- November 2015
There will be a murder. There will be mystery. And an excellent, no-holds-barred sketch show.
From the creators of the blockbuster hits
‘BAD HABITS’
‘PICASSO STOLE THE MONA LISA’
‘TRISTRAM SHANDY: LIVE AT THE ADC!’
'Santa is a Scumbag'; 'Politics!'; 'Hamlet: The Sketch Show'; 'Failure - A Sketch Show with a Chip on its Shoulder'; 'The Coalition' and, of course, 'The Night of the Amorous Prawn'.
comes a brand new format. Murder Mystery AND Sketch Show.
Praise for previous shows:
'The future of Cambridge Comedy' - The Tab 1/2
'Hilarious, LOL, riotous romp' - Edinburgh Guide
'Impossible to flaw' - EdFringe Review ****
~ FIVE NIGHTS ONLY ~
~ COCKTAILS PROVIDED ~
~ BRING YOUR OWN NUN ~
21:30, Tue 24th - Sat 28th November
£6, Pembroke Players Membership Discount applies.
New Cellars, Pembroke College
BUY TICKETS NOW -http://pembrokeplayers.tessera.info/event_33
- November 2015
This 1926 adaptation of Ferenc Molnar's 'The Play at the Castle' proves that when it comes to high comedy and classic escapism, P.G. Wodehouse sets the standard by which all other writers one day hope to achieve. A play written towards the beginning of his career, it is full of the charming wit that fills his dialogue and the plot twists that he was to become the master of. Not only that, it also contains some clever progressive elements, not typically present in Wodehouse's work, which serves to break the 4th wall without actually doing it. Cryptic, I know, but you'll see what I mean.
It is mid-20's Italy. A castle, overlooking the Mediterranean. A pair of successful playwrights, Turai and Mansky, and their protege composer, Adam, arrive at the castle early to surprise their leading actress and Adam's fiancee, Ilona, when an event occurs which puts that engagement at risk. Will the day be saved? Will the marriage happen? Will Turai ever remember Dwornitscheck's name? Will Mansky recover enough to eat some breakfast? Will I ever stop asking questions in an attempt to make this description live up to how good the play is? Will Almady stop being such a pompous chap and swallow his pride? Will I answer any of these questions? I will answer one - the last one - yes. For the rest you shall have to come to the Pembroke New Cellars in week 7. See you there, chums!
- November 2015
Are jokes from two thousand years ago still funny today? There's only one way to find out! Come join us as Cambridge's best comedy venue plays host to Roman humour and modern skits from our Classicist jokers.
Tickets are £5 on the door, or free if pre-ordered online by members of Cambridge University Classics Society. Not a member? Just sign up on our website classicssoc.co.uk (and yep, registration is free as well).
- November 2015
'Don't we want everyone to be political?'
'Yes, but we don't want everyone to be politicians. That wouldn't work.'
Six students, one garden shed, and a world that needs changing. Jared, Mel, Phoebe, Jones have decided to form a political party as a response to the dire situation they consider the world is in. Duncan wasn't expecting the party he was invited to to involve so much voting and so little dancing.
Witty, funny, and insightful- The comedy by Tom Basden deals with what happens when narrow minds try to crack wide issues- everything from China, to Muslims, and when they should break for cake.
- November 2015
Life can be full of surprises. You may unexpectedly find love. Someone you trust may betray you. And sometimes the world just literally ends.
Revelations is a new sketch show exploring humanity’s struggle to maintain order in the face of an uncaring and callous universe. And also, irate monkeys. Come along for Star Wars, classical music, CamSIS and the Apocalypse. No, really. That actually happens halfway through the show.
- October 2015
From the TAB THEATRE AWARD WINNING creators of SITCOM: A SITCOM...
One fateful night, while tucked up in their comically oversized bed which they all share for some reason, Elliott, Patrick, Evie, Stefan and Seth were visited by the ghost of Stephen Fry. This unearthly apparition of one of the country's most beloved middle-class entertainers gave them but one single instruction; to create the greatest sketch show of all time. This is what happened.
