- March 2024
'Pragga Wagga' meaning 'Prince of Wales'. 'Cowboy' meaning 'cowboy'.
In this original stand-up special, bright-eyed drifter, Rhys Griffiths (Cambridge Footlight) invites you around the campfire to partake in some tall tales of the wild west: Wales! Join Rhys on his rootin' tootin' solo stand-up show debut as he meditates on engaging observations about the romance of greasy spoons, his personal failures as a carpenter, pigeons and much more delivered with "perfect charisma" (Varsity).
Lance Moa (Comedian, Winner Backyard Knockout Competition) deems Rhys "The Footlight's own gangly Matt Rife" and his easy-going conversational style as "captivatingly charismatic".
- March 2024
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd...
- March 2024
We’re all aware that the lowest form of comedy is… student comedy. But this lot want to change that. They won’t stand for anymore slander, let me tell you. This is an act of rebellion. Long gone are the days of painful performances; this is the start of a new age of shows which ‘aren’t half bad actually’. They’re raising the bar from being on the floor to being slightly-above the floor. They’re not writing punchlines, they’re writing ‘kick-you-right-where-it-hurts-lines’. But this is their only chance, This is the Big One.
- March 2024
On a quiet afternoon in the Bluebell Hill Development neighbourhood, Martin and his sister Hilda decide to open their doors for a house-warming party. Before they even get a chance to offer the first cup of tea their peace is disturbed by a trespasser on their back lawn. Concerned with the safety and security of their community a newly formed Neighbourhood Watch takes matters into its own hands, fences are installed and neighbourhood patrols start roaming the streets. However, what started as an innocent committee rapidly escalates when a dispute culminate in the first casualty… Monty, Martin’s favourite garden gnome.
With ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ Alan Ayckbourn once again expertly ties comedic genius with carefully embedded social critique. This is not one to miss!
- February–March 2024
Tell all the aunties and uncles (even the ones that you've never heard of): Second Generation is back!
We're here again with the fifth iteration of the student-written sketch show, introducing new BME faces to the comedy scene. Come join us for a night that's bringing the heat and humor to the ADC stage for another year!
From your massive extended family mischief to watching hard-boiled eggs take over brunch, Second Generation: As Gen Z become Aunties promises to be a night of fun, nostalgic third world problems and everything nice.
- February–March 2024
'The breaking of so great a thing should make a greater crack.' A love made public rarely lasts, and neither can the most powerful couple of all time. As Antony rules his empire, and Cleopatra her kingdom, the unbreakable lens of the public interest will obliterate them. True love loses itself in a world where love is love, and power is power. This well-known Shakespearean tragedy explores identity, duty and romance with an all-BME cast and crew. Antony & Cleopatra promises to be exciting and culturally diverse, bringing a fantastic energy to one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays.
- February 2024
Spring Revue is one of the biggest events in the Cambridge comedy calendar, showcasing the talents of comedians within the current Footlights membership. This year’s theme is “Washed Up”:
“While taking a cruise around the Bermuda Triangle (which was unreasonably cheap in hindsight) a shipwreck leaves the cast stranded on a desert island. Left with nothing but eight records, the complete works of William Shakespeare, the Holy Bible and a volleyball, the cast must find some way to keep themselves entertained. So to quell conversations of who to eat first, the passengers sit around the fire telling stories…”
As the creative culmination of the 2023-24 Footlights membership expect a show bursting at the seams with wicked wit, unforgettable characters, and even non-complimentary ice cream at the interval…
- February 2024
CUMTS presents you with the gift of Gala. For two nights only CUMTS brings you an evening of pure musical theatre decadence. Dressed to the nines and accompanied by a full orchestra, the finest of Cambridge’s Musical Theatre Talent will be performing all of your favourite musical theatre classics alongside the latest Broadway hits, all dazzling with glitz and glamour.
