- November–December 2011
It’s 1979, and Ed and Isabel are on a blind date.
They really like each other - and each other's parents. As Ed and Isabel's relationship grows, so does their parents' enthusiasm. But tension litters their course: Isabel's dad won't speak to Ed, Ed's mum won't eat pork and no one will shut up. As these characters meet, eat, misinterpret and overreact, will the older generation be a catalyst or a catastrophe? This comedy about the sheepish beginnings of love, and the zealous involvement of parents,makes you wonder why couples stay together. Is it for each other, or is it for the other's family? For anyone who has practically dated their other half's mum or dad, 'Highlight' is two riotous acts of catharsis.
- May 2011
It’s 1979, and Jack and Karen are on a blind date. They really like each other—and each other’s parents.
But tension litters their course: Karen’s dad won’t speak to Jack, Jack’s mum won’t eat pork, and no one will shut up. As these characters meet, eat, misinterpret, and overreact, will the older generation be a catalyst, or a catastrophe?
This new comedy probes the sheepish beginnings of love, and the zealous involvement of parents.
By Tamara Micner
- May 2011
Caryl Churchill’s Seven Jewish Children, written in response to the siege on Gaza, met with controversy and acclaim at its Royal Court premiere two years ago.
This unforgettable theatrical experience sees Churchill’s fascinating moment of stirring political theatre meet with the voices of student playwrights who have crafted their own responses to her piece. The result will be an unmissable occasion of varied, engaging, and ultimately impassioned theatre.
Admission is free of charge. A collection will be held for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
- March 2011
don't be a drag, just be a queen.
drag queens. drag kings.
a night where you can be who you want to be. a night of debauchery and boundless freedom. featuring performances from fabulous drag queens and drag kings.
denim done him do me now just hit the floor and cream your pants
just remember what mother monster always says: let go of all your insecurities. you just remember that you're a superstar, and you were born that way.
- March 2011
It is 1823 and the genius Mozart has been dead for thirty years, but as Salieri rakes over the jealousy of his rival the court of eighteenth century Vienna floods back into life. The Emperor Joseph and his philistine officials. The raucous prodigy with his revolutionary music, and his disrespect for all things traditional and mediocre. And amongst all this, Salieri. The only man who recognises Mozart’s genius, and the man most tortured by it.
Clare Actors presents an exciting new production of this modern classic. In parts murder mystery, biting satire and theatrical spectacle - Shaffer’s tragic masterpiece asks us finally, not what it takes to be a genius, but what it means to be a man.
- March 2011
‘I was a good man, as the world calls good. What use was it to me? Goodness could not make me a good composer. Was Mozart good? Goodness is nothing in the furnace of art.’ Tonight the aging composer Salieri will take his life. Tonight intrigue, murder and the selling of souls will come to light, as Salieri implores his last audience to bear witness to his crimes. It is 1823 and the genius Mozart has been dead for thirty years, but as Salieri rakes over the jealousy of his rival the court of eighteenth century Vienna floods back into life. The Emperor Joseph and his philistine officials. The raucous prodigy with his revolutionary music, and his disrespect for all things traditional and mediocre. And amongst all this, Salieri. The only man who recognises Mozart’s genius, and the man most tortured by it.
Clare Actors presents an exciting new production of this modern classic. In parts murder mystery, biting satire and theatrical spectacle - Shaffer’s tragic masterpiece asks us finally, not what it takes to be a genius, but what it means to be a man.
- March 2011
Two brothers. Polar opposites. While house-sitting for his mother, Austin is finalizing a deal that could be his big break as a writer in Hollywood. Lee's an alcoholic thief, returning from the heart of the desert after many years, only to disrupt his younger brother's route to success. Lee’s idea for a Western catches the attention of Austin’s potential backer, Saul Kimmer. One decision then causes a shocking reversal. Quite literally at each other's throats, they go unnoticed by their oblivious mother who seems to think they’re both still 13. All set in one kitchen, True West exposes the disappointing reality beneath the vision of a writer, small-town life and the endlessly stereotyped "West" of America. Above all, this master class in tragicomedy presents us with the terrifying disintegration of a relationship between brothers. It doesn't take long for the American Dream to spiral into a nightmare.
