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
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?
The Seagull
A lake. A young girl who’s spent her life beside it. She loves the lake, she’s happy; she’s free – like a seagull. Then a man comes along, sees her, and destroys her.
Headlong returns to Oxford Playhouse with an innovative re-imagining of a classic text, by writer John Donnelly.
In The Seagull, Chekhov explores emotion, creativity and romantic conflict with the clarity of a doctor and the heart of a poet. Its young, tormented protagonist is determined to overthrow the old and find new forms of expression as he struggles with the frustrations and fulfilments of putting words on a page.
This darkly comic tale is directed by Blanche McIntyre,described by the Evening Standard as “a rising star”.
Tuesday 21st - Saturday 25th May
£22.50/£19.50/£15.50
Wicked Women
Two Wicked Women take over the Playhouse stage, as The Archers’ stars Sara Coward (Caroline Sterling) and Sunny Ormonde (Lilian Bellamy) present their unique musical anthology, celebrating outrageous women throughout the centuries. Full of good humour, sparkling wit and tales of some seriously wanton women, Sara and Sunny celebrate scandalous souls both real and fictional – from Cleopatra to Shirley Valentine, Lady Macbeth to Lady Bracknell. There will also be a chance to put your questions to the Ambridge residents as they reveal the secrets of life ‘backstage’ in the village and show you another side to the stars of the nation’s favourite radio drama!
Friday 24 May
17:00
The Firework-Maker’s Daughter
Lila desperately wants to be a firework-maker like her father, but when he refuses to teach her, Lila runs away from home to discover the three gifts of firework making for herself. With the help of her friends she faces pirates, tigers and the terrifying Fire-Fiend on her perilous quest to discover what the three gifts really mean.
A vivid re-telling of the award-winning children’s book by Philip Pullman, this new family opera, with a libretto by Glyn Maxwell, is brought to life by magical puppetry and music by David Bruce that sparkles with humour and musical fireworks!
Discover this gripping tale of friendship, determination and adventure that will be an explosive theatrical experience, perfect for a half-term holiday treat.
Tuesday 28th - Wednesday 29th May
7.30pm, Wednesday matinee 2.30pm
£17.50/£15.50/£12.50/£10
Break the Floorboards
All Zain wants to do is dance – but his family, two left feet and the local fascists are all getting in the way. As the harsh reality of his jobless home town hits, Zain attempts to escape and turn his life into a showbiz world of fantasy…
From the team behind the 2011 smash hit musical Britain’s Got Bhangra, comes this brand new show that sees Bollywood and street dance collide in an electric, feel-good show for all ages.
Thursday 20th May - Saturday 1st June
£17.50/£15.50/£12.50
What's Showing?
Jekyll & Hyde
A fast paced, sixty minute one man show of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of terror. Immersing our audience in the 6 miles of bookshelves of Blackwell’s iconic Norrington Room we’ll be using the space in new and surprising ways to create Creation’s most intimate show to date.
Saturday 8th June - Saturday 6th July (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursday - Saturday)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays 7.30pm, Thursday - Saturday 7.30pm and 9pm
£10 - £21
Old Fire Station
George Street, 01865 297170 (Box Office)
official website
Click here for transportation and parking information for this theatre
What's Showing?
Theatre Scratch Night
Arts at the Old Fire Station and UnderConstruction present a regular Theatre Scratch Night. An exciting new opportunity that provides a platform for artists in Oxfordshire to present, try out and experiment with ideas in the form of short script extracts, movement or improvised theatre.
Come and see bite sized chunks of exciting new developments in Oxford’s theatre scene and get the chance to meet the artists and give them your feedback over a drink after the show! Come and explore and be the first to discover performance fresh from the lab!
Tuesday 21st May
7.30pm
£5
Oxford Fringe: Young & Strange - Magic, Illusion And A Hate For Each Other
The Young and Strange show is an enthralling and engaging illusion show that is performed by two full time professional magicians. The show features state of the art stage illusions and intimate sleight of hand magic; the performance is entwined with a comedy thread and places an emphasis on entertainment. The illusions performed are large in scale and rarely, if ever, seen in live theatre. The act is character driven, performed with charm, charisma and an awareness that being likeable on stage is the single most important skill of any magic act.
Friday 24th, Saturday 25th, Wednesday 29th, Thursday 30th and Friday 31st May
£8/£7
Oxford Fringe: Absolute Improv!
