, David is forced to confront the shadow that has haunted his life. Ascending to the clouds, he may at last discover the truth about the Balloon Man, and himself...
'The Man In The Air Balloon' is a time-jumping study of obsession, art, and what it means to be ourselves.
- May 2020
Now available online!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61mXWkYBvHw
Cambridge’s finest comics present the funniest one-person monologues and one-person sketches they have to offer. From an entrepreneurial toddler (sorry Boss Baby) (I'm not sorry it's a shit film) to a talent show auditionee who definitely didn't kill his friend to to why the Classic FM top 300 is SUCH BULLSHIT FOR GOD’S SAKE…
Breathe.
Relax.
And now watch an hour of harmless comedy fun.
- May 2020
A dark domestic tragedy for the radio - Dean and Lena are still grieving their son, Eric, when an old school friend comes to the door with an obscene proposal.
- April 2020
In this weird and unprecedented time of self-isolation and social distancing, CUMTS is here to bring you some joy and good news: Bar Nights are still here for you to enjoy!
That's right! Three times this (not) term time, we will be taking to 97.2 CamFM and the ADC Theatre YouTube Channel to provide you with a classic dose of musical theatre! You won't want to miss out.
This week it's an Open Theme, so performers are getting the chance to sing whatever they want, leaving you with a wonderful lucky dip of musical theatre! Exciting stuff.
