- October 2024
The Big Olive. Athens. Before B.C. existed. The populists are on the rise and they’re looking for a scapegoat. Sound familiar? Any old goat will do. Enter Socrates. He opens his mouth and soon he’s on trial for his life. The Man Who Argued Himself To Death, a blisteringly funny satirical comedy by Colin Swash (The Queen, Have I Got News For You) tells us all what it’s like when it becomes a crime to say ‘I Don’t Know’.
Corkscrew Theatre brings yet another original and thought-provoking piece of writing to a larger stage after successfully championing new plays Horrox (2023) and ABRA (2024). Following on from this year’s A Few Good Men and their much-acclaimed production of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, this is another piece of must-see theatre.
This production is suitable for ages 12 and over.
- September 2024
When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires.
Winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score, Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, original musical about seeing your parents through grown up eyes.
This amateur production of FUN HOME is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
This production will run for 100 minutes without an interval.
This production is suitable for ages 12 and over.
- September 2024
Join us for a timeless favourite, The Vicar of Dibley, presented by Hilarity Theatre Group in aid of Comic Relief. This extraordinary and side-splitting production is sure to keep you laughing heartily. Brilliantly crafted episodes are woven together to create a show brimming with merriment.
The hilariously memorable Parish Council characters, along with our very own Geraldine, promise to send you into peals of laughter. Anticipate a delightful array of entertainment they have planned for you.
Geraldine is presented with not just the chance to host a radio show for the Parish Council but also to organise a Gala evening and a Christmas play. But what can go right? Surely Jim will be on his best behaviour, right? And David, who might have embarrassed himself on live radio, thankfully has his moment of redemption.
Owen as a sound man? Now that's intriguing. Fear not, Mrs. Cropley will be there to ensure everyone is well catered for with her unique cakes.
Rest assured, there are no dull moments in this play. We invite you to this joy-filled show.
This amateur production has been adapted from the TV series by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer by kind permission of United Agents. 'The Vicar of Dibley' was originally produced by Tiger Aspect Productions.
This production is suitable for ages 12 and over.
- September 2024
Comedy, farce, drama - the Cambridge Festival of Drama provides an opportunity to see the best of local amateur drama presenting a wide variety of plays in a mix of new writing and established pieces.
Each session features two or three short plays, followed by comment and evaluation by a professional drama adjudicator – with the added frisson of a competitive element!
There’s plenty of opportunity between plays to meet friends in the bar and talk over what you’ve seen – will you agree with the adjudicator, or not? Will you pick this year’s winner?
You’ll find a full listing of the plays at www.camdramfest.org.uk
- July 2024
Step into the world of Murder Most Unexpected, an Agatha Christie-style Whodunnit made up entirely on the spot. Our talented cast of improvisers will take you on a journey full of hilarious twists, turns, and suspicious characters - all dictated by your suggestions! Every performance is unique, anything can happen, and anyone could be the killer. Come and watch the mayhem unfold as our improvisers unravel the mystery. Don't miss this unforgettable night of comedy where you help craft the mystery.
This production is suitable for ages 12 and over.
- July 2024
Nick Warburton, screenwriter and playwright, a writer for The Archers, and who has also adapted many classic works for Radio 4’s Classic Serial, now brings you a new staged adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Originally adapted by Nick for BBC Radio 4’s The Archers in 2018, six tales from that version have now been readapted for the stage.
A raggle-taggle band of pilgrims – common working folk, some kings and queens, and the odd shady priest – pauses on its way to Canterbury. The pilgrims stretch their legs, take a little refreshment and start to tell their stories.
Here are six of Chaucer’s most vibrant tales, presented by a talented cast of fourteen.
You’ll meet the Knight, the Miller, the Wife of Bath, the Pardoner, the Friar and the Franklin who’ll spin a whole range of stories for you in lively modern English. Some will be comic and bawdy, some tender and romantic, and some will include a touch of magic.
More than thirty characters are brought to life in this new modern adaptation of Chaucer’s colourful and timeless storytelling.
This production is recommended for ages 12 and over.
- July 2024
"I’m just as good as bloody Pierrepoint." So says Harry, in his small pub in Oldham where he is something of a local celebrity. But what’s the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they’ve abolished hanging?
Among the cub reporters and sycophantic pub regulars dying to hear Harry’s reaction to the news, a peculiar stranger lurks, with a very different motive for his visit, telling the regulars:"‘Don’t worry. I may have my quirks but I’m not an animal. Or am I? One for the courts to discuss."
Set mostly in Harry’s Oldham pub in 1965, Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London in September 2015. It received the 2016 Olivier Award for Best New Play, with the Daily Telegraph describing it as "Pitch perfect…Perhaps the most line-by-line funny play London has seen in years."
- June 2024
It's that time of year again.....
