- November 2014
“Everything we cook must be enhancing either our soul or our sex lives. Which is it for you?”
“Both?”
“Twat.”
Five years after graduation and now helplessly wading through their new 'professional' lives, seven friends are brought back together for a reunion party. As the night wears on and the alcohol flows, the sordid secrets of their shared pasts come to the surface. Roll on the most awkward game of sardines the house has ever seen.
In this sharp, funny piece of new writing, we are left asking whether innocence is really something that can be lost in one night.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
"An astonishing debut. Crisp, sharp comedy writing" - TT Guide
"Soul, sex and passion with a vengeance. Don't miss this cracking drama" - Diesel
- November 2014
CADS present the first hypnotism show to hit the Cambridge theatre scene: The Hypnotist. For one night only, witness the power of The Hypnotist as you lose the ability to remember your own name, or even speak in your own language, but acquire the ability to speak a new one. This ADC One Night Stand promises to blow away sceptics and believers alike.
- November 2014
‘Go on! How’s it gonna be? “We gonna get a little place . . .”’
George and Lennie have a dream. It is a dream of freedom. After finding work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, that dream seems almost within reach for these two migrant farmhands. But, on a suffocating summer evening, that dream falls quickly and traumatically from their grasp.
John Steinbeck’s modern classic is brought to the stage in an adaptation that expresses the immense value of hope and trust. This visually striking production promises a timeless tale of love, loyalty and determination, seething above a brooding score. This is a tale of hope and human resolve at their most strained.
- October 2014
'The Cenci' tells the story of the infamous Cenci family; with a father who revels in his sons' death and plots to rape his daughter, the family implodes on itself. This is a play that wrestles with the beautiful and the vile, nature and artifice, body and mind, and whether there is such a thing as right and wrong.
Tragedy at its most glorious, unperformed in Shelley's lifetime and rarely performed since, this is an undervalued play that brings together the best of Romanticism and the Renaissance tragedy.
- October–November 2014
There were hundreds of nominations, millennia of misogyny and six weeks of gruelling challenges. But there can only be one Female Personality of the Year.
Join the nation's favourite presenter as she takes to the couch with our four finalists to discuss ambition and achievement, and why they deserve the prestigious Female Personality of the Year award.
Scaling cliff faces on screen, and smashing glass ceilings off screen, each of our inspirational finalists represents not only themselves, but also the millions of extraordinary women who make a difference every day.
Aspiration. Perspiration. Women.
Welcome to the studio.
- October–November 2014
"It's only history if you steal something really large - like a country, then it's history". In 1950's west-central Johannesburg, artists, activists and illegal bars make up the freehold township of Sophiatown, the beating heart of culture in apartheid South Africa. Home to Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Lewis Nkosi and Mariam Makeba, when the Government decides to racially and geographically segregate the population, Sophiatown finds its very existence threatened. Enter the politically charged household of local shebeen owner Mamariti; home to Jewish tenant Ruth Golden, political journalist Jakes, local gangster Mingus, his truanting teenage-sister Lulu, socialite girlfriend Princess, shoe-loving henchman Charlie and local politician-cum-mystic Fafhee and you have an explosive cast of diverse characters battling for recognition amongst class warfare, racism and political rebellion. An evocative piece of political-musical theatre, Sophiatown is a history lesson that won't be easily forgotten.
- October 2014
Luke and Josh are two Footlights who have been friends for over 10 years. Now they have an hour of comedy together!
- October 2014
"Our city drowns in a tidal wave of disease and death that shows no mercy..."
Thebes is cursed.
In his luxurious palace, King Oedipus fights against fate to determine the reason for this punishment by the gods. However, he uncovers dark, disturbing truths unlike anything he could have imagined. Years later, his daughter Antigone battles for justice against her autocratic Uncle Creon, becoming a revolutionary in a city that has descended into poverty and chaos.