- March 2011
Clare Actors presents THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN By Josh Coles-Riley. The MARLOWE SOCIETY COMPETITION WINNER: "It is 1965, and Simon Vaughan has arrived at Capel Celyn to visit the Lloyd Family, who he stayed with as an evacuee during the war. The village is about to be drowned to create a reservoir in the Tryweryn Valley, and it is Simon's last chance to return to the place he lived in at the end of his childhood. But there are tragic secrets buried in the past, and Simon's arrival stirs up painful memories of those last few months in 1945 - and of Rhiannon Lloyd, who gave him his first experiences of love, sex...and death. The House We Grew Up In is a play about memory, identity and the times that change us."
- March 2011
“Contemporary art is like a soufflé not yet cooked: if only one dared to open the oven, it would crash with no pity.”
Two painters, shunned by an art gallery, decide to take revenge on its greedy, status-hungry owners. Based on Molière’s famed comedy “Les Precieuses Ridicules”, this hilarious yet biting satire imagines what would happen if the French playwright visited the Museum of Modern Art and found the inspiration for his latest farce. What results is an Emperor’s New Clothes for the contemporary art industry, that will make you laugh, think, and perhaps reconsider the value of a jar of pickles…
- February–March 2011
Mexican Stand-Off is a darkly-comic sketch show written by 'Now, Now' alumnus Pierre Novellie, London stand-up Jonny Lennard and up-and-coming comedian Ali Lewis, who together make up comedy group Outside Joke.
- October 2010
"The fires will be burning in Udaipur tonight..."
The British Raj in India is coming to an end. In the twilight of history, an entrenched colonial family prepares its last supper.
Eve has been missing all day. On the eve of James’ departure for England, the family gathers for a final farewell. Tempers fray as the oppressive heat of day climaxes in the stifling darkness of the Indian night. Someone is harbouring a dark secret. Outside, a storm is brewing. This poignant snapshot of a decaying empire is a pertinent reminder of the bonds of family, the power of love, and the struggle for identity that burns within.
"Nothing is ever really yours here. No matter how many times we stamp things, nothing is really British."
Patrick Garety’s lyrical new play comes to the ADC in a haunting and evocative production which celebrates the fervour of youth, and how the choices of a moment can shape our lives.
- June 2010
English history meets English Heritage in the Cambridge-renowned CLARE MAY WEEK SHOW!
- March 2010
--"Nothing can rival the power of art." --"Not even sex?"
Fra Filippo Lippi is born lucky. He has a talent beyond any of his peers. He is set to be one of his generation's greatest artists.
Escaping his monastery, he is captured by pirates. Escaping imprisonment, he gains the patronage of the Florence's most powerful citizen, Cosimo de' Medici. Winning the favour of even the Pope himself, Filippo's uncontrollable lust sees him thrown into confinement. Escaping once again, he must flee from Florence to pursue his art - and his mischievous love affairs. All is well until, for once, love strikes true...
"You're dying for it - someone to knock the brains out of you till all the tatters of your wasted life are left spread across the floor, moist and glistening from the spoils of your body"
- June 2009
A new interpretation of Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy will bring the glamour and the hypocrisy of the roaring 20s to life; complete with Charleston, cocktails and deception galore. Exploring the clashes between men and women, upper and lower classes, and ideals and reality, it will incorporate music and dance to help bring out the darker elements of the play, as well as complementing the comedy.
- June 2009
In an airless basement room, two hitmen await details of their next assignment. They’re a team from way back, but today something has disturbed their normally efficient routine. Unseen forces bear down on them in their precarious and darkly funny world. While increasingly bizarre orders keep arriving via the dumbwaiter serving hatch, the tension mounts as the comedy unfolds.
Pinter’s taut dialogue, some of Cambridge’s finest performers, and the claustrophobia of the atmospheric Corpus Christi Playroom all collide to create a visceral piece of freshly funny and striking theatre. Starring Ben E Kavanagh and Oliver Soden. Directed by Patrick Garety.
- March 2009
Held in Week 8 (11-13th March) the 2009 MISCELLANEOUS THEATRE FESTIVAL promises to excite, experiment, and generally entertain: with readings from original works, abstract musical pieces, devised performances and everything under the sun.
