Oxford Playhouse:
Siobhan Davies - 2 Quartets - Renowned choreographer Siobhan Davies returns to the Playhouse with her new programme.
Teapot Tinies - Go on a delightful musical adventure every week in the heart of the city. In the light and airy space of the Top Room at Oxford Playhouse, you and your tiny one(s) will sing, move and play with pre school music specialist Emily Marshall.
An Audience with Peter and Dan Snow - Peter 'Swingometer' Snow and his historian son, Dan, will take you on a tour of 'Battlefield Britain'.
An Evening with Flanders and Swann - At the Drop of a Hippopotamus (and Another Hippopotamus!) Back by popular demand following a sell-out visit last year and three hugely successful tours.
Julie - Miss Julie: the timeless story of a woman scorned, a jealous man, of greed, lust and infidelity. The transgression of class and sex. A potent mix that can only end in tragedy. Music Theatre Wales returns to the Playhouse.
Creation Theatre Company:
Hamlet - Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, finds his world thrown into turmoil by the sudden death of his father and his mothers hasty remarriage to his uncle Claudius. When his fathers ghost appears to tell him of his Claudius treachery, Hamlets hatred for his uncle and obsessive love for his mother sets him on a ruthless quest for retribution. Join Creation Theatre Company for the ultimate tale of obsession, insanity and revenge, as Shakespeare's greatest tragedy is retold in a bold, modern style within the atmospheric walls of Oxford Castle.
Old Fire Station:
Copacabana - Sands Theatre Arts School present Barry Manilow's 'Copacabana'.This lively young group are performing for their 9th year at the theatre and have a reputation for high energy and enthusiasm on stage. Complete with live band and excellent choreography, this is a show not to be missed!
Burton Taylor Theatre:
Lewis Carroll's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll visits his home town of Oxford to tell how he came to write his famous stories. Chris Connaughton's playful acting brings to life all our favourite characters from the languid Caterpillar to the Dormouse and the mad March Hare, the White Rabbit and the ever-polite Alice classic. 7+ years (Running time:50 mins)
New Theatre:
Make Way For Noddy & Friends - Everyone knows him. Everyone loves him. Enid Blyton's best-loved character is ready for more fun and mischief in Toytown with his friends Big-Ears and Tessie Bear. An exciting all new family show ideally suited for 2-6 year olds and full of fun, humour & audience participation.
The Commitments - Following a worldwide media tour in 1991 to promote the global success of the Alan Parker film of Roddy Doyle's acclaimed novel, the band went their separate ways. During the promotion, the cast were repeatedly asked when they would be touring & playing concerts. There were so many requests, that by 1993, several of the stars decided The Commitments should be reborn as a live, working, touring band & become 'Dublin's Saviours Of Soul' for real. They have toured the world ever since & on many special occasions, their co-stars from the movie (including Michael Aherne, Robert Arkins & Johnny Murphy) all perform with the band.
Pegasus Theatre:
The Sun, The Moon and Half a Chicken - Hatched with half the body but twice the pride of his brothers and sisters, the curious half-chick hops off to see the king. On his journey he meets Fire, Wind and Water - but will he ever meet His Majesty? Based on a traditional Spanish tale, this magical and atmospheric show also tells the story of The King Who Wanted To Touch The Moon, and Aesop's fable of The Wind and the Sun.
Pegasus Jamboree: Landmark Echoes - This year's Jamboree will be exploring those landmark moments, places or buildings in people's lives, both personal and historic, which change and effect ourselves, our community and society in general. Groups from Pegasus theatre and the local community come together with drama, dance, film and music performances inspired by the theme. Come early and enjoy the live music performances from 30 minutes before the show!
Theatre at Headington:
I Could Always Find Tears - The lower school's annual end-of-year production is based on the true stories of the young women who spent their teenage years 'in service' below stairs. Working in great country houses during the interwar years, their experiences of growing into adulthood are related in a piece that is both touching and far-reaching in its scope. I Could Always Find Tears sets the girls' personal concerns, hardships and joys against a backdrop of international upheaval and change during the 1920s and 1930s.