The terrible fate of Oedipus, Antigone and their family unfolds in an evocative new production based on Sophocles' masterpiece. ‘Oedipus and Antigone’ is an unforgettable epic tragedy which follows a proud father and brave daughter battling the gods for survival. This ancient story echoes down the centuries and asks us to consider the role destiny plays in all our lives.
- October 2014
Thalposis. Definition: Sensation of warmth. Sample Sentence: “After feeling another wave of thalposis, Tommy realized he was in the kiddie pool.”
Follow six nerdy American school kids as they compete in the ultimate quest: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. They each have their own battles to contend with, from pushy parents, to spiritual encounters, extreme nut allergies and unexpected manifestations of puberty. Through all of this and more, our contestants navigate the tournament’s pressures, and learn that there’s more to life than what can be found in the dictionary. Featuring off-Broadway hit songs such as “I Speak Six Languages”, “My Friend the Dictionary” and “My Unfortunate Erection”, this is Tony Award – winning, partially improvised musical comedy is not to be missed.
- October 2014
Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and standup in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity.
The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly; rude and spikey; wordy and nerdy or a little surreal - whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- October 2014
The backyard of a suburban home, Connecticut, August 1948. Set over 24 hours, the play is a claustrophobic portrayal of the conflict between a man’s duties to his immediate family and to his wider national family. Tensions rise and fall as the family simultaneously attempts to come to terms with the past and to fashion a future for itself though it feels impossible.
- September 2014
For its 15th year, CAST will once again be touring the USA in September with a company of Cambridge's finest actors, directors, designers and crew.
Hero and Claudio are falling in love, but aren’t a strong enough pairing to outplay the scheming Don John. Meanwhile, old sparring partners Beatrice and Benedick revel in their war of words, but neither wants to get married and certainly not to each other. As they take up opposing corners, matching each other line for line, their friends team up to plot a way to bring them together.
For this cast of players, it’s a game of five acts.
Filled with live music, a line up of vibrant characters and sparkling dialogue, this is Shakespeare’s comedic skill at its absolute best. As devious strategies are prepared, sides drawn and redrawn, and untruth after untruth exposed, the outcome of each romantic match is just too close to call at least until the final hand has been shown.
- June 2014
BRAND NEW COMEDY WRITING. Once-famed super villain Lord Asgoroth and his trusty minion, Minion, awake from their centuries-long slumber, ready to wreak havoc on medieval England. Only, they’ve overslept by 900 years, and have instead awoken in the present day. Can our demonic heroes overcome Snapchat, Tinder, and CRB checks to take on the 21st century, and fulfil their destinies? Probably not. But they’re going to give it a ruddy good try. Inconceivable is a comedy romp through modern life as we know it, as our two pre-historic demons find themselves unexpectedly going head-to-head with new technologies and social phenomena to try and conquer a cynical, self-absorbed Britain, one selfie at a time.
- June 2014
Oliver Taylor is a Lively Orator. As a member of the Cambridge Footlights he has spent much of his supposedly life-saving medical degree shouting at people all over the city and delighting in the way that they look both entertained and frightened. He is loud, energetic, and undeservingly self-confident. However, as an evening of possessed poetry books, machines that fling Kit-Kats into the audience, skeletons in the closet (literally), jokes that have come to life (literally) and disgruntled producers trying to sabotage the show unfolds, it will become apparent there is something not quite right about this performance. Behind Oliver’s already pretty disturbing fascade there is a dark secret, and it’s no joke. Though it is funny.
- June 2014
Musical comedy troubadours I am, I am are back, with fun and joy and songs.
After their debut success in 2012 they've been storming the circuits, gracing the BBC stages and successful finalists at the 2013 Musical Comedy Awards. With a brand new hour of tunes and tomfoolery, these graduates from the Cambridge Footlights school of comedy are seriously not to be missed.
Previous praise for the production:'If you are any kind of remotely ok person currently living in the world, go see this show.' ***** - The Tab.
- June 2014
- May–June 2014
A dramatic reworking of this inspiring show that brings contemporary relevance to the triumph of hope and joy.
