Going to the theater is a popular activity in Oxford, especially the outdoor performances of Shakespeare plays in the summer. If you intend to see a show while in town, you should check the listings at the individual theatres and buy your tickets in advance, or else you may be disappointed.
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Oxford Playhouse | Creation Theatre Company | Old Fire Station
Burton Taylor | New Theatre (Apollo) | Pegasus Theatre
Theatre at Headington | University Theatre | Oxford Shakespeare Company
North Wall Arts Centre | Miscellaneous Theatre in & Around Oxford
Oxford Playhouse
Beaumont Street, 01865 305305
official website
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What's Showing?
Von Ribbentrop’s Watch by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran
The credit crunch hasn't done Gerald Roth any favours. He's the proprietor of Grapes of Roth, an up-market wine merchant in a downmarket neighbourhood, and his business is dying faster than he can say Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Kabinett 2008. Then fate throws Gerald a lifeline. He discovers that his old watch, left to him by his father, is surprisingly valuable. If he sold it in auction his money troubles could be over. Unfortunately, the reason his watch is so collectable is that it was once owned by Hitler's Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, whose initials are engraved inside the case, alongside the sweetest little Swastika.
Gerald's secret dilemma emerges over his family's Passover dinner, but it turns out that he isn't the only Roth with something to hide.
Olivier Award nominees Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran's previous works includes the much loved comedies Birds of a Feather and The New Statesman and the long-running TV drama series Love Hurts and Shine on Harvey Moon.
The Oxford Playhouse is producing the world premiere of this tremendous play, before taking it on tour across the country. Having admired the work of Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran for many years, it's a treat to be able to produce this new drama with them.
Thursday 9th - Saturday 18th September
Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran: Writing for the Stage and Screen
Multi award-winning Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, writers of Oxford Playhouse's Von Ribbentrop's Watch, offer an intimate insight into writing for the stage and screen.
Friends since their youth, they hit upon writing comedy after years of trying to make it in the music business. A serendipitous train conversation with a legendary TV producer led to their thirty year-long (and counting) collaboration. Their canon of work includes the much-loved TV sitcoms The New Statesman, Goodnight Sweetheart, Love Hurts, Shine on Harvey Moon and Birds of a Feather. Marks and Gran made their move into writing for the stage when Alan Ayckbourn encouraged them to write Playing God (2005).
Hear about how it all began, where the ideas come from and how they write in partnership.
Friday 17th September
5 pm
£5 (£3)
The Silver Tassie by Sean O’Casey
Set at the height of the Great War this sweeping play follows the lives of two young footballing heroes from the tenements of Dublin through the battlefields of France, and their return home.
One of Sean O'Casey's great plays, The Silver Tassie is a thrilling spectacle of theatre including drama, farce, humour, movement and music. For this production, multi-award winning Druid has put together one of their biggest ever companies of actors. Tony Award winner Garry Hynes directs a cast of 19 and welcomes back some Druid favourites from previous productions seen here at Oxford Playhouse including Aaron Monaghan (The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Playboy of the Western World) and Derbhle Crotty (The Playboy of the Western World).
Druid, winner of 12 major theatre awards in 2009 including Best Visiting Production (The Cripple of Inishmaan) and Best Visiting Actor at the Manchester Evening News Awards, are back on the road this autumn with a production you simply won't want to miss. Druid gratefully acknowledges the support of Culture Ireland with this UK tour and also acknowledges the Arts Council of Ireland in funding the original staging of this production.
"Hynes is not only a first-rate director. She has that mixture of the visionary and the pragmatic you find in all great theatrical pioneers." - Guardian
Tuesday 21st - Saturday 25th September
The Children’s Bookshow 2010: Stories From Around the World
Join us for a celebration of the tales that shape us, wherever we may live.
Now in its 8th year, The Children's Bookshow gives children a chance to experience the enthusiasm, energy and passion of some of today's top writers for children and illustrators.
We are delighted to welcome the award-winning author and illustrator Carll Cneut to the Playhouse. Illustrator of Antonio on the Other Side of the World and Getting Smaller, amoStories From Around the Worldng others, Carll Cneut's distinctive artwork has earned him international renown. But Carll didn't always want to be a book illustrator. When he was younger he wanted to be a circus artist! Find out more about the books and experiences that inspired him as Carll shares some of his stories and illustrations.
Suitable for children at lower KS2.