It is a 3 day event (free of charge) unlike anything you will ever see in Cambridge: a festival where pieces - mime, recordings, the uncategorized - can inform a dialogue with other works. There is no requirement for 'polish' or 'definite finish', no application process.
With works from: Finn Beames, Ian Burrows, Finbarr O'Dempsey, Ollie Evans, Patrick Garety, Simon Haines, Jeremy Hardingham, Mark Hanin, Edward Herring, Emma Hogan, Decca Muldowney, Orlando Reade and others.
Downstairs at 7pm each night (11, 12, 13th March) in the Judith E. Wilson Drama Studio (in the basement of the English faculty on Sidgwick Site).
- February 2009
Estragon and Vladimir are waiting for Godot. The arrival of Pozzo and Lucky helps to pass the time, but they agree "it would have passed anyway".
Beckett's supreme modern classic, once described as a play in which "nothing happens – twice", is as striking, poignant and avant-garde as it was fifty years ago. Universal and timeless, the dazzling, lyrical language captures a perfect blend of humour and tragic insight.
Ahead of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart's production, this remarkable black comedy comes to Cambridge in a striking interpretation which demands to be seen… …if only to pass the time.
- January 2008
"Do you remember the night we met? You stepped on the bottle shards between the cracks in the pavement...We danced in your bedroom, to the sound of broken glass."
Clare Actors presents two short plays unified under the themes of fragility and fragmentation.
"Losing Adonis" is a modern treatment of classical myth, exploring the consequences of a life lived through fairytale. "Song" recalls the chaotic memories of a troubled young man on the brink of self-destruction.
"Broken Glass" is a new and innovative project, drawing on the loves and losses so common to us all, yet so resolutely unique.
See www.brokenglassplay.co.uk for further details.
- November 2007
‘If thou dost love me Show me thy thought.’
One of Shakespeare’s very greatest plays, Othello’s stage is alive with scrutinies and suspicions. This stripped-down production will see six actors watching and being watched, enacting through intense, highly physical performance the tragic downfall of the Moor. Rarely staged in Cambridge, this production will bring to the text a genuinely exciting interpretation and innovative style. Be sure to see it.
- June 2007
Shakespeare's classic comedy is relocated to the world of manners, tea-dances and the serious matter of the marriage market, as suitors vie for the affections of the eligible Bianca, whilst her sharp-tongued sister Katherina battles against the crazed and persistant attentions of Petruchio, a most determined young gentleman with a bet to win and, in due course, a wife to “tame”. An intrigue of disguises and deceptions, and a battle of wills, unfold in the beautiful surroundings of Clare Colleges sunken garden.
Starring some of Cambridges most promising young actors, musicians, dancers and performers, The Taming of the Shrew looks set to follow in the footsteps of its dramatic predecessors in making the Clare May Week Show one of Cambridge's finest.
- March 2007
The Judith E. Wilson Drama Studio in collaboration with Clare Actors invites submissions of original works for theatre to be performed in the Judith E. Wilson Drama Studio (closing date for submissions: Friday 2nd February)
from: writers, directors, actors, and theatre-makers of all kinds.
3 days of original performance work by undergraduates and professional theatre practitioners
The Miscellaneous Theatre Festival will also include forum discussions, and a live-performance cabaret event in Clare Cellars. £100 top prizes to most original writing and direction.
Please indicate into which of the following three categories you would like to submit work (you may submit as many pieces as you wish ):
SHORT PIECES A complete dramatic piece, between 5 and 30 minutes in length.
FRAGMENTS beginnings, rough outlines, impossible projects, sketches, disjecta, between 3 and 15 minutes in length.
REWORKINGS Pieces which draw heavily upon the works of others, reworked, re-presented, cut-up or derived, between 5 and 30 minutes in length.
All submissions should be submitted via email or in hard copy to: Jeremy Hardingham, Drama Studio Manager, English Faculty, 9 West Road, Cambridge / jh580@cam.ac.uk
- October 2006
Two young men arrive at the end of the line. As the last train slips away forever, they are faced with the universal predicament of choice. Should we regret or be happy with our past? Were the choices we’ve made the right ones? And most importantly: how should we spend the last few moments of our lives? ‘Untimely Figs’ is a piercing and rapid new piece of writing which explores mortality with both humour and tragedy. It is a drama that any audience will feel themselves being drawn into emotionally and philosophically. Performed in ‘real-time’, the Corpus Playroom becomes a ticking bomb as we watch an unrelenting clock count down to the last second. Will they find the ‘right way’ to end?’