The Footlights International Tour Show is back and has brought together six of Cambridge's BEST comedians to create a sketch show that can only be drescribed as 'funny'. And this time they have a dog (breed yet to be specified). You'd be absolutely silly to miss it as it jets off from Cambridge, across the UK, to Edinburgh, and Beyond!!!!
- June 2024
Step into the dazzling world of musical theatre for an exhilarating night of big band music...and all that jazz!
Big Band Roulette is the big band, with the big twist. Every performance has a brand new setlist, randomly selected musicians, and only one day to rehearse. With a talented pool of musicians composed of Cambridge's premier student jazz talent, you'll be sure to feel that "fascinating rhythm".
We are thrilled to be joined by Cambridge University's esteemed Musical Theatre Society to bring you an evening of theatrical showstoppers, all arranged for our colossal 26-piece jazz band. From classic broadway hits to jazz re-imaginings of modern favourites, there is something for everyone to tap their feet to. Featuring multiple original arrangements, numerous vocal features and epic instrumental medleys, this will be a truly unforgettable (and unrepeatable!) night of music.
- June 2024
How do our inner fears manifest themselves? Where are these feelings embedded, and how do they become externalised? Underscore is the product of exploration, collaboration and innovation between dancers and musicians around these questions. It confronts the audience with a striking atmosphere through live music and unconventional forms of movement and expression.
- June 2024
A cartoonish, eclectic group of six overachieving mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of [potentially made-up] words. Each hope to never hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming "ding" of the bell that signals a spelling mistake, and the overstated feeling of failure that resonates with overachievers everywhere. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box.
Complete with an engaging, tuneful score by William Finn and a sweet, funny book by Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee causes audiences to fall in love, both with the show itself and its “perspicacious,” “jocular,” and “effervescent” spellers.
- May–June 2024
Winner of a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards, The Producers is Mel Brooks' story of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich quick by putting on the worst musical ever written.
They will raise two million dollars to finance the show, take the money, and then head to Rio when the show inevitably closes after just one performance. With tap-dancing Nazis and the worst director in town, the show is a sure-fire flop.
The Producers is a show like no other: a laugh-out-loud, outrageous, crowd-pleasing farce that has been a smash hit since its inception.
This production is recommended for ages 12 and over.
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International
All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI www.mtishows.co.uk
- May 2024
Laugh out loud with Cambridge Footlight and almost-qualified doctor Fatima Eshani for an uproarious one-hour comedy special: a witty, insightful take on her journey to the frontlines.
Having honed her comedic chops as a Cambridge Footlight since 2020, Fatima's deadpan and witty persona promises an unforgettable evening. From navigating the awkwardness of attempting to make friends around dissecting cadavers to mastering the art of bad news delivery to paid actors in Addenbrookes, this show unveils the hidden corners of life in the NHS. 'We Only Clap on Thursdays!' offers an honest, humorous, and unique perspective on the joys, heartbreak, and chaos of the medical world. Join us for an hour of laughter, camaraderie, and a sneak peek into the life of a junior doctor that goes beyond the textbooks and scrubs.
Fatima Eshani is "wonderful to watch" (the Tab), gives a "perfect demonstration of elegant sarcastic humour" (the Tab), and James Acaster once wore a sticker of her face (partially by accident).
- May 2024
A Devised Show!
A Working Progress is just as it sounds: a work in progress! This hour-long show is a devised piece created within one week by a company of talented Cambridge students. Themed on the idea of construction, we as a team have put together a new show from scratch! Come along for one night only to see where our minds lead us!
- May 2024
“While our eyes wait to see the final destined day, we must call no mortal happy until he has crossed life's border free from pain”.
A plague is destroying Thebes. Oedipus the King, renowned for his intellect and benevolence, vows to locate the source of corruption. As he traces the threads of pollution, he finds himself unknowingly entangled in an incriminating web and he must confront the fact that the truth lies a little too close to home. Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus Tyrannus, explores issues of identity, the limits of human knowledge and the fickleness of fortune. This new adaptation seeks to blend traditional Greek elements with contemporary styles in a liminal and seemingly timeless space.
- May 2024
Penelope Quadrangle has one best friend in the entire world: Natalie. Sure, she doesn’t talk much, or invite Penelope to her birthday drinks, and might be a serial killer, but they’ve been best friends since high school, and never quite grew out of it.
And then there’s her next-door neighbour Bridget, who insists on trying to be friends, and absolutely believes that Penelope is lonely. She’s not. In fact, she has a thriving social life which includes going on coffee dates every single week in her favourite middle-class café.
But when she personally witnesses Natalie brutally murder a client at their workplace, priority number one is make sure she isn't next. As she attempts her first ever friend break-up, conversations with Bridget begin to pick apart Penelope’s ideas on what a friend really is. Shouldn’t friends be there for one another, even if it means hiding a body? And would she frame Bridget to protect herself from her own best friend?