Wednesday 22nd September
11 am
Adult £6, Child £4.50
7734
Man's inhumanity never ceases to stun each generation. 7734 questions human nature whilst illuminating both our capacity for survival and the poetry of hope.
Throughout her body of work, Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Jasmin Vardimon has illustrated the power to grip and seduce audiences; exciting with athletic prowess, lulling through quiet beauty and tearing our emotions with a gutsy voice of intention.
In 7734, Vardimon's visceral choreography and use of video integration dramatically combine with text, music and awe-inspiring performances by a nine-strong company of international performers.
"Looks terrific...stylishly designed, vividly played." - Guardian on Justitia
Age guideline: 14+, contains material of an adult nature.
Tuesday 28th September
8 pm
£19.50 / £17.50 / £12.50
In the Penal Colony
Philip Glass is one of our most popular and distinctive living composers. His compulsive and beautifully haunting music is instantly recognisable. From symphonies and operas to award-winning film scores such as The Truman Show, The Hours and Notes on a Scandal, he simultaneously breaks boundaries and captivates audiences.
Franz Kafka’s In the Penal Colony, is the source of this opera. Set in an island prison disconnected from the modern world, we meet an obsessive officer about to execute his prisoner. A horrified visitor is asked to witness the event. Plunged into this nightmare world will he have the conscience to intervene? Would you?
Glass rakes up the tension to a taut, unforgettable climax as judge, victim and witness stare into the abyss in this dark and beautiful opera.
Wednesday 29 September
8.00 pm
£15 (£10)
Pam Ayres 35th Anniversary Tour
Pam Ayres is on the road with her new show, thirty-five years after she first appeared on the Britain's Got Talent TV show of its day, Opportunity Knocks. She returns to Oxford Playhouse following her sell out success in 2007.
This anniversary show includes material from her best selling books, Surgically Enhanced, With These Hands, and The Works, along with brand new poems and stories. Pam's books regularly appear in the bestseller charts, and many of her poems feature in school textbooks around the world.
She's a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4 in programmes such as Just A Minute, Quote Unquote, Loose Ends and three of her own series of Ayres On The Air.
"Pam Ayres is a proper poet, whose wistful, funny, and perceptive verse captures both the joy and unfairness of life." - Sunday Times
Thursday 30th September
7.30 pm
Tickets and information
£19.50 / £17.50 / £12.50
Old Fire Station
George Street, 01865 297170 (Box Office)
official website
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What's Showing?
The OFS is now closed
ATG has now handed over the keys of the OFS to the homeless charity Crisis. Funded by the Government's ‘Places of Change’ programme, the building will be refurbished throughout, creating inspirational spaces for performances, rehearsals, exhibitions and social enterprise. Crisis intends to reopen the venue in the summer of 2011. The changes to the OFS means that the night club has now closed but ATG are planning to redevelop a space at the Oxford New Theatre to provide OFS night club customers with an electrifying brand new alternative venue.
Burton Taylor Theatre
Gloucester Street, 01865 305305
official website
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What's Showing?
Arabian Nights - The Lost Tales of Sheherazade
Welcome to the world of the Arabian Nights. Here we have three tales from the Queen of all storytellers - the incredible Sheherazade.
Using puppets, masks, storytelling and wonderfully atmospheric music Theatre of Widdershins takes you on an exciting journey with genies, camels and a flying carpet, through roasting deserts, sand dunes, scented markets and fish filled seas.
Ages 5+
Saturday 11 September
11.00 am and 2.00 pm
Adults £7, Child £5
New Play Writing Competition
A brand new play especially created for the BT Studio. This year’s Oxford Playhouse writing competition culminates in this performance of the winning play. To find out more about the competition and how you can enter, please visit http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/takingpart/ActivitiesforAll.aspx
Tuesday 14 - Saturday 18 September
1.00 pm Tuesday and Wednesday, 7.30 pm Thu-Sat
£8 (£6)
untried… untested
Fast becoming a regular event, the BT Studio is presenting an evening of performance by artists from Oxfordshire. You’ll have the chance to see extracts from unfinished pieces, which could include dance, theatre, music, poetry and live art. Afterwards share your thoughts on what you’ve seen with the performers over a glass of wine.
Monday 20 September
7.30 pm
£5 (£3)
White
Music, stories and surprises. Come with us into the sparkling world of White. Everything is clean and new. The white world gleams and it dazzles but someone has to keep it that way. A gentle and playful experience, which entertains and stimulates the imagination of the very young.