Through the struggle to find unity and peace in a troubled community, the memorable music of the original show is brought to life in a story of our own times. The familiar tales of the Parables, at the same time joyful and thought-provoking, take the disciples on a journey of hope that eventually inspires even their less easily convinced companions.
Raise your spirit with a unforgettable show featuring the popular hits 'Day By Day', 'Light of the World', and 'Turn Back, O Man'.
- May 2014
Cirque du Bombay will transport us to the streets of Spain, a movie set, a vibrant art gallery where paintings come to life, and experience the tremors of a macabre carnivalesque earthquake, as evil triumphs over good. The show will combine Indian Classical dance forms, Ballet, Flamenco, Contemporary, Hip Hop and Bollywood to deliver a night of surprise, intrigue and delight! Come and audition whether you have some experience or none! We are looking for all and any levels of dance, so get involved!
- 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
- May 2014
A new hour of stand-up from the people who between them brought you Dumpf, Dressing Down, Three White Guys, Three White Guys 2, two Footlights Spring Revues, the 2013 Footlights Pantomime, Gagamemnon, Four Comedic Porpoises, Um, Puns and Roses, Cheese (And Other Things That There Are), and countless college and Footlights smokers.
BEN POPE: “Lines so beautifully crafted they bordered on poetry. Single, you say, Ben? Call me.” – The Tab “Left the audience gasping for breath” - Varsity “Deserves a medal for sheer hilarity” - TCS
ARCHIE HENDERSON: “Stole the show… had me giggling from the first word” – TCS "Brilliant” – The Tab “I can safely say that Archie Henderson has a gift” - Varsity
MILO EDWARDS: “Fantastic… had me in hysterics” – TCS “A total crowd-pleaser” – The Tab “Well-judged and intelligent” – Varsity
CHARLIE PALMER: “A great act, endearing as well as funny” – TCS “Charlie Palmer will go far” – The Tab “The highlight of the evening” - Varsity
- May 2014
London 1913. The Suffragette Movement is at its height. Emily Davidson has just fallen in front of a horse. Thousands of women of all classes serve time in Holloway prison in their fight to gain the vote. Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith discusses the issues in parliament. Lady Celia Cain feels trapped by the policies of the day and a frustrating marriage. In prison she meets a young seamstress, Eve Douglas, with whom she begins an affair. Passion and politics coalesce as they pursue an erotic and intense affair. Eve is subjected to force-feeding, and slowly their relationship and the sanity of their minds fall apart as Celia uses her position of social privilege to leave prison. Finally, Eve breaks down in prison and Celia leaves her husband, William. This is a play where personal lives intermingle with politics and women struggle to get their voices heard in a patriarchal government.
The independent called it “a great drama about women, by a woman” and Michael Billington of the Guardian gave it 4 stars and declared that “Lenkiewicz’s real concern is to show how female militancy transcended class and sexual convention.”
Her Naked Skin was the first play written by a woman to be performed on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre in 2008.
- May 2014
''It’s funny the things you’ll do when you’re in love. Things that you thought were bad or cruel or unchristian. Well they all become right, just, in the face of love. Don’t they Frank?''
A modern melodrama in a graveyard at night. Frank and Charlie are burying a body. When the night is through they can collect their money and all will be well. As the evening spirals out of control the pair find themselves on a landfill site with a corpse to get rid of.
If there is morality, is it worth more than money?
''A bold and compelling story.'' - Tom Basden
Footlights present the winner of this year's Harry Porter Prize (set up in 2003 in honour of the late Dr Harry Porter, Footlights' long-term Senior Archivist) for a one-hour comic play.
- May 2014
- May 2014
- April–May 2014
Four survivors of a train crash, all of whom have lost family members to disaster, leave the court following the acquittal of the driver, who has been found innocent of any gross negligence or misconduct. Unsatisfied with the verdict, and driven by their grief-stricken sense of righteousness, the group resolve to exact their own form of justice on the man they believe murdered their loved ones, by whatever means necessary.