If Penelope is one thing, it’s loyal. (And extremely well dressed. And absolutely, definitely, not lonely.)
- May 2024
Adapted from the renowned play Thunderstorm by Cao Yu, often hailed as the ‘Shakespeare of the East’, this play stands as a milestone in the development of mature Chinese modern theatre.
‘All is submerged in the ruthless well of the cosmos.’
There emerges an icebound affair traced for thirty years, and there submerges a successional withering of love and desire. On a hot summer day, an unexpected woman returned with an erupted thunderstorm to Zhou’s residence looking for her daughter, and discovering her beloved girl involved with the family’s young master. The wheels of fortune rotate, reeling off every secret hidden beneath the luxurious house…
Not only is the play one of the most influential tragedies in the history of modern Chinese theatre, Cao Yu’s Thunderstorm is an elegy of love and desire that appeals to a universal audience across time and space.
Eight years after the last time modern Chinese drama was on ADC’s stage, we’d like to bring an adapted version of Thunderstorm featuring a revolutionary presentation of aesthetics and narrative supported by a digital vision.
- May 2024
'Doesn't anybody ever get it right?! Doesn't anybody think that I hear?!'
The cult-hit, rock musical based on Stephen King's bestselling horror novel. Carrie White is a freak, at least in the eyes of her classmates. There's just something about her, something that attracts their hate. She’s shy, awkward, desperately lonely, and controlled completely by her tyrannical, religious fundamentalist mother at home, while at school she is tormented by almost everyone she comes across. But something has changed. She feels different. She feels powerful. She can move things without touching them. She could hurt people, if she wanted to. When she is invited to the prom, the hatred and rejection of her peers still festering, their pity somehow even more hurtful, was there ever any hope of her keeping this power under control?
This iconic horror story is at once a supernatural thrill-fest, and a tragic, thoughtful, biting, meditation on the question: just how cruel can normal people be, in order to feel like they belong?
- May 2024
Cloud eight and a half is a sketch show all about what makes us happy - hobbies, people, crisps, schadenfreude, and everything in between! Come on down to the ADC to enjoy a night of insanity, fun, and nostalgia - we may not be able to take you to Cloud 9, but we'll get close!
- April–May 2024
In Ben Jonson’s Epicoene, a rich man, Morose, sets out to find a wife and, in doing so, disinherits his nephew, Dauphine. This decision triggers Dauphine’s friends, a group of chauvinistic young men with a history of playing humiliating tricks on Morose, to hijack his uncle’s resolution by presenting him with the woman of his dreams. But is it too good to be true?
Thrillingly relocated to contemporary London, a culture of misogynistic masculinity influencers and oligarchical parties, Jonson’s rarely seen play comes to the ADC.
- April 2024
Inspired by a true story and based on the hit film, Made in Dagenham is the uplifting musical comedy about friendship, love and the importance of fighting for what's right.
Essex, 1968. When Ford’s Dagenham car plant drops female workers’ pay, mum Rita leads her friends in a battle against the mighty company and the corrupted union supposed to protect them. As the women’s journey grows, so does the pressure. Can Rita keep up the fight and the happy home she’s built?
Funny, touching and timeless, Made in Dagenham shows how ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they stand together.
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International
All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI www.mtishows.co.uk
- April 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- March 2024
Celebrate the end of term with Show Choir's mix of four-part harmony and cheesy choreography! Manifest the end of winter with this set of summer classics. We hope to shine some light on your evening with your favourite pop songs and musical hits.
- March 2024
'Pragga Wagga' meaning 'Prince of Wales'. 'Cowboy' meaning 'cowboy'.
In this original stand-up special, bright-eyed drifter, Rhys Griffiths (Cambridge Footlight) invites you around the campfire to partake in some tall tales of the wild west: Wales! Join Rhys on his rootin' tootin' solo stand-up show debut as he meditates on engaging observations about the romance of greasy spoons, his personal failures as a carpenter, pigeons and much more delivered with "perfect charisma" (Varsity).
Lance Moa (Comedian, Winner Backyard Knockout Competition) deems Rhys "The Footlight's own gangly Matt Rife" and his easy-going conversational style as "captivatingly charismatic".
- March 2024
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd...
- March 2024
We’re all aware that the lowest form of comedy is… student comedy. But this lot want to change that. They won’t stand for anymore slander, let me tell you. This is an act of rebellion. Long gone are the days of painful performances; this is the start of a new age of shows which ‘aren’t half bad actually’. They’re raising the bar from being on the floor to being slightly-above the floor. They’re not writing punchlines, they’re writing ‘kick-you-right-where-it-hurts-lines’. But this is their only chance, This is the Big One.
