- November 2009
The Amateur Dramatic Club Presents
The House Of Bernarda Alba By Federico García Lorca Week 4, Michaelmas Term 2009 Tuesday 3rd-7th November, 7.45pm ADC Theatre
"There are eight years of mourning ahead of us. While it lasts not even the wind will get into this house."
When Bernarda Alba's husband dies, she locks all the doors and windows. She tells her grown-up daughters to sew and be silent. But not even the tyranny of Bernarda's repressive rule can cool the passion and desire that smoulder darkly within the household. With the arrival of Pepé el Romano, an attractive young man from the village, comes a tantalizing breeze of the cool air which plays amongst the reeds, away from the house. Whilst an emergent freedom comes to ascendancy in society, the household of Bernard Alba remains in a state of totalizing constriction.
This production re-imagines Lorca's masterpiece, to the mid 70's with the demise of Spanish Fascism and Spain's liberation. Redolent with Lorca's sensual poetry, blending, dance, music and stirring visuals this production breathe's new life into this haunting narrative of oppression, rebellion and fragile beauty.
- October 2009
The Amateur Dramatic Club presents Rossum’s Universal Robots by Karel Čapek – Week 3 Lateshow, Michaelmas 2009
‘There are no more people. Robots down to work. March!’
Mankind has discovered the secret of life. Rossum’s factory uses the recipe and manufactures artificial people to work as slaves. Known as ‘robots’, they ensure that all humans live a life of luxury.
Helena Glory visits the factory, and witnesses the machines at work. Initially intending to agitate a revolution amongst the robots, she is drawn to life at the factory and falls for Domin, the manager. But she can’t shake the feeling that forcing the robots into servitude will have dangerous consequences. And as discontent ferments among the robots, she is proven brutally right.
First performed in 1921, R.U.R. is the play that invented the word ‘robot’. This production will be visually bold, with an emphasis on physical performance. We will take an experimental approach to the process, involving devising and improvisation. The aim will be to create a dark vision of an alternative future, using a variety of innovative dramatic techniques.
- October 2009
Alter Ego Productions presents
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE by Tennessee Williams
ADC Michaelmas Week 3 Mainshow
Blanche DuBois is not all she seems. Coming to stay with her sister Stella in the Elysian Fields of New Orleans, she seems every bit the glamorous, sexy, beauty queen of the Old South. But what’s her secret? Stanley Kowalski, Stella’s straightforward and ‘no bullshit’ husband, makes it his task to find out.
But what cost will the truth come at?
Auditions: June 13th (12-6pm) ADC Dressing room 1
If you have any queries about auditions, or if you cannot make the above audition slots, please email the director, Alex Winterbotham aw428@cam.ac.uk. If you have any queries in general regarding the production, please email the producer, Hugh Lamarque hgcl2@cam.ac.uk
- October 2009
Near an isolated fishing village, on a faraway island, a stranger is found in the surf. Unable to speak the language of the fishermen and their wives, wild rumours spread that this stranger is a demon, come to snatch a baby for its supper. As their fear and suspicion escalates, it is only "that woman" that attempts to find out more about who this stranger is, where she has come from and what she is looking for. Bottles full of strange manuscripts from the land beyond the sea are washed ashore; perplexing cave paintings speak of a search for a better world; fishing boats bob helplessly on the wild ocean.
Noda has been described as "not one of the best but absolutely the most talented and provocative playwright of contemporary Japan". Now his play "Red Demon" is coming to the ADC. This will be a visually enticing, high energy production using tight ensemble work and physical theatre to bring to life this strange and wonderful story.
- October 2009
George is King of England.
George is sovereign of the world’s greatest commonwealth.
George is also going mad.
So when the King's illness takes hold, the impatient Prince of Wales - his "fat turd" of a son - begins to scheme for sovereignty. A greasy tangle of ignorant doctors, corrupt politicos, and self-seeking royalty all vie for power. It is left to the unconventional Dr Willis to restore the King to his senses before it is too late.