- April–May 2014
“I can see him. With vineleaves in his hair.” Hedda Gabler is bored, and that's dangerous. Stuck with her dull, dependable husband in her stifling new mansion, she wants a destiny to control – if not her own, then someone else's. And an old friend re-enters her life. In him, Hedda sees potential for something great and beautiful. A window into a world that cannot be hers. How far will she go in her pursuit of power? Hedda Gabler is a psychological masterpiece that gnaws at the very heart of tragedy.
For more information, email jh807
- April 2014
Corrie and Paul are newly-weds who have just moved into their cold eyrie apartment in New York. Corrie is starry-eyed, Paul less so after staggering up five flights. Their house seems to be populated by unusual people, the most bohemian being Victor whom Corrie finds entertaining. Corrie tries matchmaking between Victor and her lonely mother but after a disastrous dinner party she learns that walking barefoot in the park may not necessarily denote joie de vivre - in February it is simply silly!
Further information: sallymarsh@bawds.org
- March 2014
- March 2014
There are parallel universes everywhere, or are there? There are parallel universes everywhere, or are there? etc
Previous praise for the writer/performers:
'when you can make an audience chuckle between skits, you’re onto something good.' - The Cambridge Student
'Basically, these guys are great, unpretentious and funny, simple as that. Go see them.' - The Tab
'ingeniously original' - Varsity
'top-grade student comedians' - The Cambridge Theatre Review
- March 2014
‘Careful the tale you tell, that is the spell’.
Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning masterpiece warns us to be careful what we wish for, and questions what comes after ‘happily ever after’, bringing new life to the Grimm Brother’s most famous fairytales.
A lesson on parenting, growing up, and morality, ‘Into the Woods’ is a dark and magical journey into the unknown ‘where witches, ghosts and wolves appear’. With a captivating score and dazzling illusions, this show is at once heart-warmingly funny, devastatingly tragic, and inspiringly hopeful, teaching that ‘nice is different than good’.
- March 2014
From the writers of 'Dressing Down', 'The Princess and the Pea', 'Lost Property' and 'Esio Trot' comes this year’s Footlights Spring Revue, a chronological odyssey through the history of the universe - from the Big Bang to the invention of the iPhone and everything in between. Why not take a whistle-stop tour through the primordial soup, up the Jurassic coast, down the Fall of the Roman Empire, into the House of the Tudors, and back to the Future in time for tea? And all in 90 minutes.
Brace yourself. This is as big as it gets.
- March 2014
A father and son, trapped in a maze of their own making. A bullish monster. A barren beach. An inventor and his hopes. An apprentice and his folly. A striking piece of physical theatre, thing with feathers promises to surprise, delight, move and inspire.
- February–March 2014
7 July 2005. Riding high on the victory of the Olympic bid, London is buzzing. The rhythm of the city is intoxicating. But national pride comes, inevitably, before a fall; a betrayal of the nation; mass-murder, made-in-England. Through seemingly unrelated narratives emerge the entwined journeys of ordinary people. This is a portrait of our own England seen through a kaleidoscope: a vision at once fragmented yet unified, mesmerising yet repulsive, disorientating yet starkly familiar.
"It has a throb and pulse of its own. It feels latent. It feels charged. It feels sprung. As though something remarkable is going to happen."
- 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
Dűmpf is a sketch show combining fast-paced sketches with musical comedy.
Archie and Adrian want to talk about some issues. Unfortunately the only way they can get anyone to listen is to write a comedy show, so that’s what they’ve done. The product, Dümpf, is a whirlwind of thoughts, desires, sketches and songs. But also issues.
In a whirlwind of thoughts, desires, sketches and songs we invite you venture into the deranged world of Dűmpf.
Previous praise for the writers includes:
‘Brilliantly original and often daring’ - The Cambridge Student
‘Hilarious’ - The Tab
‘A delightful taste of musical comedy’ - Varsity
