- August 2015
* The Tab .
“Captivating” TCS .
“A brilliant translation of Conrad’s haunting parable” **** Varsity.
In Edinburgh after a successful Cambridge run, this is Conrad’s famous novel - the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now - adapted into an epic one-man show. Join Marlow on the deck of his steamboat for a story of greed and cruelty, fallen heroes and petty monsters. A journey up the Congo river and into the dark heart of 19th century European colonialism.
“The conquest of the earth is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much…”
- June 2015
THE DRYDEN SOCIETY and THE SHADWELL SOCIETY PRESENT 'SUPER'.
The Justice League of North West and Central London, Potters Bar and Cuffley want to use their newfound superpowers to 'fight crime and s**t'. The Siblinghood of Evil want to use theirs for 'maximum personal gain, minimum collateral damage'. The problem is, they unknowingly book the same room for their meetings. Posing respectively as a karate class and an urban dance team, members of the two groups meet, socialise and even date, all the while unaware that once they put their masks on, they're bitterest of enemies.
- June 2015
By Bertolt Brecht, the play follows the trials of Shen Te in a struggle to lead a 'good' life amongst the dingy blaring world of disco and visiting Gods. Chaos, disco lights and italo pop all collide in this partially promenade production of Brecht's bewildering comment on the reality of morality. Performed largely in an underground space, thus far unused by theatre.
- January 2015
- June 2014
The Dryden Society's May Week Show will be Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. The unique and enchanting language of Thomas comes to the fore in this faithful production set amidst the elegance of Trinity College Chapel. Milk wood is a play for voices exploring the sound and song at the heart of the quant Welsh village of Llarregyb.
Any queries, please contact sc829 (Shounok)
- May 2014
"What's it going to be then, eh?"
Alex and his vicious teenage gang revel in horrific violence, mugging and gang rape. Alex also revels in the music of Beethoven. The gang communicates in a language which is as complicated as their actions. When a drug-fuelled night of fun ends in murder, Alex is finally busted and banged up. He is given a choice - be brainwashed into good citizenship and set free, or face a lifetime inside.
Anthony Burgess's 1987 play with music, based on his own 1962 novella of the same name, promises to be an excitingly provocative production, presented by Cambridge Shortlegs with the Dryden Society
- May 2014
' ‘The war is over, the war begins… for me.’
Troy has fallen, and its women wait in the wreckage to discover their fates. Having borne witness to the death of husbands, fathers and sons and seen their city burned to the ground, they now face slavery, abuse and humiliation at the hands of their enemies.
In a modern world no stranger to the inevitability and futility of war, this story of grief, fear and how people react to it is as current and hard hitting now as it was when Euripides presented it to an uncomfortable Greek audience over two thousand years ago. The characters he created remain to this day some of the most complex representations of women in theatre.
This is a powerful and moving exploration of the arrogance of power and the violent aftermath of war, in which women are so often the ultimate victims.
- March 2014
Dijana Polančec knows exactly how much she is worth.
'1000 Euros because that is how much Babac paid for me. To put this in easy language, that is like two and a half iPhones.'
The Larkum Studio provides a malleable canvas for it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now by Lucy Kirkwood. As disturbing as it is radiant, it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now is an immersive journey through the landscape of Dijana’s life; a volatile terrain of optimism, bravado and the painful reality of life as a trafficked sex-worker.
Presented by Old Labs Productions and the Dryden Society
- February–March 2014
"Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, Like diamonds, we are cut with our own dust"
Fascist Italy, 1933. Two despotic brothers tyrannize their own country. But their corrupt and merciless regime struggles to contain one ungovernable force: their sister. The Duchess.
She seduces the man she loves in defiance of her brothers, but their obsessive jealousy follows her at every turn. As she fights for the life she wants, the Duchess draws ever closer to her terrifying fall.
This production of Webster's dark and thrilling play will use film, sound and a powerful aesthetic to recreate Mussolini's world of false propaganda and brutal masculinity, where lust and violence reign.
"Your darkest actions, nay, your privatest thoughts, will come to light."
- February 2014
"I love you so much I could burst into flames"
London is dying.
Amidst the chaos and horror, two sibling survivors deal hallucinogenic butterflies from an old ice cream truck and throw parties. These aren't just any parties, but parties for the super rich in which their wildest and darkest fantasies are realised.
In exchange for them escaping with what remains of their family, the next guest wants just one thing...
How far would you go to save the ones you love?
Warning: this show contains adult themes and language, graphic imagery, and scenes of violence, which some viewers may find disturbing or offensive.
- February 2014
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The world is crumbling and the British people have turned to The Party to keep them safe. Britons have willingly sacrificed their rights and freedoms in order to protect themselves from an unknown yet ever-present threat. War constantly rages with an unidentifiable enemy; opposition is forbidden and futile; dissent is a crime and defiance is treason.
