- January–February 2019
"Here, there’s lots of money to be made in the business of opening graves. I’m serious. Farmers should be forgetting about crops and moving into the graveyard trade. It’s all about prime real estate for the dead nowadays."
A cloudy day in West Belfast. It’s Dennis’s funeral. Everything seems normal. The priest is drones on, the crowd half-heartedly pat their eyes with hankies. Then Uncle John orders an Indian takeaway (at eleven in the morning) and hijacks the sermon. There are only two remaining vacant graves in the family plot – and he will not miss out on one. Cue a morbid dogfight with vindaloos, Belgian girlfriends, and handbag-wielding octogenarians.
This piece of new writing by Connor Rowlett treads the line between morbid farce and naked drama as it explores the lives of a Northern Irish family who just can’t seem to change the subject from death.
Writer/Director email: cr579@cam.ac.uk
- January 2019
The best and brightest women and non-binary comedians in Cambridge bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- January–February 2019
'You funny creature! A woman who loves you - a woman you love - fine summer weather. What could be simpler than that?'
Charming, handsome, and with an opinion on everything, once upon a time Platonov seemed bound for greatness. Now he is a simple country schoolteacher and husband to a dutiful yet unimaginative wife. Arriving at the local estate one day for lunch with old friends, he is reunited with Sofya, a beautiful and recently married woman from his university days. Halfway between Hamlet and Don Juan, Platonov is desperate for a bit excitement and can't resist taking advantage of his one true gift: making himself utterly irresistible to women.
Adapted from Chekhov's untitled earliest complete work, Wild Honey is Michael Frayn's romp through the Russian countryside. A blending of the farcical and the tragic, this unique piece captures the combined absurdity and despair at the heart of Chekhov's scenario, creating the world of a gloriously bittersweet summer where none of the rules apply.
- January 2019
Steve, have you stapled and sorted through that paperwork, because we need to file it by 4pm today, and I’m not staying late again because if I do I swear to god you don’t wanna know what –
Oh, hello, didn’t see you there.
Just another day in the office. Pens clicking, printers printing, paper cutting... Jill’s finger, she’s a real klutz. Welcome to Human Resources, mind the water-cooler, inconveniently placed in the centre of the office, but what can you do! Public planning!
Nothing has changed in the last 32 years I’ve been here, and I was only born 27 years ago! Shocking. Each day is the same and – wait, what’s that.
“Do not fret, young one, it’s me COMEDee! Life doesn’t have to be dull, turn that mundaneness into insane-ness? Is that right? Let’s brighten up this office with a pinch of laughter, a half-cup of jokes, and maybe consider the Feng Shui of this office because quite frankly I’m sad just looking at it.”
- January 2019
The Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- January 2019
‘How do I define history? It’s just one f*cking thing after another.’
Sheffield. 1982. Eight bright but rowdy upper sixth boys are aspiring for Oxbridge, and Hector is in charge of getting them there, but the Headmaster has insisted on providing some new blood to help polish them.
A story of sexuality, lust, and potential, Alan Bennett’s acclaimed and beloved ‘The History Boys’ looks at a world where education is becoming less about what you are taught, but where it can take you.
Opening at the Royal National Theatre in 2004, it has since become a worldwide hit, winning the 2004 Olivier and 2005 Tony Awards for Best Play.
- January 2019
For just four nights the circus has come to town, a circus that is quite unlike any other… Cambridge’s premiere student drag troupe invite you to enter a sparkling tent of mystical wonders for their most ambitious and obscure show to date. Drag kings, queens and in-betweens gather under the blinding lights of the circus for a whirling cabaret of dancing, singing, lip-sync, comedy and general oddity. Get ready to shake off the awful start-of-term blues and throw those gender roles out the window, as Dragtime take you for the ride of your life. Welcome to the Cirque du Slay…
- January 2019
In just 24 hours, CUMTS will create and perform a brand new musical. A theme will be announced to some of Cambridge's sparkiest new writers and composers, who will then put their heads together for 24 hours of creative madness. A troupe of CUMTS performers and musicians will be on hand to bring their work to life, in what will be a whirlwind celebration of new writing. There will be sleeplessness. There will be coffee. Who knows what the final product will be? All we know, is that it will be unmissable.