- February 2024
Dragtime! is back and better than ever! Welcome back your favourite drag kings, queens and inbetweens for an ecletic and high energy show which will have you rolling in the aisles. Explore life beyond the Thunderdome as our performers bring you the very best of their drag - no theme, no limitations, just a good old fashioned drag cabaret! Featuring live singing, lip sync, dance, pole dance, spoken word and more, join our private dancers as they find out what, exactly, love's got to do with it… (Disclaimer: this is not actually a Tina Turner drag tribute show but we had to call it something didn't we)
- February 2024
Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"You'll be kicking yourself if you don't watch it. It's courageous, outrageous, and unlike anything you'll ever watch" - Salma Salifu for The Tab
"This is not just a well-produced, well-directed, well-acted play, but one that has emotional power and is incredibly current" - Evan Grandidge de Paz for The Tab
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2024/02/14/review-fairview-174714
"Chen and Bisiriyu have directed a revolutionary piece of art [...] It's productions like these [...] that can spur real tangible change" - Tirza Sey for The Cambridge Student https://www.thecambridgestudent.co.uk/culture/fairview-review-a-masterclass-into-the-power-of-observation
"Fairview changes what it means to watch theatre" - Alice Mainwood for Varsity https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/27095
About the show
I’ve been trying to talk to You.
This whole time.
Have you heard me?
The Frasier family is gearing up for Grandma's birthday, and Beverly needs this dinner to be perfect. But, the silverware's wrong, Jasmine is drinking, Dayton isn't helping, Keisha is being a typical teenager, and Tyrone might not show up at all. As Beverly's hostess neurosis begins to get the better of her while her family acts like a family, Keisha's adolescent malaise starts to seem like maybe it could be something else.
Hailed by critics as "astoundingly smart and riveting", "dazzling and ruthless", and "unforgettable", this Pulitzer-prize-winning play invites audiences to question and process the act of watching. What happens if you do?
- February 2024
‘A new world calls across the ocean, a new world calls across the sky, a new world whispers in the shadows.’
These are the stories and characters of today, the Songs for a New World. The first musical from Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade), this moving collection of powerful songs examines life, love and the choices we make.
Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to meet a startling array of characters ranging from a young man who is determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage.
- January–February 2024
Prepare for a surreal journey into the wild and wacky world of sleep and CRAZY dreams! Introducing "Footlights Presents: Nothing Really Mattress"– the mind-bending sketch show that'll leave you questioning reality, one snicker at a time. Join us as we dive headfirst into the land of slumber, where anything goes and the laws of physics take a night off. Don't sleep on this one! Join us for a night of laughter, where even your wildest dreams can't compete with the hilarity of "Footlights Presents: Nothing Really Mattress."
- January–February 2024
"Don't you remember how it was? Can't you see how important it is for us to love openly, without hiding and without guilt?"
Meet Ned Weeks, an impassioned activist in 1980s New York, battling indifference and discrimination surrounding a mysterious new disease that threatens to consume everything he knows. Amid heartbreak and societal apathy, as they lose those closest to them, Ned and his contemporaries grapple with the profound importance of love, community, pride, and hope in the face of a devastating epidemic.
The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer, first performed in 1985, is a searing and emotionally charged drama that is breathed life from the experiences of activist-giant Kramer himself. This vivid exploration confronts the early days of the AIDS crisis, spanning the years 1981 to 1984—the heartbeat of an era.
- January 2024
- January 2024
Life is brutal to the best of us, but some more so than others. Join former Pointless contestant and Cambridge Footlight Diya Shah in her debut stand-up comedy show, as she takes you through the highlights and lowlights of her life so far and explores whether it’s better to laugh or just cry as the world throws endless character-building events her way. Don’t miss this one night only opportunity to help her decide just how much the universe conspires against her – whether you end up laughing with her or at her, she doesn’t mind too much.
- January 2024
Tom Stoppard's Olivier-winning Arcadia returns to the ADC in Week 1 of Lent!
- January 2024
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 2023
Following the success of last year's Hamlet, ETG is back for 2023 with a production of The Tempest.
A tale of power, magic, betrayal, love, and redemption, The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and bewitching comedies. This enchanting story follows Prospero, a powerful sorcerer who was wrongfully stripped of her title and exiled to a remote island. With the help of spirits and monsters, Prospero conjures a tempest that brings her enemies to the island’s shores. As the storms of revenge fasten their grip, lovers embrace, fools plot murder, and Prospero holds the fate of all in her hands.