- March 2024
On a quiet afternoon in the Bluebell Hill Development neighbourhood, Martin and his sister Hilda decide to open their doors for a house-warming party. Before they even get a chance to offer the first cup of tea their peace is disturbed by a trespasser on their back lawn. Concerned with the safety and security of their community a newly formed Neighbourhood Watch takes matters into its own hands, fences are installed and neighbourhood patrols start roaming the streets. However, what started as an innocent committee rapidly escalates when a dispute culminate in the first casualty… Monty, Martin’s favourite garden gnome.
With ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ Alan Ayckbourn once again expertly ties comedic genius with carefully embedded social critique. This is not one to miss!
- February–March 2024
Tell all the aunties and uncles (even the ones that you've never heard of): Second Generation is back!
We're here again with the fifth 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 humor to the ADC stage for another year!
From your massive extended family mischief to watching hard-boiled eggs take over brunch, Second Generation: As Gen Z become Aunties promises to be a night of fun, nostalgic third world problems and everything nice.
- February–March 2024
'The breaking of so great a thing should make a greater crack.' A love made public rarely lasts, and neither can the most powerful couple of all time. As Antony rules his empire, and Cleopatra her kingdom, the unbreakable lens of the public interest will obliterate them. True love loses itself in a world where love is love, and power is power. This well-known Shakespearean tragedy explores identity, duty and romance with an all-BME cast and crew. Antony & Cleopatra promises to be exciting and culturally diverse, bringing a fantastic energy to one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays.
- February 2024
Spring Revue is one of the biggest events in the Cambridge comedy calendar, showcasing the talents of comedians within the current Footlights membership. This year’s theme is “Washed Up”:
“While taking a cruise around the Bermuda Triangle (which was unreasonably cheap in hindsight) a shipwreck leaves the cast stranded on a desert island. Left with nothing but eight records, the complete works of William Shakespeare, the Holy Bible and a volleyball, the cast must find some way to keep themselves entertained. So to quell conversations of who to eat first, the passengers sit around the fire telling stories…”
As the creative culmination of the 2023-24 Footlights membership expect a show bursting at the seams with wicked wit, unforgettable characters, and even non-complimentary ice cream at the interval…
- February 2024
CUMTS presents you with the gift of Gala. For two nights only CUMTS brings you an evening of pure musical theatre decadence. Dressed to the nines and accompanied by a full orchestra, the finest of Cambridge’s Musical Theatre Talent will be performing all of your favourite musical theatre classics alongside the latest Broadway hits, all dazzling with glitz and glamour.
- February 2024
Dragtime! is back and better than ever! Welcome back your favourite drag kings, queens and inbetweens for an ecletic and high energy show which will have you rolling in the aisles. Explore life beyond the Thunderdome as our performers bring you the very best of their drag - no theme, no limitations, just a good old fashioned drag cabaret! Featuring live singing, lip sync, dance, pole dance, spoken word and more, join our private dancers as they find out what, exactly, love's got to do with it… (Disclaimer: this is not actually a Tina Turner drag tribute show but we had to call it something didn't we)
- February 2024
Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"You'll be kicking yourself if you don't watch it. It's courageous, outrageous, and unlike anything you'll ever watch" - Salma Salifu for The Tab
"This is not just a well-produced, well-directed, well-acted play, but one that has emotional power and is incredibly current" - Evan Grandidge de Paz for The Tab
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2024/02/14/review-fairview-174714
"Chen and Bisiriyu have directed a revolutionary piece of art [...] It's productions like these [...] that can spur real tangible change" - Tirza Sey for The Cambridge Student https://www.thecambridgestudent.co.uk/culture/fairview-review-a-masterclass-into-the-power-of-observation
"Fairview changes what it means to watch theatre" - Alice Mainwood for Varsity https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/27095
About the show
I’ve been trying to talk to You.
This whole time.
Have you heard me?
The Frasier family is gearing up for Grandma's birthday, and Beverly needs this dinner to be perfect. But, the silverware's wrong, Jasmine is drinking, Dayton isn't helping, Keisha is being a typical teenager, and Tyrone might not show up at all. As Beverly's hostess neurosis begins to get the better of her while her family acts like a family, Keisha's adolescent malaise starts to seem like maybe it could be something else.
Hailed by critics as "astoundingly smart and riveting", "dazzling and ruthless", and "unforgettable", this Pulitzer-prize-winning play invites audiences to question and process the act of watching. What happens if you do?
- February 2024
‘A new world calls across the ocean, a new world calls across the sky, a new world whispers in the shadows.’
These are the stories and characters of today, the Songs for a New World. The first musical from Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade), this moving collection of powerful songs examines life, love and the choices we make.
Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to meet a startling array of characters ranging from a young man who is determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage.