Oxford Shakespeare Company Productions:
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Wadham College
The Oxford Shakespeare Company have earned a dedicated following for their intimate, accessible but brilliantly imaginative shows in some of Oxford and London's most prestigious venues. A Midsummer Night's Dream should prove no exception and an excellent ensemble will be energized by the unique physical skills of professional circus performers and an enchanting choral and instrumental score.
Miscellaneous Theatre:
Romeo and Juliet - Blenheim Palace Pleasure Gardens
Society Theatre Company presents Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The picnic performances will be in full period costume, beautifully complementing the surroundings of the Pleasure Gardens. The script draws from the recently published First Folio edition of the Complete Works, as used by the RSC, highlighting the frequently overlooked prominence of bawdy comedy. Performances are guaranteed even in the event of rain. Please dress with weather conditions in mind. Seats will not be provided. Hampers can be pre-booked.
Tender Dearly - North Wall Arts Centre
Phoebe is a borderline alcoholic bartender, intoxicated both by the alcohol she drinks and the wit and pain of the bar's fully alcoholic owner, Irvine. Then into the bar walks her ex-boyfriend, Euan, determined to save her from both the booze and Irvine. With a lot of sharp humour and some songs, Tender is a beautiful and painful story about who can and can't be saved.
Conviction of Sam Atkins - North Wall Arts Centre
Sam Atkins, a young naval clerk working for Samuel Pepys, was the last man to be held in England without charge. Arrested in connection with an alleged Catholic terrorist plot, he soon discovered that the courts, under political and public pressure, were unable to dispense the justice he so badly needed.
Sisters - North Wall Arts Centre
"I wrote this play in response to the extraordinary number of misapprehensions there are in existence about the 'identity' of Muslim women, particularly in light of the global events of the 21st century.” Sisters is based on 2 years of research and interviews with over 30 British Muslim women.
The Ordinaries...in 'an awkward silence' - North Wall Arts Centre
Come over for a cuppa with The Ordinaries. Take a peek from behind the sofa at a grotesque family, dancing spoons, a desperate competition to be normal and a dark secret which creeps from the corner into a little girl called Sarah...who slowly starts to disappear. National Student Drama Festival.
See You in my Dreams - North Wall Arts Centre
Set just after the Second World War this play examines the lives of three people directly affected by the war - an army deserter, a young girl forced onto the streets to support him and a woman crippled during an air raid. The relationship of a fourth character, a fantasist unable to cope with reality, with both of the women propels all four of them into a bleakly comic dance of death.
The Rubenstein Kiss - North Wall Arts Centre
The showing of this play follows three days of workshopping. In McCarthy's America of 1953, Jakob and Esther Rubenstein are executed for the theft of the secret of the atomic bomb. Could this be the greatest miscarriage of justice of the twentieth century? Skip to 1975 New York. Matthew Maddison meets Anna Levi in front of a gallery photograph of Jakob and Esther sharing one final kiss before they part. Young, radical and falling in love, together the pair seek justice for the past. Inspired by a true story, The Rubenstein Kiss explores the mysterious corridors of history to reveal the anguish of a family, a quest for atonement and the truth about a crime that divided the world.
For all theatre information, times and dates, click here
Opening Thursday at EVERY THEATRE in Oxford is theHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. A troubled year for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as a new witch assumes control at Hogwarts and the authorities ignore his and Dumbledore's warnings about evil Voldemort's return. This film contains moderate fantasy violence and horror. (12A)
Running this week at the Phoenix Cinema is Water starring Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Sarala, and Seema Biswas. Set in the 1930s in the Indian holy city of Varanasi, WATER examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple. The film focuses on the beautiful, headstrong Kalyani (Ray), who is unwilling to accept the harsh restrictions imposed by Indian society on widows, and her relationship with a man from a lower caste, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. The shooting of WATER was interrupted for four years following enormous protests from Hindu fundamentalists. Offering a serious comment on the crushing of women by atrophied religious and social dogmas but retaining a profound sense of humanism, the ensemble acting of the women in the widows' hostel is exceptional. This film contains moderate language and sex references. (12A)