- December 2018
A story of love, jealousy, deceit and prejudice, "Othello" is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. This timeless play has been reinvented again and again, its warnings and lessons remaining resonant for every society that comes to it, and 2018 will see ETG reimagine the play in the vibrant and explosive 1960s London jazz era.
The Cambridge University European Theatre Group is a self-sufficient, entirely student-run theatrical company, which tours a Shakespeare play around Europe for two and a half weeks every December (and has been doing so for over 50 years now!). It is an ambitious coach-bound operation; a company of 25 or so tour with professional lighting and sound equipment, costumes and an experimental set, enabling us to put on a show absolutely anywhere.
Each year we typically visit twelve venues - ranging from professional theatres, to schools and universities, and even to churches and converted bread-ovens - and travel through five or six countries. In the past, we have performed in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, The Czech Republic, Italy and Hungary, before returning for a homerun in Cambridge the following January.
ETG’s rich history began in 1957 when a group of students, which included Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Trevor Nunn, travelled across Switzerland with their production of Romeo and Juliet. Over time, ETG has developed a reputation at home and abroad for producing exciting, innovative, experimental and professional interpretations of classic texts, attracting the most ambitious actors, technicians and creative forces from within the university. We provide successive generations of company members and audiences with challenging experiences completely unimaginable elsewhere in British (let alone student) theatre.
- January 2019
Against the backdrop of civil war, aspiring writer Jo hides from life's difficulties in her attic and pens stories of adventure. This much-loved musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel is suitable for all the family and reminds us that sometimes when you dream, your dreams come true.
- December 2018
- December 2018
- November–December 2018
Last Christmas you saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, but this year's Fairytale of Cambridge is sure to get Santa Baby even more merry when he comes to town... Cambridge's only touring drag collective returns to the ADC stage to present their most fabulous performance yet. The category is... XXX-mas Extravaganza! With dancing, singing, lip-syncing and more, join us for what promises to be our most ambitious production to date. Featuring the very best kings, queens, and in-betweens that Cambridge has to offer!
- November 2018
You have been invited to an exclusive recording of a brand new Saturday night entertainment show. Graham Norton’s on holiday, Mel and Sue are busy and Terry Wogan is frankly unavailable, so the ADC have called in daytime TV legends Jimmy and Billy to take the reins on their first ever late night show. Over the course of an hour, the pair will interview surprise guest characters, play games with their studio audience and showcase musical talent, making sure that things go off without a hitch. Featuring a live stand-up set, brand new characters and comedy songs from Cambridge’s finest comedians and musicians, this is a once in a lifetime chance to see how TV really gets made. Saturday night’s will never be the same again…
- November 2018
Ever wondered what the greatest songs from the greatest shows with the greatest dances would look like? Luckily for you we've put them all together for a killer night at the ADC Theatre! Join our brand new line-up as they tackle the most legendary numbers of all time.
- November 2018
The JCR is a satirical look at the mysterious and bewildering world of college politics, in the style of 'The Thick of It' and 'W1A'. You can expect all of the familiar faces: a jaded President, a power-hungry VP, hedonistic Ents officers and many more. Mixing mockumentary style and sketch comedy, this show will bring the high octane life and death decisions that the JCR face every day to the ADC stage.
- November 2018
Welcome in the Christmas break with the final Smoker of term, as the Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- November 2018
‘Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the Gingerbread Man.’
Gingie has been running his whole life. But when the evil venture-capitalist Mrs Badbury and the jaded Milky Bar Kid combine forces to convert Quality Street from a halcyon glade of flavour equality to a mass-producing, soul-destroying factory, Gingie must finally stop and bite back.
Will Gingie learn the value of friendship and tolerance to form an assorted mix of intrepid baked goodies? Will they be able to stop the baddie’s plan to turn the moon into a crème egg for profit? Will Flake finally decide to show up? Does anybody actually like Bounty?