Laugh your socks off hilarious improv! Fast-paced show that will have you coming back for more. 3-time Edinburgh Fringe smash hit! Scottish and international improvisers create witty sketches based on your suggestions. Arrive ready to shout odd ideas and see them transformed into fabulous scenes to give your stomach muscles a workout! All ages welcome.
Friday 24th - Saturday 25th May
£8/£7
Oxford Fringe: Gary Colman - Grind
Reluctant hedonist and professional snowboarder has it all. Then gets married, gets kids, gets an ulcer. A joyous, uplifting show about the crushing banality of life. “Fearlessly funny… best deadpan act since Jack Dee… it’s unsurprising that Frank Skinner’s a fan” GQ; “Highly inventive and very funny” Frank Skinner.
Friday 24th May
10pm
£7/£6
Oxford Fringe Festival: Re:Conception Theatre
A ruler reflects upon his rise to power, whilst his aides conspire to take it from him: trust is broken, friendships are tested and the truth left butchered. Power comes at a price, but who is willing to pay it? Part of the Oxford Fringe Festival
25th May, 27th May, 7th June
£8 (£7)
Oxford Fringe: Absolute Improv Stories!
Have great fun and get involved in creating your very own crazy story! Come yell wacky ideas, then watch as they are transformed into a fantastic tale. Will good beat evil? Will marshmallow astronauts change the universe? Who knows!? It’s completely improvised! “Absolute magic” 5 stars (Cream of the Fringe 202). This talented group of international improvisers instantly turn your thoughts into a new reality, and if you’re really keen, maybe you can help on stage too! “Skilled, agile and enthusiastic” 4 stars “One of the best improv troupes I’ve ever seen” 5 stars (Prague.tv)
Saturday 25th May
12.30pm
£8/£5
Oxford Fringe: Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey
A remarkably faithful adaptation of this Austen classic, Northanger Abbey will transport you into a world of beautiful paper puppets and gothic romance. “I was completely mesmerised by this enchanting production…” Joanna Lumley. Proving that puppetry is certainly not just for children, this unique version of Northanger Abbey is guaranteed to make you smile and gaze in wonder. A vintage trunk will transform from a carriage to a theatre right before your eyes in a production that stretches the imagination and brings out every last drop of Austen’s wit, playfulness and humour.
Saturday 25th, Tuesday 28th May and Saturday 8th June
£8/£7
Oxford Fringe: Shadows on the Wall
A ruler reflects upon his rise to power, whilst his aides conspire to take it from him: trust is broken, friendships are tested and the truth left butchered. Power comes at a price, but who is willing to pay it?
Shadows on the Wall is a story of power struggles, both political and personal: the effects that power can have on a person, their ideals and their relationships; and the lengths, means and methods we are capable of going to in order to obtain and maintain power over others.
Told through straight drama with elements of physical theatre, the piece demonstrates the corrupting influence that power – and the desire for it – can have.
Saturday 25th May, Monday 27th May and Friday 7th June
5.30pm, 8.30pm Saturday
Oxford Fringe: The ‘Psychic’ Psychologist - My ‘Psychic’ Life
Starting with his birth in the Oxfordshire village of Cumnor, through to becoming a popular entertainer at the Edinburgh Fringe, this is the story of Rob Bailey’s journey to becoming The ‘Psychic’ Psychologist. Weaving magic and comedy with his own life story, Rob tells the tale of a childhood fascination with the supernatural, his study of psychology, and work in secure psychiatric wards. Each chapter is told with sensitivity and humour, illustrated with baffling psychological illusions.
Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th May and Saturday 1st June
£8/£7
Oxford Fringe: Gary Delaney 2 - This Time It Isn’t Personal (A Preview)
From Mock the Week and Dave’s One Night Stand. Gary’s just turned 40, but he’s not bothered by it. Also his Dad is in fine health. So instead he’s written some new jokes. Help him figure out which should be immediately put down for a good school and which should be quietly drowned in a bucket. Chortle award nominee, double Sony Award winner and writer for many TV shows. “Master of the one-liner” The Scotsman; “A hugely impressive collection of exquisitely crafted gags by one of Britain’s grandmasters of the one-liner.” Chortle. Not for bairns and sensitive souls.