Our interpretation of this classic text invites the audience to re-imagine Prospero as a tortured artist, painting a tale of romance, political intrigue, and revenge through her magic. We see the world through Prospero’s eyes as she distorts reality to manipulate both the audience and the characters in the story. This production evokes expressionist art in both costume and set, reflecting how Prospero has subjectively moulded the spectacle, full of colour, music, and dance, that unfolds before us.
Founded in 1957 by a group of students including Derek Jacobi and Trevor Nunn, ETG is an all-student theatre company that tours Europe with a Shakespeare play at the start of the Christmas holidays every year. Last year’s tour went to Antwerp, Leuven, Tübingen, Konstanz, Bern, and London, before coming to Cambridge for a run at the ADC Theatre in January.
If you have any questions about ETG 2023, please get in touch with the Tour Manager, Jacob Gaskell, at manager@cuetg.co.uk.
- January 2024
- December 2023
- December 2023
- December 2023
CU Show Choir is back and ready to delight with our new show. Show Choir: Show Me The Choir will feature some of your favourite pop classics and quintessential crowd pleasers. If you like dancing, singing and a live band, then Show Me The Choir is the right show for you. Celebrate the end of term in style with Show Choir`s classic mix of four-part harmony and cheesy choreography.
- November 2023
What do underrepresented genders and comedy got in common? Not much to be honest.
Well, not for long!! Comic Sans is back and it is sexennial-lier than ever! With no scripts, no direction and (shock horror) no men in sight, Cambridge comedy’s most frightening night returns. After a long year, your favourite under-represented genders are back doing what they do best- being silly, comical and wildly hilarious. So ditch the library sweats, get into your best attire and head down to the ADC for a night of improv fun!
- November 2023
Our tale follows Dick, an optimistic (if sometimes naive), young lad who lives with his mum in Cambridge. Vigorously inspired one day after reading the autobiography of political journalist (Julie Fitzwarren), Dick decides to go to London to try and carve out success for himself - he hears the streets are paved with gold! On arrival in London, Dick is gleeful to glimpse what looks like a Yellowy gold road! But it turns out to be a double yellow line. Undeterred, Dick enters the big city and starts seeking for work. As luck would have it ends up employed at his inspiration’s house, where he is under the authority of the snobby, jealous chef Nigel Oliver. Nigel is determined to get rid of Dick and plots with his dog crony how to do so. Panto-hilarity ensues!
- November 2023
Beyond Today follows Aoife Burke, a young woman in 1990s Ireland, who dreams of a peaceful life. With a long-standing conflict plaguing Aoife’s hometown, she’s always stuck with her own family: that is, until she meets Molly O’Keele – the daughter of her family’s nemesis. The pair keep their connection a secret, but it’s not long until people find out and, with tensions already high, chaos quickly ensues. How will the families react? Will Aoife and Molly ever get to be together? And, most importantly, will Aoife be able to stop the fight before more people get hurt?
- November 2023
All money corrupts, and serious money corrupts absolutely.
When a top City banker has to solve a murder, legal and moral boundaries alike slowly dissolve with each step – especially for those who can pay the right price for it. As whimsical as it is biting, Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money presents an ever-whirling carousel of eclectic characters that propels its audience through the vice-riddled landscape of 1980s London financial market, and brings them face to face with unscrupulous big-shots and duplicitous opportunists in a provocative satire that is daringly playful and playfully daring as it penetrates through the fierce and ruthless world of unrestrained capitalism.
- November 2023
Remember remember the 8th to 11th of November as Dragtime!'s kings, queens and inbetweens explode back onto the stage this Gay Fawkes Night with their fourteenth hit show at the ADC!
As the nights draw in and the air gets colder, make your midwinter a little less bleak and join Cambridge's premiere drag troupe as they lure you in to an exciting world of intrigue and mystery, featuring disruptive and subversive acts from the hottest drag talent around. No strangers to rebelling against political authority, our performers have come straight from the basement of the Haus of Lords to bring you an exhilarating cabaret of (bon)fire lipsyncs, singing, pole dance, spoken word and more!