Witty, poignant, and terrifying by turns, this is one of Alan Bennett's greatest plays, later an Oscar-winning film. From insightful humour to George’s heart-wrenching relationship with his beloved "Mrs King", this is a moving and powerful portrayal of a king’s descent into madness. Lavish costumes, the glorious music of Handel, and Cambridge's finest acting talent come together in this extravagant landmark production.
"I am King of England, sir. A man can have no better conceit of himself than that.”
- October 2009
Keith Reed is failing – as actor, lover, and liver. Middle-aged and middle-talented, he is finally cast in his dream play. In his nightmare role. Join Keith for a night of electrifying comedy, as life becomes even more absurd offstage than on.
Shortlisted for the Footlights Harry Porter Prize, this fresh, funny slice of backstage life from one of Cambridge’s hottest new writers promises to be this term’s must-see comedy.
Life's but a poor player...
‘absurd, fast-paced and eloquent ... incredibly funny’ – Marlowe Society
‘much better than I expected, and very funny’ – Germaine Greer
- October 2009
Clytemnestra has murdered her husband Agamemnon as punishment for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia. Electra, devastated and alone, desperately awaits the return of her brother Orestes so that the savage, but necessary act of matricide can take place, and revenge can be achieved. A tale of love and loss, deception and revelation, blood shed and justice not to be missed.
'Electra' promises to be a compelling, dynamic and visceral production with a striking aesthetic, and ensemble cast, produced by Cambridge’s exciting new theatre company: ‘Top Goat Theatre’.
- October 2009
It’s here! The Footlights National Tour Show is the biggest and most famous show of the year from the biggest and most famous student comedy society in the world.
Experience an all-new, full-length, home-grown show on home ground from some of the most talented and hard-working young comedians around. From monologue to many-logue, sketches to stories, get ready to laugh your heads and your socks off until your sides split.
A preview show of epic proportions, this will be your first chance to see the culmination of the Footlights year, before the show sets off on a three-month comic odyssey to the Edinburgh Festival, around the United Kingdom and back again.
Previous Tour Shows have kick-started the comedy careers of countless famous faces. And this year it’s going to be better than ever. So come join us. Because this is where it all begins.
- October 2009
‘I am the dog: no, the dog is himself, and I am the dog--Oh! the dog is me, and I am myself; ay, so, so.’
‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’ is one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, and is a heartwarming tale following the fortunes of four lovers, three outlaws, two clowns and a dog. Valentine leaves Verona to seek his fortune in Milan, where he falls in love with Silvia. Valentine’s best friend Proteus comes to Milan to visit him, where he too falls for Silvia, prompting a story about betrayal, about love, about friendship, and about a clown with a cute little dog. Hilarity ensues.
CAST, the Cambridge University American Stage Tour, was founded in 1999 with the aim of producing an annual Shakespearian tour of the East Coast of the United States of America with a small group of Cambridge's most talented actors and technicians. CAST also provides the opportunity for American students and young people to participate in workshops, as a way of introducing them to Shakespeare or building on the knowledge they already have.
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cast/2009/home.html
- July 2009
It is the 18th May 1893, and Thomas Henry Huxley – Charles Darwin's steadfast and belligerent champion – has just given his last public lecture on the subject of evolution. This time, however, his message was very different. Gone was his earlier portrait of the Law of Natural Selection as a 'calm, strong angel'. In its place, Huxley has painted an altogether darker picture of the Darwinian world, full of cruelty and slaughter: a world to which mankind belonged, but was duty-bound to fight against. But later that night, memories of his old friend, his arch-enemy and his beloved daughter force him to look again at his own evolutionary journey. Presented in association with the Cambridge Darwin Festival, This View of Life is the story of one man's struggle to give Darwin's revelation to the people, and to find meaning in this most wondrous and dangerous of ideas.