Ages 2 to 4
Saturday 25 September
11.00 am and 2.00 pm
Adults £7, Child £5
This is Now
In 1983, Tom illegally taped the first Now That’s What I Call Music LP (side one) onto a C60 cassette. 25 years later he found it in a drawer and a new show was born.
Join Britain’s funniest dance duo as they deconstruct this first ever Now album and jump headlong into the dark pool of days gone by and come out covered in a filthy 80’s gunk. Wrestling with classic hits from Bonnie Tyler and Duran Duran, amongst others, will Tom and Pete be able to save the audience from drowning in nostalgia?
Wednesday 29 - Thursday 30 September
7.30 pm
£10 (£8)
New Theatre
George Street 0870 606 3500
website for tickets and information
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What's Showing?
Morse: House of Ghosts
Exactly 35 years after a certain grumpy super-sleuth with an eye for the ladies and a thirst for beer made his first appearance in Colin Dexter’s novel Last Bus to Woodstock, he’s back…
Inspector Morse takes to the stage in Autumn 2010 in an all-new murder mystery, House of Ghosts. By special arrangement with Colin Dexter and starring Colin Baker (Dr Who) as Morse, Alma Cullen – the writer behind four of the hugely successful ITV episodes and director Robin Herford (The Woman in Black) – bring the inscrutable detective to audiences across the UK in what promises to be one of the theatrical events of the year.
Since Oxford undergraduate days, Morse has regarded theatre director Laurence Baxter as the only truly evil man he has ever met. So what happens when, twenty-odd years later, Morse finds Baxter at the centre of a murder case that involves the on-stage death of a young actress?
Monday 13th - Wednesday 15th September
Tell Me on a Sunday
Starring Claire Sweeney
A rare opportunity to see the definitive version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s classic musical Tell Me On A Sunday. With a wonderful original score, featuring the chart topping song Take That Look Off Your Face, it is now remodelled for Claire Sweeney for 2010 with an exclusive new song, I Still Believe in Love.
Tell Me On A Sundaycharts the romantic misadventures of a young English girl in New York. Brimming with optimism, she seeks success and love. But as she weaves her way through the maze of the city and her own anxieties, frustrations and heartaches she begins to wonder whether she's been looking for love in all the wrong places.
Thursday 16 September
7.30 pm
Flawless
The stars of Streetdance 3D and Britain's Got Talent present their first solo show. This inspirational dance act have become an international phenomenon with stunning street dance and jaw dropping moves. They've worked with some of the biggest names in music including Madonna, Beyonce, Leona Lewis and Jamelia and won countless awards including World Dance Champions and Best Street Dance Act. You've seen them on television, now it's time to see them live in this breathtaking, dizzying debut show from one of the UK's hottest dance acts. Don't miss!
'One of the best things I have ever seen in my life' Simon Cowell
'You make me proud to be British, this was utter perfection' Amanda Holden
'That was utterly electrifying' Piers Morgan
Friday 17 September
7.30 pm
Stephen Fry
An intimate evening with Stephen Fry to mark the publication of his hugely anticipated second volume of memoirs THE FRY CHRONICLES will give audiences an exclusive preview of his revealing, charming and extraordinary new book.
It is a unique opportunity to see the multi-award winning comedian, actor, presenter, director and writer perform live at one of just a few exclusive performances.
Saturday 17 September
7.30 pm
Jimmy Carr - Laughter Therapy
Since the turn of the century Jimmy has been a ‘fun slinger’ of international repute. Laughter Therapy is his ninth solo show. It’ll be an evening of non stop jokes, gags and banter. If you’ve got a sick sense of humour then maybe laughter is the best medicine. Not to be taken if you have a sensitive disposition or an overactive moral compass. Recommended dose: one brand new show to be taken annually (I said annually).
Recommended 16+
Sunday 19 September
8.00 pm
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues, one of the most enduring and consistent groups in the world, will hit the road in September 2010 for a full UK tour stopping at 14 cities nationwide.
Their remarkable music has enthralled generations of fans since the 1960’s and their recorded legacy contains some of the most important and ground breaking work in the history of popular music, having generated over 55 million sales throughout the world. The Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge - carry on their magical musical legacy from generation to generation, year after year.
A legendary band with an enviable repertoire and reputation, The Moody Blues remain one of the top-grossing album and touring bands in existence. Don’t miss your opportunity to witness these living legends in action.