Adapted by Matthew Dunster, Orwell's classic novel is brought into the 21st Century to show a horrifyingly dystopian vision of our future.
- November 2013
Richard Nixon has received a full pardon from Gerald Ford and will never face trial for his involvement in the Watergate affair. In an effort to recuperate some of his reputation, he agrees to an exclusive television interview with British talk-show host David Frost. Twelve interviews, no scripts, and no prior knowledge of the questions. It’s more than just a battle of wits between journalist and politician, it’s a struggle between the flamboyant and eccentric world of showbiz and television, and the sombre, tight-lipped political organisation. With time running out, Frost finds himself faced with the greatest challenge of his career: how to make a politician crumble.
This award winning show will be brought to the ADC stage this Michaelmas in a new quick, slick, ensemble based production.
- August 2013
Ever wondered what makes all the sound come out of your radio? “Are You Sitting Comfortably?” is a brand new comedy that will take you on a journey through the radio, as we follow the life of the man who lives in there. His life in the FM section of the radio is comfortable enough, but for one thing: he can never be with the woman he loves. She lives in the AM section of the radio, and the two sections of the radio are completely isolated from one another. Three writers from Trinity’s Magpie & Stump comedy society bring you an hour-long story of boy-can’t-meet-girl, bursting with sketches, music, and all the radio-related puns you can dream of.
- June 2013
- June 2013
“You put rags in your mind, you got nothing.” 1950: Jamie and Dee meet in prison. Two girls, one white, one black; with 9 years, each other, and not a hell of a lot else. They play, they fight, they fantasize and, above all, they practice. Because practice makes perfect and when they’re out of here they’ve got plans. They’re going places. Then its 1959 and time for those plans to be realised. But life on the outside ain’t no picnic, and surviving is going to cost them everything they have.
Following the lives of two women in their struggle against poverty, segregation and abuse, And I And Silence is a play that explores our ability to transcend our surroundings. In Jamie and Dee’s struggle to survive, can fantasy ever be enough?
Naomi Wallace’s play was named one of Lynn Gardner’s Best Plays of 2011, after its premier at the Finborough Theatre in London.
- May 2013
‘The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.’
Conrad’s canonical novel is adapted into an epic one-man show narrated by Marlow, an English sailor given the task of making contact with Mr Kurtz, an elusive ivory trader working deep inland. Marlow describes in visceral detail the shocking and rapacious nature of European ivory-trading and colonialism on the African continent at the turn of the 20th century.
Engaging with a brutal but inescapable aspect of Europe’s shared colonial history we are left with only:
‘The horror! The horror!’
- May 2013
“Does anyone leave this hospital alive?” “Yes, sometimes with all the right bits too, just not necessarily in the right order.”
Surgeons is an original, hour-long comic play set in the staff room of a failing hospital during an inspection. Pitched somewhere between a black comedy and a farce, it owes as much to the Carry-On films as it does to Peep Show.
Over the course of the play the characters will grapple amongst themselves to ask the questions that really matter: ‘What happened to the canary?’, ‘Who is that in the cupboard?’ and ‘Why does it smell of glue in here?’
“I hardly think this is a laughing matter.”
- May 2013
In Williamson’s Chicago real estate office, the Glengarry leads are in and the agents have everything to play for. Levene begs for the leads. Moss will steal for them. All the men bar top dog Ricky Roma are running on borrowed time as they slip down the leaderboard which looms over the office.
Mamet’s bleakly funny tale of bombast and desperation portrays the dark side of the American dream and proves that, in the pursuit of happiness, someone has to lose. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play will ‘grab you by the throat and punch you in the gut’ – but only after it has sucked you into its world.
- May 2013
For one night only, Cambridge's finest will be performing their favourite pieces of verse in an evening that promises to be moving, amusing and (sometimes) rhyming.
Bring along your own favourite poem for a chance to direct the actors on how best it should be performed, and add it to our anthology.
- April–May 2013
"Welcome to Beachy Head, East Sussex, the third most popular suicide spot in the world. Dreadful, isn't it? Only third."
A member of Beachy Head's Chaplaincy Team, Carol, has her work cut out when it comes to saving people from the brink. Join her as she goes above and beyond the call of duty to save depressed romantic Miles, and attention-seeking ex-pop star Randy. A kiss, a date in a greasy spoon cafe, a fight on the cliff tops, an international concert tour, can they help each other find purpose and happiness after all?
From the writer of 'It's Complicated' (Footlights Harry Porter nominee 2012, "wonderfully amusing" - Broadway Baby) and 'Guido!' (“Impressive…ridiculous…really, really fun” - Cambridge Tab) comes a brand new, poignant and genuinely daring new comedy, sensitively exploring the taboo themes of depression and suicide.
- April–May 2013
Jim: Have you been stalking me?
Fred: Do I look like a stalker?
Jim: Yes.
