- February 2023
Second Generation has returned, and so has our embarrassment that our spice tolerances have sunk to the point of Nando’s Lemon & Herb.
We’re here again with the fourth 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 humour to the ADC for another year! From Sima Aunty’s matchmaking mischief to watching WhatsApp break from the weight of Diwali wishes, Second Generation: The Return of the Lemon & Herb promises to be a night of fun, spice and everything nice!
- May 2013
Corruption and weakness plague the Persian realm. Brothers bicker, loyalties are abandoned and rebellion is in the air. Power, language and authority verge on collapse.
From the east comes a Shepherd; part man, part God, brutal and poetic in the same moment.
In an empire where everything's to play for a crown is as much a target as a shield:
'For what are kings, when regiment is gone, but perfect shadows in a sunshine day?'
The New Arcadians present 'Tamburlaine the Great, Part 1' - a condensed, fast paced and modernised version of Marlowe's ludicrously popular play.
Administrator's note: This show's venue was given as Sidney Sussex Tennis Court Garden with a timestamp of 2013-05-01 14:02:50 (2019 database update)
- November–December 2012
Terry is a postman with a thousand memories at his fingertips. All he has to do is open them.
Post is a new tragicomedy, co-written by the president of the Cambridge Footlights, winner of Best Writer/Play, 24 Hour Plays 2010, and one of the team behind Act Casual (4**** - Varsity).
It doesn't take a lot to blur the lines between funny and sad, reality and fantasy. It just takes a stamp.
- June 2012
'Sometimes the beast takes the shape of a man. And sometimes it's like an animal. A horrible animal. And sometimes it looks like a little boy. Like an ordinary little boy.'
An adult war rages.
A group of schoolchildren are stranded on a beautiful island.
And a beast waits in the shadows.
- May 2012
‘A true joke, a comedian's joke, has to do more than release tension, it has to liberate the will and the desire, it has to change the situation.’
Manchester, 1975. A small classroom bristles with excitement as a group of aspiring comedians prepare for a night of standup that could change their lives.
In the crowd will be Bert Challenor, representative of the Comedy Federation. If they get the laughs, they get the contract. But at whose expense?
‘Most comics feed prejudice, but the best ones make them clearer to see – easier to deal with.’
- January 2012
Ben and Gus are waiting for an assignment.
Their Revolvers lie dormant.
The dumb waiter whirs into life.
A masterclass in taut dialogue and shifty, shifting dynamics, The New Arcadians are proud to present Pinter’s acclaimed black comedy, The Dumb Waiter.
- October 2011
Chit-chat. Smalltalk. Just making conversation. Realising far too late that you should have ordered that panini. The murmur of cafe-talk, fuelled with talk of weather and lattes, comes shattering down in one blow during a perfectly lovely afternoon. But when convention is no longer convenient, where do you turn? From the author of Cambridge’s 24 Hour Plays’ ‘Best Writer’ and ‘Best Play’ comes Plank, a comedy that doesn’t really say much.
- October 2011
- June 2011
"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven..."
Milton’s epic tale, tracking the fall of Satan to Man’s first disobedience, is brought to life in a highly creative promenade production, venturing through the grounds and gardens of Sidney Sussex College. Prepare to be thrown into unendurable darkness, brush shoulders with Satan’s fallen army, and relive Mankind’s last moments of Paradise.
- February 2011
New Writing by Michael Christie Week 2 Late show - Corpus Playroom
'Two brothers, on holiday with their mother in Germany, are shocked to realise their mum has died on a park bench. Dennis is distraught, but Michael sees the real issue: if she dies while abroad, the brothers lose their inheritance. If they can smuggle her body home, they can beat the lawyers and keep the money. They soon find out that escorting a corpse around Berlin and across the English channel isn't easy. In this outrageous black comedy about death and money, you can expect misguided attempts at tact, sibling rivalry and prolonged messing around with an electric wheelchair.'
The play is a Pinteresque black comedy about two bickering brothers, one daft and the other conniving, which mixes darker elements about power dynamics and death with slapstick and farce involving their mother's dead body (which periodically reanimates to haunt them) and the ways in which they transport it.
- November 2010
'Children. Teenagers. They're not easy to deal with, you know. They're like old people, but worse. And equally as bloodthirsty.'
Father Andrews, a priest and RE teacher, finds himself under unforeseen pressure when he takes up a new position in a boisterous inner-city school. Though optimistic at the outset, he soon finds himself unable to control his classes and at the mercy of his pupils' unwillingness to learn from him. Despite reassurance from his well-meaning but ineffectual friend Ruth, Father Andrews eventually finds his aversion to harsh discipline backfires on him, compromising both his reputation and his faith. 'Ecclesiastical Perks' is a darkly comic play that deals with the precarious place of religion in a school's curriculum, the damaging effect of a child's word against a teacher's, and the unforgiving nature of the British media.
- June 2010
- November 2009
"Past Life" is an original, darkly comic piece of writing by current Cambridge student, Luke Al-Rehani. The play follows two friends as they spend an evening piecing together memories of their recent relationships in an attempt to reach an understanding of the past. Two actors deftly switch roles throughout the performance, acting out the fragments of their turbulent affairs, from hopeful beginnings to poignant ends.
Join the New Arcadians in Sidney's intimate Knox Shaw room for a glass of wine and an hour of stories. Expect love, loss and biting sarcasm.
Please email ieg23@cam.ac.uk to reserve tickets, stating the night and how many tickets you would like.
- February–March 2009
"Finding out who you really are." When the party's over one mysterious guest will force Edward and Lavinia to realise the futility and tragic necessity of their marriage. The couple's realisation has consequences for their friends, especially Edward's mistress Celia, who must confront the potentially vacuous reality of a life lived alone.
Eliot's darkly comic play progresses from what seems a light satire of the traditional British drawing room comedy into a bleaker, thought-provoking treatment of human relations.
- June 2008
For more information email the director, Micky Alexander (mja59@cam.ac.uk) or producer, Sallie Godwin (sg488@cam.ac.uk)
- November–December 2007
- June 2007
The New Arcadians presents one of Shakespeare's best-loved plays in the beautiful grounds of Sidney Sussex College. The perfect thing for a May Week afternoon.