- June 2009
- June 2009
Thrilling, operatic and full of drama, this spectacular musical tells an absorbing and stylish tale of love, murder and obsession. Sondheim's lyrics are typically sharp, tender and hilarious - and the music spell-binding. Set in the harsh underworld of Victorian London, the show is both poignant and darkly comic whilst featuring some remarkably close shaves and surprisingly delicious pies! Recently adapted in the film version starring Johnny Depp, the original stage show is justifiably hailed as a theatrical masterpiece which won numerous accolades including eight Tony Awards and Best Musical. Presented by Cambridge's own Festival Players, the originality and quality of the production are assured as they return to the ADC Theatre for the first time since their hugely successful production of The Witches of Eastwick. A truly memorable evening of theatre, music and culinary resourcefulness – not to be missed!
- May 2009
For too long has war raged between the arts and the sciences. Friendships have been ruined, relationships broken down, and families torn in two - but do not fear! Improvised Comedy Ents are here to resolve it once and for all. Two teams of comedians will improvise their socks off for their subjects (and what's more you will get to tell them how they do it).
Ever been told you are robotically boring or wistfully wordy? Do you often have the hemisphere of your brain you predominantly use insulted? Wondered who would win in a fight between Shakespeare and Newton? Bring along your best insults of articulately abstract artits or syntactically stunted scientists and watch us weave them into a game show. It's quill and quark, particles and passion, pride and protons, science and sensibility in this final battle of the University subject war.
No scripts? No rehearsals? No problems!
- May 2009
- May 2009
When middle aged Martha and her husband George are joined by the younger Nick and Honey for late night drinks after a party, the stage is set for a night of drunken recriminations and revelations. Battle-lines are drawn as Martha and George drag their guests into their own private hell of a marriage.
In one of the most important plays in contemporary theatre Albee presents us with a tragic-comedy that brings together realism and the absurd in a captivating commentary on relationships, human interactions, and the fine line between truth and illusion.
‘A brilliantly original work of art…surging with shocks of recognition and dramatic fire’ Newsweek
‘An intensity, a demoniac misery, a ferocious humour…no one can remain indifferent to its power, its resilience of ideas and its range of language’ Sunday Times
- May 2009
“No, it’s not a symbol. I’ve changed the physical substance of the glass of water into that of an oak tree” Michael Craig-Martin, An Oak Tree, 1973
This is a play performed by two actors, the first is David Brown, who plays the HYPNOTIST. He knows the play very well. The second will be a different actor each night. He or she will play the FATHER. They will have never before seen the play or read the script. The FATHER will volunteer for the HYPNOTIST’S act. It is the first time they have met since the HYPNOTIST, three months ago, changed both their lives forever.
“So, if you’ve got an open mind, if you’re a game, game for a laugh, come with join me, as I welcome you to my hypnotic world. To my hypnotic WORLD!”
On Wednesday 6th May with Mel Heslop; on Thursday 7th May with Rob Carter; on Friday 8th May with Stephanie Bain; and on Saturday 9th May with Alastair Roberts.
- May 2009
Join Orlando and Rosalind, their sidekicks and all, as they break through the black and white disillusionment of the urban sprawl and find themselves bathed in the magic of the Shakespeare's most stunning of surroundings. In the darkest of the depths of the Forest of Ardennes, infatuation is inescapable and hilarity is sprinkled, doused and poured. The ADC is delighted to present "As You Like It" as its Easter 2009 Headline show and we promise you some of the very best comedy, and most spectacular of images, Cambridge's most innovative venue has ever seen.
Orlando is lost in a world without leaders. The good ones have vanished and the bad ones have taken their place. He needs to become the man to lead the new youth onwards and upwards and out of this disillusioned state, but there’s a problem, his complete and unqualified adolescent inadequacies.
Rosalind is lost in a world without leaders. The old ones have abandoned her and the young ones are little more than causeless rebels. She needs to escape her monotonous life and become the woman to lead her sex into a new freedom that can only be made possible through love, but there’s a problem, a complete and absolute lack of men.
