- March 2024
"When crazy people have power, you've got to indulge them"
'Death and the Maiden' is a powerful and intense three-hander that delves into the complex interplay between past traumas and the elusive nature of justice. Set in an unnamed country transitioning from dictatorship to democracy, the story revolves around Paulina Salas, a victim of state-sanctioned violence, her husband Gerardo, and Dr. Roberto Miranda, a man who inadvertently becomes entangled in their lives.
The play unfolds in an atmosphere of suspense and psychological intrigue, as Paulina, grappling with her traumatic past, confronts her alleged tormentor. This confrontation forces all three characters to face difficult truths about their past, their identities, and the very concept of justice, creating a tense and thrilling atmosphere where the characters' conflicting perspectives blur the boundaries between victim and perpetrator, and truth and fabrication.
- January 2016
"And whatever you do, don’t stray from the path…”
Forests are places of losing and hiding, where reality warps before your eyes and the paths twist and turn in the most unexpected of ways. You might think you know these tales, but nothing is quite what it seems in the gloom of The Forest Grimm. Hansel and Gretal aren’t the innocent lost children they might appear, Little Red Cap’s a petulant whiny teenager – no wonder her mother packed her off to the forest… and the Prince might think he’s found his true love, but Rapunzel may not agree. The witches have stolen more than children, someone’s bitten off more than they can chew, and as for the Wolf – well, who knows what game he’s playing? Join us in the Forest, and prepare yourself for a twisted tale.
- November–December 2015
- October 2015
Making a short film sketch to be released on halloween.
- February 2015
The stories of six journalists from around the world and their pursuit of hidden truths in the face of intimidation, harassment, and violence from drug barons, terrorists, and governments, are brought to the stage in an immersive, multimedia piece, drawing on the testimonies of real figures.
- December 2014
BURLESQUE! IS BACK!
Cambridge University's filthiest talents are back for third helpings.
Join our band of reprobates and sexual deviants for nights of silly, decadent and downright outrageous fun. We'll provide the glitter.
VARSITY *****
'Anarchic filth',
'Delightfully racy, with fetishistic heels, and phallic pistols, but there’s a point to it all, an underlying satire which makes it much more than just a pretty face',
- November 2014
‘The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike,
The devil will come, and Faustus must be damned.’
Witness Faustus' life unravel as he is forced to face up to the moral implications of his deal with the devil in this striking piece of promenade theatre.
Tickets are limited in this intimate re-telling of Marlowe’s classic tale.
- November 2013
Burlesque! is back.
Prepare to be delighted and titillated by our glorious army of reprobates, freaks and sexual deviants. Cambridge's most revolting talents are back for more high-kicking, side-splitting, chair-toppling, delicious pandemonium!
Come down into our den of iniquity, with low lighting, cabaret tables, "private" booths, and secrets awaiting around every corner in the tantalising cellars.
Doors open at 8:30pm for you to collect drinks from the bar and to prepare yourself for the spectacle that you're about to behold.
Here's what the papers said about last year's show: 'If you do one thing this week, it should be to see Burlesque!. Its fabled, if slightly soiled, fantasy world will leave you tingling with happiness, amongst other things' VARSITY * 'Burlesque aggressively exceeds your expectations at every turn: just when you think they won’t go there, they do. ' THE TAB
- April 2013
Clare Cellars jazz beforehand in the bar **
CCMS are delighted to present Darius Milhaud’s Le Pauvre Matelot or ‘The Poor Sailor’ in the intimate setting of Clare Cellars. The chamber opera tells of a barmaid who has, for many years, awaited her husband’s return from travels at sea. The family business is about to fold, she is struggling to make ends meet, and she is desperate to be released from the madness of eternal anticipation. Unbeknown to her, the sailor has returned to the village, his weathered face almost unrecognisable. When the sailor finally appears before his wife, he is met with a shocking surprise…
The libretto, which will be sung in English, is based on true news events at the time of the opera. Despite its macabre bent, the story is set to a lullaby-like, gentle rocking rhythm; the music throughout is simple and bare, yet at moments suddenly awakens with bursts of bright, dizzying colours. Le Pauvre Matelot has become by far the best-known and most often performed of Milhaud's vocal stage works.
- March 2011
don't be a drag, just be a queen.
drag queens. drag kings.
a night where you can be who you want to be. a night of debauchery and boundless freedom. featuring performances from fabulous drag queens and drag kings.
denim done him do me now just hit the floor and cream your pants
just remember what mother monster always says: let go of all your insecurities. you just remember that you're a superstar, and you were born that way.
- March 2011
"It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back." (Jason Robert Brown)
Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World transports us across time, dealing with the issue of that transitory time, that one decision, that one moment. With the American Dream as its focal point, Songs begins with a glance across the oceans to the New World and introduces us to a variety of characters facing decisions in struggling to obtain that which they desire.
An abstract musical consisting of thematically linked songs brought to life by a a cast of just four, Songs for a New World combines elements from almost all genres of popular music as well as fusing these styles with traditional musical theatre and classical models. Vocally challenging and theatrically intimate, Songs promises to be an exciting and adventurous production.
- June 2010
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 musical tragicomedy short film produced exclusively for Internet distribution. It tells the story of Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillain; Captain Hammer, his nemesis; and Penny, their mutual love interest. For the first time in Cambridge history, this musical is being brought to the stage. There will be love. There will be attempted world domination. There will be songs.
- November 2008
Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley, The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter? All, all are sleeping on the hill.
Inspired by Edgar Lee Masters’, Spoon River Anthology , a series of punchy and explosive tales, which shatter the veneer of respectability that lies behind the picket fence of small town America. The tales expose a mêlée of ghoulish characters that hold forth from the grave with their stories of illicit love affairs, betrayed confidences and small minded hypocrisy.
Suitcase Cabaret is an excitingly original project, a devised piece that fuses the pertinent tales of Master’s, with the raw energy of a cabaret, to produce a distinctive theatrical event. An evening of glamour, music and the absurd with live music from the Staircase Band and a compelling ensemble of actors.
Ladies and Gentlemen, witness for yourself this unique touring spectacle!
- May 2006
For one night only, Clare Cellars will be filled with the voices of the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society.
Fast becoming one of the most important student musical theatre societies in the country, CUMTS has consistently wowed audiences with productions at the ADC Theatre, at the Cambridge Arts Theatre and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Recent successes include Hair (2005), The Threepenny Opera (2005) and Singin' in the Rain (2006).
Accompanied by a live band, members will be performing numbers from hit West End and Broadway shows right across the musical theatre spectrum: from Sondheim to Cole Porter, and from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Jason Robert Brown. Join Cambridge's finest performers in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of Clare Cellars for a perfect evening's entertainment.