Join us in a kooky cookie, topsy-turvy, curly-wurly story across the cosmos: it’s going to be finger-lickin’ good and ginger kicking food. Featuring the crème de la crème of Cambridge talent and choc-a-bloc with gooey goodness, ‘The Gingerbread Man’ is a treat for all the family.
- November 2018
The war is over. Berlin is crumbling. Don Juan feels like the last man standing, and after years of abstinence, is once again ready to engage in more of the debauchery and sin that made his name. But amidst the political and economic upheaval, fighting mental and physical battle scars, Don Juan finds himself increasingly at odds with the man he used to be. Hero or lothario, is there redemption for this broken man?
Ödön van Horváth’s visceral tale of isolation in the aftermath of the First World War is presented in a new adaptation by Duncan Macmillan.
- November 2018
Cambridge's first and best student film night returns to the ADC Stage.
A selection of the best student films of this term will be screened in one unforgettable night, in collaboration with Cambridge Film Association.
- November 2018
Sisters Alice and Jenny are polar opposites. Alice works in Geneva, as part of the team at CERN searching for the Higgs Boson, the mysterious ‘God Particle’. Jenny is a skittish homebody living in Luton where she smokes, drinks, and puts more trust in her horoscope than her doctor. When tragedy throws them together again, the collision threatens them with chaos.
Lucy Kirkwood’s latest, electrifying play weaves together a family drama and questions about the fundamental nature of the universe. It asks us if there is a difference between what we know, and what we think we know.
- November 2018
- November 2018
Featuring a lineup of all-BME comedians, Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- November 2018
Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- November 2018
The Queen is dead: after a lifetime of waiting, the prince ascends the throne. A future of power. But how to rule?
This 'bracingly provocative and outrageously entertaining new play' (The Independent) explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain's most famous family.
Reviews for King Charles III:
★★★★★TCS: https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/theatre/0039142-review-prince-charles-iii.html
★★★★ 1/2 Varsity: https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/16487
★★★★ 1/2The Tab: https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2018/11/09/review-king-charles-iii-116889
- October–November 2018
Oliver and Heather seemed perfect for each other, until the emergence of the mysterious and alluring Anna and the beginning of a turbulent love affair. To Oliver’s friends and family, Anna appears to be leading him down a dark path, while Oliver sees nothing but her beauty and affability. However, all is not as it seems as flashes of the truth are disclosed, until finally Anna’s secret is revealed in this circus adaptation of an original play.
- October 2018
‘Two By Two’ an evening of comedy duologues brought to you by Harriet Fisher and Will Owen! Mitchell and Webb, Mel and Sue, Fry and Laurie. Cambridge is the home of the comedy duo! Why not come and suss out Cambridge’s next budding stars? Come on your own. Bring a friend. Be your own duo.
- October–November 2018
“I want to do what I love as much as I can and as long as I can. But at least now - I’m doing it for me. Who are you doing it for?”
Synopsis
With its blend of powerful vocals, high-energy choreography, and amusing and poignant vignettes, A Chorus Line is a stunning musical celebrating the talented and dedicated performers of the Broadway chorus. The show depicts the final gruelling round of auditions for a new Broadway musical, and for seventeen dancers, this is the life-changing opportunity they have worked towards for their entire career. A Chorus Line is a powerful metaphor for human ambition, revealing the truth of the glamorous yet competitive world of show-business, and what happens when you put everything on the line in pursuit of a dream. Marvin Hamlisch’s iconic score features such classics as What I Did for Love, The Music and the Mirror, and the spectacular finale: One (Singular Sensation). Based on true stories of the struggles of performers wanting to make it big on the Broadway stage, A Chorus Line has become an instantly recognisable classic, with the original production winning no fewer than nine Tony Awards.
Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society presents A Chorus Line
This production of A Chorus Line enjoyed an unprecedented sell-out run of six performances at the ADC Theatre between Tuesday 30th October and Saturday 3rd November 2019.
Acknowledgements
A Chorus Line was conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett. Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante. Music by Marvin Hamlisch. Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-choreographed by Bob Avian. Original Broadway production produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc. By arrangement with MusicScope and Stage Musicals Limited of New York.