Enter Ardennes.
The only true solution to oppression is love and laughter, and the club’s headline Easter term spectacle will overflow with both. Sure to boast Cambridge’s finest acting and comic talent as well as an aesthetic designed to melt your eyes, As You Like It is going to be huge. Watch this space.
- April–May 2009
"You tell me what’s possible and not possible any more. I wouldn’t be surprised if you opened your mouth to answer and a kestrel flew out of it. We’re just worms, all pumped up with God knows what, like white lab rats shut in a box." A Trilogy of darkly comic plays: A comedic mime on the futility of the human condition. 'The Box', a piece of new writing about four strangers trapped in a room.'Conservatory' by Enda Walsh, a short play about a man who is convinced by his friends to kill himself at his own birthday party. Entangled by the themes of language, loneliness and fear of the unknown, these three acts will make for an evening of intrigue, unease and amusement.
Devised with the aid of 'Complicite' theatre company, this is the perfect project for fans of the darkly comic and the absurd - we are looking for an actor who is skilled at mime, those who enjoy improv, and any actors who are looking to workshop a script and have some fun.
- April–May 2009
Sweet Charity tells the story of Charity Hope Valentine - "a girl who wanted to be loved" - who works as a dance hostess in the seedy Fan-Dango Ballroom while hoping in vain to meet the man of her dreams. Dumped - and ducked in the lake - by the preening Charlie, she is picked up by the film star Vittorio Vidal at the fashionable Pompeii Club, but ends up spending the night hiding in his wardrobe.
Trying to find culture at the YMCA, Charity meets the nervous Oscar. Despite a bad start when they’re trapped in the lift, their relationship starts to blossom. Will the Fickle Finger of Fate be kind to Charity this time? The Pied Pipers return to their original venue of the ADC to present this witty and touching show, featuring songs such as I Love To Cry At Weddings, If My Friends Could See Me Now, There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This, the raunchy Big Spender and the show-stopping Rhythm Of Life.
- March 2009
Edgy, relevant and non-trivial
- March 2009
The ADC Theatre is the oldest student playhouse in the UK . It was established in 1855 by a group of gentleman students, and is now operated by the University of Cambridge . It still predominantly presents student theatre, and outside of University term offers a mix of local theatre groups and professional touring companies.
As the home of student drama in Cambridge, the ADC Theatre is proud to present a very special event to mark the University’s 800th Anniversary. For one night only, we will be bringing together alumni and current students to entertain, reminisce and celebrate the incredible impact Cambridge graduates have had on the world of British theatre and entertainment.
Please note that attendance at this event is by invitation only.
- March 2009
- March 2009
Cambridge Footlights present the winner of this year's Harry Porter Prize for a one-hour comic play.
The prize was set up in 2003 in honour of the late Dr Harry Porter, who served as the Footlights' Senior Archivist until his death, and was the longest standing member of the Footlights Committee. It is open to all students from both Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin Universities.
Over the last five years the entries have been judged by prestigious figures such as Stephen Fry, Bill Oddie, Michael Frayn and Declan Donnellan, and the 2007 winning play, Coat by Rory Mullarkey, went on to receive high acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Join us to herald the realisation of the latest Porter-winning playwright's comic vision, by watching a play written, chosen, cast, and then performed: all within a matter of whirlwind weeks.
- March 2009
‘Guys and Dolls’ tells the story of a group of small-time gamblers and the ladies in their lives. Nathan Detroit bets his pal, Sky Masterson, that he can’t make the next lady he sees fall in love with him; and when the next ‘doll’ happens to be the prim and proper neighbourhood missionary, Sarah Brown, the stage is set for an evening of high-spirited entertainment.
www.guysanddolls.org.uk
- March 2009
"Wherever it was, whatever it was, I'd come with you...to the end, I'd follow you"
As the detritus of a past world stagnates, witness the creation of an optimistic but hollow fantasy of a world that could have been, and could be...