Monday 27th May
8.30pm
£7/£6
Oxford Fringe: You All Know Me I’m Jack Ruby
24/11/63. 11.21am. Live on national television, Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspected assassin of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, is gunned down in the Dallas Police Department by local nightclub owner Jacob Rubenstein, AKA Jack Ruby. An underworld hit by “The Mafia’s Man in Dallas”. Really? Take a seat. Meet Jack Ruby. Written and performed by Clifford Barry (acting credits for 2013 include ITV’s ever-popular “Coronation Street” and HBO’s award-winning “Game of Thrones”). Director Clive Holland has directed and written for the stage for over 30 years.
Tuesday 28th - Wednesday 29th May
£8/£7
Short Stories Aloud
Whoever said stories should be read and not heard? Come and listen to award-winning short stories being read aloud by professional actors with author Q&A following them. There’s cake aplenty, too; something for all appetites. Different theme each month; same friendly vibe. Listen to your favourite tales and discover new ones…
Tuesday 28th May
7.30pm
£5/£3
Oxford Fringe: Daliso Chaponda
Daliso Chaponda is an African comedian but his comedy career has been built on jokes about Westerners. His first three shows were predominantly critiques of the insane behaviour of westerners. He still thinks Westerners are crazy but for his latest one man show he’s focusing his humorous eye on Africa. Westerners are insane but to be perfectly honest, Africans are even crazier. Corruption, tribalism, colonialism, HIV epidemics, absolute dictatorships, ivory smuggling, witch doctors… Daliso’s latest show covers all these and more subjects. Laughrica has already been across Africa and now it’s coming to the UK.
Wednesday 29th May
7pm
£7/£6
Oxford Fringe: Mike Wozniak
His wife’s parents have moved in. Permanently. Not so much a show as a person getting out of the house. But fear not, Wozniak has more show business in his moustache than he does in his little finger. Where do you keep yours? Let’s find out if we get around to it. “Just could be the new comedy hero”. Time Out wrote that ages ago. “Completely hilarious, highly recommended” 3 News said that. They are real and based in New Zealand. Wozniak has a total of 43 stars from an undisclosed number of reviews.
Wednesday 29th May
10pm
£7/£6
Oxford Fringe: Pat Cahill
START is the debut hour of mixed stupidity from Chortle Best Newcomer 2012 Pat Cahill. Once it starts you’ll get: gags, tunes, turns and bits, pausing occasionally to breathe/fart/wink. Once it stops, you can go.
“This quirky performer has true star quality and bags of originality, mixing physical humour, gimmicks, wordplay and comedy songs. Imagine a cross between Sean Lock and Eddie Izzard and you might be getting somewhere, but nowhere close.” – Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard.
Thursday 30th May
8.30pm
£7/£6
Oxford Fringe: Alfie Brown - The Revolting Youth
Today’s youth: disenchanted and disengaged; our rights vanishing, we remain oblivious. Instead of submitting to criminal corporations and elitist politics, we must be reborn as renegades. Sounds LOL.
Friday 31st May
10pm
£7/£6
Oxford Fringe: The Beta Males
Chortle-award sketch-storytellers and stars of BBC Radio 4′s Sketchorama The Beta Males return to Oxford after three sell-out Edinburgh Fringes with 60 minutes of old favourites and exclusive new material from their upcoming Edinburgh show.
Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June
Friday 31st May: 8.30pm and Saturday 1st June: 5.30pm
£8/£7
Burton Taylor Theatre
Gloucester Street, 01865 305305
official website
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What's Showing?
Deathtrap
A struggling playwright hatches a devious plan to revive his ailing career. However, as soon as the first body hits the floor the audience is plunged into a series of hilarious yet chilling plot twists.
Tuesday 21st - Saturday 24th May
9.30pm
£6/£5
Some Funny
The Butless Chaps and DEM Productions present a brand spanking new sketch show, covering a smorgasbord of scenarios and topics: from Quentin Tarantino’s early forays into children’s television, to the Existential Olympics. This hour of joyous entertainment promises to be irreverent without being crude, satirical without being didactic, whilst always staying true to the goal of providing the audience with an evening of laughter.
Tuesday 21st - Saturday 25th May
9.30pm
£6/£5
Die Frau von Fruher
It is the last night before Frank and his family move to Canada when suddenly someone is knocking on the door: it is Romy, whom Frank promised to love forever, twenty-four years ago...
Tuesday 28th - Saturday 1st June
7.30pm
£6/£5
Chastity on the Verge
A secret love affair, a prying Duke and a white dog. The Châtelaine has found her knight in shining armour and given her love on the condition of secrecy. But nobody can keep a secret, especially when jealousy is involved.