- June 2006
It just isn’t poor old Antigonus’ day. Leontes, king of Sicilia, has flown into an unexplained fit of jealousy, accusing his best friend of fathering a child with his wife, Hermione. It is Antigonus’ inauspicious task to take the rejected baby away. Tormented by nightmares and wracked with guilt, things can’t get much worse for the loyal Sicilian lord... until he is victim of Shakespeare’s most infamous stage direction: Exit, pursued by a bear.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. The baby, Perdita, grows up a beautiful, virtuous maiden – and it becomes just a matter of time before she discovers her true roots as princess of Sicilia, and is reunited with her remorse-stricken father. But how will all the pieces fit together? Will everything turn out happy in the end? And what on earth is the bear all about?
The much-acclaimed Clare Actors tackle something a little bit different for their summer project. Everyone’s seen the standard summer Shakespeare fare – but few troupes have braved the challenges of one of the bard’s least known (and most enchantingly enigmatic) plays. The Winter’s Tale proves in emphatic style that time and nature are the great healers – and just how easily a nightmare can turn into a glorious dream.
Tickets can be booked in advance by emailing tickets@clareactors.com.
- May 2006
"Great days, Zurich during the war. Refugees, spies, exiles, painters, poets, writers, radicals of all kinds. I knew them all."
Henry Carr is an ordinary old man with a very unordinary past. With his mind still in the neutral hideaway of World War I Switzerland, he is the 'other one' from The Importance of Being Earnest. Taking refuge from the war, he meets many historical figures including Lenin, Joyce and Tzara, whom he recollects in a number of witty and comical memories.
Join us as Henry Carr shares his past in a comedy in which you can never tell where memories end and imagination begins. Limericks and literary allusions abound, Travesties is a combination of political history, artistic debate and spoof reminiscence. Misunderstood memories, or just the wondering thoughts of an old man?
"Zurich, by one who was there..."
www.travesties.clareactors.com
- November–December 2005
Clare Panto returns! A cross between Cinderella and Big Brother, with all your favourite characters. Complete with Cambridge in-jokes, random songs and lots of crazy costumes. Oh yes there is!
- November 2005
Down in Flames Theatre Company and Clare Actors present LOST FOR WORDS 22nd - 26th November, Corpus Playroom, 9.30pm. Box Office: 01223 503 333
‘The books he keeps are old now, and too tired to be anything other than domesticated. He runs his fingers down their spines, lavishing each with love…’
Warren Pale is a writer who does not write; either he cannot, or does not, or prefers not to. ‘Lost for Words’ is a symphony of moods and moments captured in Warren’s intense reflection, departing from the methods of the Stanislavskian stage in order to capture and distil instants as they happen. Assailed by the attentions of a paying audience, Warren will be taken apart and studied for significance.
Using the intimate stagespace of the Corpus Playroom, Down in Flames Theatre Company have created a threadbare mesh of worlds, brought to life through the efforts of the actors. ‘Lost for Words’ promises to be a work entirely different to anything else in Cambridge: lit by anglepoise lamps, actors are annihilated and characters let loose in their place.
If you want a show that’s original and trying new things in an exciting and unpretentious way, give this a try. ‘Lost for Words’ will be appearing at the Corpus Playroom 22nd-26th November, 9.30pm. Tickets £5.50, £4 concessions.
http://downinflamestheatre.com
- November 2004
When the Brewster-Wright's receive working-class couple Jane and Sidney into their state-of-the-art kitchen, the occupants fear the couple may more than lower the tone of their Christmas Eve: little did they imagine the chaos their party games would bring. This is the hilarious scenario of ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR's rampaging alocholics in negligees, peanut butter sandwiches and drunken dancing. Alan Aykbourn's side splitting social comedy explores a side of the festive season which the middle classes would prefer to keep hidden. The perfect anecdote to end of term blues!
- June 2004
- November 2003
Cross Purpose is a play about a shocking misunderstanding and its tragic consequences. When Jan returns home after a twenty year absence, his family don't recognise him. Desperate for happiness they will go to any lengths to find the money they need, and Jan starts to fall into a terrible trap.