- October 2018
Part-written, part-devised, RIBS is an ambitious production telling the story of cultural resistance in 1950s Soviet Russia.
Against the backdrop of the high-point of Cold War tensions, the Kremlin banned the production, sale, and distribution of subversive or western music – particularly jazz. To gain access to forbidden music underground gangs would raid bins outside hospitals to steal discarded x-rays, and crudely turn this medical grade vinyl into disposable records written on bone. Soon they found themselves embroiled in a semi-official gang war with the authorities, risking imprisonment in the gulag (or worse) for their resistance.
In the style of gig-theatre, RIBS combines the atmosphere and live music of a gig with the storytelling of theatre to create an immersive and all-consuming experience.
- October 2018
Featuring performers who are all brand new to the comedy scene, Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- October 2018
‘Sin will pluck on sin’
It is 1980 and the notorious York family has finally made peace with their bitter rivals, the Lancasters. Everyone is looking forward to a period of calm, united under the new head of the families, Edward. Edward’s younger brother, Richard, however, has other ideas.
Cast-away and jealous, the unassuming Richard plans to take the role of Don for himself.
Political drama meets gangster-thriller, this re-adaptation sees Shakespeare’s least redeeming character seamlessly slot into the modern world by acquiring the position most suited to them: that of a scheming mobster.
- October 2018
Roll up! Roll up! For the drama of a lifetime with the travelling troupe of theatrical troglodytes the Cambridge Impronauts! Their all-new show puts you, the common-or-garden audience member, in ultimate control of the action, as you watch an improvised murder mystery story with one horrifying twist – you can decide who the killer is! The mild-mannered vicar? The eccentric billionaire? A random bystander? All in your hands. Swing the play’s drama in whichever direction you wish and let the drama unfold. Will the killer of your choice be caught by our heroes and/or bystanders? Continue their spree? Or live to terrorise another day/night/dusk/elevensies? You’ll have to come along and see, in the latest and ‘greatest’ (the author, 2018) show from Cambridge’s oldest and best-loved improvisation troupe!
- October 2018
"There's always been something wrong. Always, just as long as I can remember. But I never knew what it was until all this happened."
In 1930s rural England two female teachers are falsely accused of homosexuality by one of their students. Once the scandal reaches the local community, Martha and Karen's lives are destroyed as they become increasingly ostracised by society.
Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour was banned when it was published due to its controversial depiction of female homosexuality. Now in the 21st century, it serves as a powerful reminder of the horrors of intolerance.
- October 2018
“Theatre should be grand, vulgar, simple, pathetic – not genteel, not poetical.”
So said Joan Littlewood, artistic director of the infamous Theatre Workshop and developer of the seminal 'Oh, What a Lovely War!', first performed in 1963. Born of a revolutionary collaborative process, this so-called ‘epic musical’ shook a nation with its visceral portrayal of the first world war. Both riotously entertaining and profoundly affecting, there is no other play which combines the same level of cultural significance and timeless appeal. Come to be enraged, come to be entertained – come and be part of 'Oh, What a Lovely War!'
4.5 stars from Varsity: https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/16259
5 stars from The Tab: https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2018/10/15/review-oh-what-a-lovely-war-114512
Listed in The Tab's top five shows of Michaelmas 2018: https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2018/12/03/tab-roundup-michaelmas-theatre-highlights-118438
- October 2018
A live band and the best of Cambridge comedy content from over the summer break, from the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond? It must be the first ADC Smoker of the year!
Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- October 2018
Tennessee Williams’ intimate masterpiece journeys back through the hazy memories of Tom Wingfield to his time spent living in a stifling St Louis apartment with his mother Amanda, a faded Southern belle, and older sister Laura, whose crippling shyness and limp prevent her from leaving the house. Instead, she focuses her energies on a menagerie of small glass animals.
When Tom brings his popular colleague Jim home to dinner in the hopes of finding Laura a husband, the outgoing newcomer threatens to dismantle the precarious emotional ties holding the family together. During the evening, disillusionment takes precedent over fantasy, and the characters’ lives and dreams begin to look as fragile as the glass animals themselves.