The old man and woman swamped in memories of the past sit on a Secluded island, isolated from the harsh reality of the post-apocalyptic world around them. They wait for The Orator to announce the Old man's plans for a future world, and as the audience amass we wait to hear what The Orator has to say.
An elegy for the past and a plea for a brighter future, The Chairs is a tragic farce that conflates the whimsical with an underlying despondency. That explores the endurance of relationships when faced with the realities of life.A fusion of music, movement and experimental set design, The Chairs promises to be a riveting theatrical event.
- March 2009
Exciting, charismatic, talented and sexy - Derek Fish is none of these things. But we’ve written a show about him anyway. Derek is the life of one man, told through sketches. Join us as we veer haphazardly from one moment in his life to another; some earth-shattering, some trivial, some intimate, some barely involving him at all. Get to know this normal loser and the vibrant characters who suffer his company. The show features jokes from Cambridge comedians James Moran, Keith Akushie and Lucien Young, as well as a cast of the finest performers around.
The Footlights Spring Revue is one of the biggest comedy events of the year. Filled with ideas, energy and laughter, this promises to be another smash-hit from the world-famous comedy club.
Ladies and gentlemen: it’s time to meet Derek.
- February 2009
The Medics Revue returns to the ADC with an hour of the best non-medical humour, featuring the saucy, the surreal, the satirical and the downright silly! We present a cornucopia of entirely original comedy, fresh off the prescription pads of Cambridge medical and vet students. With a mix of hilarious sketches, fantastic songs and incredible enthusiasm, the Medics Revue is just what the doctor ordered.
A sell-out show virtually every year, the Medics Revue is sure to make you laugh harder than your organs can comfortably bear.
- February 2009
A man and his daughter are stranded. Enslaving the inhabitant of a desolate island and mastering its magic force, he plans for his revenge.
Shakespeare's magical last play, his poignant farewell to the stage - has love, tragedy and comedy combined in equal measure.
‘The Tempest’ is an intrusive and exclusive production, taking you right into the heart of an uninhabitable, bleak island.
suffer a sea change into something rich and strange
free online booking www.adctheatre.com
- February 2009
'Richard II' depicts the life and death of the final undisputed king of England, the man whose deposition was to cause some of England's bloodiest and deadliest civil battles. The play explores the pressures of rule, the greed of those in power, the nature of tyranny, the human responses to injustice, and most controversially attempts at the moral justification of acts of treason and regicide.
The play contains some of Shakespeare's most evocative and brilliant language, placed alongside many of the most insightful political observations in the history of drama. Combined with a broad and fascinating array of characters, 'Richard II' is a fast-paced and gripping beginning to Shakespeare's History cycle.
- February 2009
Joe Richards' glorious piss-take of 1930's girls' boarding school adventure stories has been described as “gleefully perverse” by the Financial Times and “blissful” by The Observer. This exuberant, innuendo-filled comic extravaganza incorporates many familiar plot devices of the genre - a thwarted schoolgirl crush on the new Biology Mistress, a school thief, an ostracised foreigner, a midnight feast and a girls' cricket team - all culminating in a dénouement of ludicrously improbable coincidences.
- February 2009
Three Sisters is the story of the Prozorov family and those around them. Olga, Masha and Irina want to go to Moscow. But all they do is talk about it. Andrei, their brother, wants to go to Moscow too but doesn't want to talk about it. He'd rather play the violin. They live together in a small provincial town with only the madcap, misfit officers of their late father's army battalion for comfort and company. Vershinin is the new battery commander. He doesn't want to go to Moscow. He wants Masha. But Masha's married to Kulygin, who teaches at the school. Tuzenbach and Solyony want Irina. But Irina doesn't know what she wants. Nobody wants Olga. And all Olga wants is to be wanted. But all she does is talk about it. Chebutykin wants to believe his life has been worth something. But all he does it talk about it. Andrei and Natasha are ok because at least they want each other. Maybe. Everyone knows a change is coming, but everyone wants that change to be now. But all they do is talk about it. Three Sisters is a play about people who want things. But all they do is talk about it. It is a play about the subtle and complex emotional shifts amongst a subtle and complex group of people. The characters are as intelligent and stupid, as ridiculous and profound, as comic and as tragic, as real people are.