Monday 20 September
8.00 pm
Sixties Gold
GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS, THE SEARCHERS, PJ PROBY and CHIP HAWKES
A show featuring all the hits of the 60's from THE ORIGINAL STARS OF THE SIXTIES!!! The famous singles to the timeless albums tracks, this show will create the ultimate feel-good factor as the audiences are transported back to the great nights enjoyed in their youth.
GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS: 'HOW DO YOU DO IT', 'I LIKE IT', 'YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE', 'FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY'.
THE SEARCHERS: ‘SWEETS FOR MY SWEET’, ‘DON’T THROW YOUR LOVE AWAY,’ ‘WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM’, ‘NEEDLES AND PINS'.
PJ PROBY: ‘SOMEWHERE’, ‘MARIA’ ‘HOLD ME’.
CHIP HAWKES, Former Original Lead singer/songwriter of The Tremeloes: ‘HERE COMES MY BABY’, ‘SILENCE IS GOLDEN’, ‘EVEN THE BAD TIMES ARE GOOD’ ‘CALL ME NUMBER ONE.
Wednesday 22 September
7.30 pm
One Night Of Robbie Williams featuring JK
Join us for the international touring stage show celebrating the music of Stoke-on-Trent born superstar Robbie Williams. All of the hits performed by a company of magnificent musicians, singers, dancers and JK - recognised as the world's No.1 Robbie impersonator.
Having performed around the world in front of more than 2 million people he sings and entertains like the man himself. All the greatest hits and many more, from Rock DJ and Feel to the swing songs such as My Way and Mr Bojangles which Robbie performed at the Royal Albert Hall, combined with brand new stage sets, spectacular special effects, video projection and that hint of Robbie magic.
Friday 24 September
7.30 pm
Kate Rusby
"The finest female folk singer to hit the scene in two decades" The Times
From her Mercury-nominated 1999 album Sleepless to 2007’s acclaimed solo CD Awkward Annie plus collaborations with Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble, Ronan Keating, Eddi Reader, Kris Drever et al, Kate Rusby has been a key figure in England's reinvigorated folk scene.
Barnsley's leading export lets loose her wit, charm and effervescent folk credentials on a spellbinding set of Rusby classics and brand-new songs from her latest album Awkward Annie.
"Folk music doesn't get any cooler than Kate Rusby" Q Magazine
Sunday 26 September
7.30 pm
Pegasus Theatre
Magdalen Street, 01865 722851
official website
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What's Showing?
Water’s Flight (opening ceremony): Kuumba Nia Arts
Once the doors open the fun begins. Mingle in the foyer before being led into the theatre for a celebration ritual for the new theatre. This is followed by a fusion of song, dance, music and drumming from the diverse cultures of the local community and linked with African traditions. £10 (includes refreshments, souvenir programme & goody bag).
Saturday 4th & Saturday 11th September
7 pm
Anna Weatherstone: All Yours (multi-media performance tour)
Come celebrate, sew a seed, commit a deed, cross thresholds anew. See live performance, video, sculpture and exquisite costumes throughout the building in this promenade spectacle from former Oxford Youth Theatre member Anna Weatherstone.
Tuesday 7th - Friday 10th September
4 pm / 6.30 pm / 8.30
£3 (includes refreshments, souvenir programme & goody bag)
Dancing Outside the Box
Triple-bill dance performance by Crossover Intergenerational Dance Company.
Friday 17 - Saturday 18 September
7.30 pm
The Vanishing Horizon
Physical Theatre by Idle Motion
Friday 24 - Saturday 25 September
8.00 pm
Is That a Bolt in Your Neck?
Physical comedy by Gonzo Moose.
Thursday 30 September
8.00 pm
Theatre at Headington
Headington School, Oxford 01865 759138
official website
Click here for transportation and parking information for this theatre
What's Showing?
The Season is now Closed
Check back soon for listings
What's Showing?
The Season is now Closed
Check back soon for listings
What's Showing?
The Season is now Closed
Check back soon for listings
What's Showing?
Soles in the Silver Pit
An evening of readings, music and poetry in aid of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen
Throughout the years the UK’s fishing communities have recorded in word and verse their unique and dramatic experiences at the hands of mother nature’s most unpredictable forces. This is your opportunity to come and experience this dramatic way of life as told by some magnificent exponents of the spoken word, as well as hearing from fishing skippers and ’Mission Men’, including the Mission Chaplain Reverend Andrew Wright, former pupil and teacher at St Edward’s, Oxford.