- November 2023
“Sometimes I lie here looking at it - I dream in one instant Parliament bursts like a rotten fruit - spattering across the sky.”
It’s 1605 and James I, fresh from Scotland, is now King of England, a country fractured between Catholic and Protestant. A group of young religious fanatics from all corners of England, joined by mercenary Guido Fawkes, plot to strike at the heart of Government with a cellar full of gunpowder beneath Westminster.
This incendiary thriller weaves together the lives of kings and paupers, priests and spies, lovers and rivals in a heart-rending play of epic proportions, which interrogates how far would you go to defend your liberty?
- November 2023
It's not easy being the bad guy - especially when the goody-goody hero always saves the day and thwarts your totally flawless plan! But these scoundrels and miscreants have had enough, and with the help of their sinister support group are already planning their revenge. But how will they ever achieve their plans, if there's no honour in these sketchy, dark hearts, and betrayal lurks among them? No one will stop them now! Except each other, that is.
- October–November 2023
The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Jazz Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another. With the house lights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favourite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight. Hailed by New York Magazine as "The Perfect Broadway Musical," The Drowsy Chaperone is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theatre genre.
- October 2023
School's out! Entrenched monetary privilege via the form of private education is, however, not.
What to do about this pervasive social inequality? Make a sketch show, naturally.
Come and witness old and new state-educated comedians punch well and truly UP, and provide a truly Comprehensive Understanding of the state of education.
- October 2023
‘She is a nasty, stupid, wicked wretch, and I mean to save her life.’
Rural Suffolk, 1759. As the country waits for Halley's Comet, Sally Poppy is sentenced to hang for a heinous murder. When she claims to be pregnant, a jury of twelve women are snatched from their housework to decide whether she's telling the truth, or simply 'pleading the belly' to escape the noose.
With only midwife Lizzy Luke prepared to defend the girl, and a mob baying for blood outside, the women wrestle with their new authority, and the devil in their midst.
The women of The Welkin are often unlikeable, rude, hilarious, impatient, gossipy, airheaded, witty, nurturing and physically and emotionally strong. Think Twelve Angry Men meets the Vagina Monologues, with a sprinkling of The Crucible.
- October 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Gray’s production of Summer and Smoke portrayed these unstable modes of breathing with a serene sense of dignity fully realised by the complex and compelling characters of Williams’ underrated play.’ Varsity
‘The acting shines in an excellent production of Tennessee Williams’ complex and tender work.’ The Cambridge Student
“The girl who said 'no' — she doesn't exist anymore, she died last summer — suffocated in smoke from something on fire inside her.”
In a rural town, in the heat of the summer, Alma Winemiller meets Dr. John Buchanan. Set against the backdrop of a conservative society that values propriety and conformity, Alma and John are forced to confront their deepest fears and desires as they navigate their relationship. Summer and Smoke is a timeless masterpiece that showcases Tennessee Williams' unparalleled skill at crafting complex and compelling characters.
- October 2023
The Cambridge Summer Sketch Writers group brings you an hilarious night of ridiculous new sketch comedy! The Summer Sketch Writers group is an opportunity for comedy writers in Cambridge to come together and write sketch comedy during those months spent away from the Cambridge comedy scene. After three months of writing, editing, and polishing their sketches to comedic perfection, these writers and performers are ready to bring their best sketches to life in an hourlong sketch variety show at the ADC. The Summer Sketch Showcase is their opportunity to wow and impress with the writing they’ve produced over the summer months – and they’re all excited to make their audience laugh.
- October 2023
- October 2023
“What happens to a dream deferred...does it explode?”
Inspired by Langston Hughes’ “Harlem”, this play tells the story of the Younger family, who struggle with what it means to be black alongside finding their place in a new and hostile neighbourhood. While Mama Lena and son Walter must negotiate a new influx of money and how that changes their position within society, daughter Beneatha tries to find love, questioning beauty standards on her own journey to find pride in her African heritage.
Will the Youngers find the key to living openly with pride for their blackness, or will they crumble under the pressure of their finances and please the neighbours who so desperately want them gone?