Jim Swain has just seen his latest screenplay, The Journey, turned into a blockbuster smash. But Fred Savage, a mad, bearded homeless man, isn't happy for him. Whilst Jim lives the high life as a successful writer, his pockets lined with cash, Fred stumbles through the cold, treacherous streets of New York, bitter and resentful. The Journey was his idea, Fred claims, a supposedly autobiographical epic about a nasty CIA conspiracy dedicated to his undoing, which Jim overheard him telling to John Kelly (God rest his soul). Fred wants nothing but to exact justice on Jim, so he follows the sycophantic screenwriter from Broadway, down Sherman Avenue, across Dyckman Street, to Riverside Drive, a secluded spot overlooking the Hudson River.
Riverside Drive is a black comedy by renowned humourist Woody Allen.
- March 2013
The beautiful Alcestis has agreed to die so her husband, King Admetus of Pherae, can live. Her husband is distraught at the thought of losing her (though not so distraught as to call the deal off). The whole kingdom is in tears, but at least they have the consolation of knowing it'll make a beautiful story. And so the maiden goes to her death, and everyone agrees it's all beautifully tragic. Everyone, that is, except the hero Heracles. Hard-drinking, over-sexed, in love with life, Heracles can't see the point in being sad when you don't need to. If Alcestis' death makes his friend Admetus sad, he'll bring her back--even if he has to fight Death to do it. But if that happens, what becomes of the beautiful tragedy?
- February–March 2013
Ever wondered what makes all the sound come out of your radio? “Are You Sitting Comfortably?” is a brand new comedy that will take you on a journey through the radio, as we follow the life of the man who lives in there. His life in the FM section of the radio is comfortable enough, but for one thing: he can never be with the woman he loves. She lives in the AM section of the radio, and the two sections of the radio are completely isolated from one another. Three writers from Trinity’s Magpie & Stump comedy society bring you an hour-long story of boy-can’t-meet-girl, bursting with sketches, music, and all the radio-related puns you can dream of.
- February 2013
Richard Cameron's 'Can't Stand up for Falling Down' tells the story of three women who unbeknownst of each other are interlinked by one brutal man (who never actually appears onstage), and does so almost exclusively through monologues. The play outlines the circumstances that bring these three women together.
It is a poetical and nearly lyrical exploration of why we love and the ripples of impact our actions can have, as well as a celebration of women and storytelling.
- January 2013
Ernest Worthing, who doesn’t exist, is engaged to two different women.
Jack and Algernon, the two men who are both pretending to be Ernest, see their second lives collide and their lies of convenience unravel, in this stylish and intelligent masterpiece, where appearance is everything and nothing needs to be taken seriously.
Oscar Wilde's ineffable wit, absurd and ingenious contrivance, and brilliant sense of humour combine in a hilarious evening of period farce in the apposite setting of Trinity OCR.
- June 2011
A wealthy landowner, Tschubokov, grants his neighbour, Lomov, permission to propose to his daughter, Stepanovna. However, before a proposal can actually be made, blazing rows break out between the three: over land both families claim to own and over the superiority of each family’s dog. Tschubokov eventually manages to get both to agree to the marriage, whilst curses and insults continue to be hurled across the room.
- June 2009
In addition to Private Lives, a cabaret will be held after the final performance, on the 9th June. This will be a full reception, and will formally mark the launch of the Cambridge Branch of the Noel Coward Society. If you wish to audition for the cabaret, please pick a song from Noel Coward’s back catalogue to perform.
Also, please attend the specific musical auditions and NOT the theatre auditions as they are separately cast events.
- June 2009
Private Lives is a 1930 comedy of manners by Noël Coward. It focuses on a divorced couple who discover that they are honeymooning with their new spouses in the same hotel. A bubbly and riveting piece, it will be performed in the prestigious Fellows' gardens of Trinity College.
This production will mark the launch of the Noël Coward Society in Cambridge. It has been published in the Noel Coward newsletter, and will be a prestigious event, to which guests and society members will be invited.
A cabaret and drinks reception will take place after the final performance on 11th June, where drinks will be served and Coward's songs performed by some of Cambridge's finest talent. This will take place at 5pm. Tickets cost £3.
- June 2007
- January 2007
The Country Wife, William Wycherley's finest play, comes to Cambridge, bursting with sexual energy, wit and theatrical fun. In the decadent surroundings of Trinity's Great Hall, this gender-bending, lighting-quick romp through the escapades of Messers Horner, Harcourt and Pinchwife will have you gasping and gagging for more.
- February 2006
How do we love someone who falls outside the moral code? Harry and Nan are a couple whose marriage has become a comfortable back drop for witty remarks and infidelity. However, this relationship is tested when their 39 year old son Isaac returns home seeking refuge from his own terrifying feelings towards someone he is forbidden to love. Harry and Nan search for clues, desperate to make sense of this horror, alternately looking for exoneration and punishment for what must be their fault. They want to love him. But they don't know how.
- January 2006
- January 2005
- June 2004