Sunday 12 September
7.30 pm
Box office: 01865-319450
£15
Shazia Mirza: ‘Multiple Choice’
Most people have a crush at 16, a relationship by 32, sex in between. Not me and Susan Boyle (allegedly). What happens when you don’t follow the obvious path? Brand new stand-up show from international award-winning comedian and Guardian Weekend magazine columnist Shazia Mirza.
Shazia could have married a rich man and lived in a mansion, but instead she chose to drive up and down the country for as little as ten pounds, staying in dirty lurid bed and breakfasts trying to make people laugh. She thought of giving up, but no Muslim man wants to marry her, now that’s she’s dabbled in jokes and fingered a few white men on the 38 bus.
Thursday 16 September
8.00 pm
Box office: 01865-319450
£10
Le Trio Joubran
A modern take on the ancient music of the Oud. Using jazz and flamenco influences, Le Trio Joubran bring improvisation and virtuosity to their middle-eastern traditions. The trio are sons of a Palestinian master luthier, endowing them with a passion and exceptional musicianship for the instrument. With outstanding technical skill, the brothers spin out rich, textured drones or break out into distinct voices locked in expressive dialogue. The soulful Oud gives a voice to the trio’s ideas about history, musical evolution and the beautiful, seductive aesthetics of Arabic music.
Saturday 18 September
7.30 pm
Box office: 01865-319450
£12, concessions £10
The Author
Settle back into the warmth of the theatre. Relax as the story unfolds. For you. With you. Of you. A story of hope, violence, togetherness and exploitation. Laugh with the actors, tap your feet to the music, take a chocolate, turn to your neighbour. You’re here.
Tim Crouch’s new play is about the harm carried out in the name of art. Performed within the audience, it tells the story of another play: a shocking and abusive play written by a playwright called Tim Crouch who oversteps the line. The Author is a highly original and a terrifyingly seductive journey into the horror of our mediated world.
"It’s about us, what we see, and what we choose to see…this is a dazzling theatrical experience that lets nobody off the hook, opening our eyes to what should be blindingly obvious: we all have a choice."
**** The Guardian
Friday 24 - Saturday 25 September
8.00 pm
Box office: 01865-319450
£12, concs £10
Sarah Millican - Chatterbox
Sarah Millican, star of Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week, announces her debut UK tour. The sweet and filthy Geordie’s stand-up show promises jokes about life, love and what to do when your boyfriend puts a sock on your boob during sex.
Since winning the 2008 if.comedy Best Newcomer Award for her debut solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Sarah is fast on her way to becoming a household name. A consummate live performer, she has notched up a number of appearances on top comedy shows including Michael Mcintyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Bubble. In addition, Sarah has written and recorded her own Radio 4 series and can also be heard as a regular guest on the new Radio 5 Live series 7 Day Sunday.
Sunday 26 September
8.00 pm
Box office: 01865-319450
£12, concessions £10
Absence and Presence
Absence and Presence is a deeply intimate and touching production in which dancer and mime artist, Andrew Dawson, explores - not without wry humour - the death of his father who died in 1985 and whose body, tragically, lay undiscovered for 10 days. The trauma inspired Dawson to create this unusual autobiographical work which deals in non-vocal dialogue with his sense of loss and guilt, his affection and conflict, and the unique emotions of a son for his father.
From the gesture of grief to dancing with Max Bygraves, the work uses sculpture, video, mime and the delicate, sensitive movement Dawson has long established as his artistic signature, creating a memorable production that is both emotionally and visually captivating.
Thursday 30 September
8.00 pm
Box office: 01865-319450
£12, concs £10
What's Showing?
Cosi Fan Tutte
Following on from their magnificent performances of Magic Flute in 2007, and Falstaff in 2008, Opera Project return to the lovely venue at St. John's College, Oxford with Mozart’s uncompromising treatise on love and fidelity. The premise of constant love is tested to the limits through the cynical manipulation of Don Alfonso as he strives to prove that the simplistic idealogies of his young companions are no more than the arrogance of youth.
Darker and more mature forces reveal themselves as a seemingly harmless wager on the constancy of love becomes an ever more dangerous game in which no character survives intact.
Mozart’s famously ambiguous ending remains one of the great challenges of opera as the participants career through an expanding array of complex emotions, each striving to find a personal resolution to this day of ill judged folly. With a strong root in Italianate design this stunning new production aims to raise more questions than perhaps it answers in Mozart’s darkest comedy.
Friday 10 - Saturday 11 September
7.30 pm
£38