Tuesday 28th - Saturday 1st June
9.30pm
£6/£5
New Theatre
George Street 0870 606 3500
website for tickets and information
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What's Showing?
The Sound of Music
The world’s most beloved musical returns to Oxford, for one week only!
Based on the life of Maria von Trapp, The Sound of Music tells the story of a high-spirited postulant, sent to serve as governess for the seven children of a widowed Captain. In the process, she wins the heart of not only the children, but also the Captain. However, on returning from their honeymoon, they discover their beloved Austria has been invaded by the Nazis, and the whole family must escape immediately over the mountains.
Oxford Operatic Society (The Producers, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Beauty and the Beast) return to the New Theatre stage with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most popular musical, with a cast of over 50 talented performers from Oxfordshire.
With a score packed full of famous songs including Do-Re-Mi, The Lonely Goatherd and Edelweiss, The Sound of Music is a wonderful, uplifting show for the whole family.
Tuesday 28th - Saturday 1st June
7.30pm, Saturday matinee 2.30pm
£17 - £23
Pegasus Theatre
Magdalen Street, 01865 722851
official website
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What's Showing?
Dream On…
In a school, courtroom, and at war Dream On… explores the space between insult and injury, vengeance and justice, imagination and truth.
Ava and Kosha arrive in Oxford thinking their journey has finished but, haunted by the past they find that the hardest part is still to come.
Hattie has only Alama to confide in, but if she leaves, like everyone else, who‘sleft to talk to?
Maria reveals the father of her baby, but no-one believes her – not even Yusuf, stationed in Afghanistan.
How do you find justice for crimes only you believe in; resolve quarrels and disputes now distant in time and space? What’s true to one person is unreal to the next, nothing but a dream… whose reality should we believe?
Dream On… is a new play featuring performers aged from 11 to 25 years.
Wednesday 22nd - Saturday 25th May
7.30pm, Saturday matinee 1.30pm
£7/£5/£4
What's Showing?
There is nothing currently showing. Please check the official website for more information.
What's Showing?
There is nothing currently showing. Please check the official website for more information.
What's Showing?
The Shop Of Little Horrors
How do you scream without moving your lips?
Grimlake’s Emporium of Novelties: a dilapidated shop on the outskirts of Nowhere, where corny magic tricks and strange puppets collect dust and cobwebs. No one has entered the shop for years, but that’s just fine by proprietor Albert Grimlake – a man obsessed with puppets. Particularly ventriloquist dummies. Each face lovingly crafted by his own hand … and each bearing an uncanny resemblance to customers, friends and family long gone.
But Grimlake is growing old and won’t last forever. He has no son and no successor. Time is running out to find someone to keep the Emporium open, someone to breathe life into his creations, someone who shares his peculiar passion for puppets…Enter Eric. He’s young, He’s eager. He’s seen all the Muppet Movies, twice. He’s the perfect applicant: keener than mustard and easily moulded. But Eric discovers there’s so much to learn...
The Shop of Little Horrors is a dark and twisted horror show with a wicked sense of humour, featuring a macabre collection of characters. Using extraordinary puppets, masks and props, Pickled Image has created a show to rival their sell out international successes, Houdini’s Suitcase, Hunger and Late Night Wolf Tales.
The North Wall is proud to be part of the making of this grippingly gruesome new show. Be the first to see it at these
premiere performances.
Wednesday 29th May - Saturday 1st June
8pm
£13/£11
What's Showing?
Lucky 13
Eight new, short plays from Vicki Lloyd, Gwilym Scourfield, Andersen-Bloomfield, Joel Kaye, Catherine Comfort, David Gregory, Paul Ekert and David Mansell inspired by the idea Lucky 13.
Friends' Meeting House, 43 St Giles, Oxford
Wednesday 22nd May
7.30pm
£6/£5
Opera Anywhere present The Mikado
Opera Anywhere present The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan
Designed and directed by Paula Chitty
Opera Anywhere have delighted audiences of all ages for 12 years now. Opera Anywhere is unique - combining beautiful singing with having fun, and a good dose of audience participation - which of course is optional.
Over the years Opera Anywhere has proved to be a foundation to launch the careers of numerous established singers, many of whom now perform for International Opera Houses and have received prestigious awards.
Blackwell's Bookshop, Broad Street, Oxford
Thursday 23rd - Saturday 25th May
7.30pm
£10 - £16
The Pirates of Penzance
Blackwell's Bookshop, Broad Street, Oxford
Thursday 30th May - Saturday 1st June
7.30pm
£10 - £16