- February 2009
Kiss of the Spiderwoman" is a Tony Award-winning musical with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, the men behind the fantastically successful shows "Chicago" and "Cabaret". "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" tells the story of sexual offender Molina, thrown into the hell of a South American prison cell- which he is forced to share with a brutish Marxist revolutionary, Valentin, with whom he has nothing in common except his pain. Molina seeks solace in the glamour of the movie star Aurora's cinematic legacy, in particular her terrifying portrayal of the Spider Woman and her fatal kiss. Valentin is driven by an unshakeable belief in the freedoms promised by Marxism and the half-remembered ecstasy of his girlfriend, Marta. Despite their battles and their enmity, the two men transcend the desperation of their existence and ultimately the barriers between them dissolve in a beautifully scored love story.
- February 2009
‘It’s the only dream you can have - to come out number-one man.’
Willy Loman's time "way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine" is over. Visionary playwright Arthur Miller (The Crucible, All My Sons) shows us a character on the edge, out of money, work and luck; and in doing so launches the blistering attack on the American Dream that brought him to international acclaim. The play has never been more relevant than it is today, with the global economy deteriorating and hope reduced to political rhetoric. In this production Miller's classic is brought into the current economic climate, where it offers a profound insight into the human cost behind the numbers.
- February 2009
It's party conference time and in the leader's hotel suite, the spin doctors are sweating over the Prime Minister's speech. With public opinion increasingly volatile, there are rioters on the streets, and there is panic at the top ...this time it's all got to be perfect. But in the same hotel a journalist is piecing together a scandal so far-reaching that it could keep the party out of power for a generation. Can the story be killed? Can the journalist be bought off? Exactly how far will a government go to save itself? And more importantly, when will the transvestites having sex in the lobby stop spraying pink paint at Her Majesty’s Ministers? ‘Feelgood’ is a hilarious, daring and bitingly funny satire on the politics of spin by Alistair Beaton, whose extensive writing credits include Spitting Image and Not the Nine O'Clock News.
- February 2009
‘THIS IS OUR ROAD! But tonight it’s your road an’ all. Don’t feel awkward wi’ us, make yourselves at home. You’ll meet all sorts down here, I’m telling you love.’
- January 2009
In an age where traditional ideas of decency and propriety have all but been forgotten, Ryan Alright wants to make a change. As an attempt to extrapolate himself from the world of smutty, second-rate broadcasting and in order to establish himself in the realm of mainstream decency, he has accepted the role of co-presenter of the new Channel Yes show Breakfast at Night.
The station is pitching the show as ‘a morning show for people who are not awake in the morning’, but everyone involved knows that the real purposes of the show are to fill an hour in the middle of the night. Everything rests on this pilot. If Ryan can hold it together for just one hour, and prevent his fellow presenters Lucky Dorigo and Michael Middle, not to mention the vast and varied array of guests from derailing the whole thing, then things will be alright.
Breakfast at Night is the newest slice of brand new writing from three of Cambridge’s brightest comedy talents who between them boast a dazzling and undeniably well-received back catalogue. So come on down the studio and watch the pilot crash.
Free croissants.
Not only is Breakfast the most eagerly anticipated late-show, and perhaps any show, of next term, but the requirements and resulting effects of the show require a really strong little team. The challenge to present a comedy show which is keen to fully endorse and exploit the technical abilities of the Cambridge/S.O.D underworld, on little budget, should bring together a crew capable of ensuring brilliance.