From up-and-coming comedy people Elliott Wright, Patrick Wilson, Evie Butcher, Stefan Bencik, Seth Kruger and Michael Tigchelaar (as collectively seen in Sitcom: A Sitcom, Footlights Smoker, Sticky Floor Smoker, Golden Gods Smoker, UKIP: THE MUSICAL, Stuart Brown's Guide to Cambridge, Christ's Holy Smoker, Laughing Fitz, POLITICS!, Picasso Stole the Mona Lisa: Fringe Edition, Tate Postmodern, The Coalition) comes just what the Cambridge theatre scene is crying out for: another sketch show! Join them as they flail about on stage for about an hour, sometimes doing silly voices, in an effort to make you laugh via that desperately unexploited format: sketch comedy! Sit back and enjoy as these four brave men, one brave woman and one eunuch (try and guess the eunuch for a free ticket!) revolutionise the Cambridge comedy scene forever.
Past praise for these idiots:
"Original, clever and witty, I’m sure this lot will go far"- The Tab
"Genuinely hilarious"- Cambridge Theatre Review
Elliott Wright: "a younger version of Stephen Fry"- edinburghguide.com
Patrick Wilson: "a fitting balance between the disgusting, the funny, and the sincere"- The Tab
Stefan Bencik: "brilliantly mad"- Cambridge Theatre Review
Evie Butcher: "the highlight of the production"- Varsity
Seth Kruger: "always entertaining"- Cambridge Theatre Review
Michael Tigchelaar: "bit of a twat"- Tig's mum
- October 2015
“There's nothing proper about what you do
But at least try to kill me properly”
43BC. Julius Caesar is dead and the future of Rome is waiting to be claimed. For Cicero, exiled to his country estate, it is a chance to restore the system of politics under which he flourished. For Mark Antony, it is a chance for absolute power - and revenge. As alliances form, Cicero is condemned and the man of letters must decide whether to flee to safety or stay to meet his fate.
Written in blank verse in the style of a Greek tragedy, Pro Patria Mori charts the reversal of Cicero's fortunes. Once the most powerful man in Rome, he is now a wanted man who must decide what is more important: his principles or his life?
- October 2015
After 24 packed out shows in Edinburgh, Bafflesmash is back where it belongs: underground.
Come for an hour of gag-riddled, irreverent silliness, as Jamie, Rob and Tom guide you through the world of Bafflesmash. You could call it a multidimensional odyssey which breaks the boundaries of time and space, or you could just call it a sketch show.
Previous praise:
‘A glorious mix of surreal, intelligent and simply hilarious sketches’ * (Tab.co.uk)
‘Had the audience simultaneously scratching their heads and roaring with laughter’ ½ (Varsity)
‘I cannot recommend the show highly enough’ 10/10 (TCS.cam.ac.uk).
- June 2015
EdFringeReview and the Pembroke Players are teaming up to bring you a showcase of some of the best shows heading to the fringe this summer
- June 2015
Once in a lifetime, there comes a tale so beautiful, so profound, that it redefines a genre and shapes a generation.
This is that tale.
SNAKES ON A PLANE. The Musical.
(no, really).
Praise for Quite Nice Theatre's original production:
Fringe Guru: "sure to have you laughing hard"
Broadway Baby: "it's engaging, addictive and a must see"
***** Musical Talk: "comically excellent, musically fun, totally excellent"
- May 2015
"Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain" - Charlie Chaplin
Get your post-election selves down to the New Cellars for a great evening of comedy.
- March 2015
Come see the recording of the pilot for Sitcom, the new sitcom featuring four young and attractive twenty-somethings as hilarity and romance ensue in their modestly furnished apartment.
Starring...
STUART BROWN as Colin, an uptight snob
FRANKIE BENNY as Dougie, a disgusting slob
MARGOT BEAUFORT DE'BEVER as Alison, a woman
and IVAN IVANOVICH as Dimitri, their wacky Russian lodger
Will Colin get the big promotion at work? Will Alison get her man? And will the network commission a full series? Come along and find out!
- March 2015
"We have made continual sacrifices, involving unheard of suffering, I assure you; and we could endure them only by living as we are living now. Unfortunately, it must look very strange to people, seem even scandalous, arouse no end of gossip!"
There's a newcomer in town, and the gossips are crying for truth. But is there such a thing? And if there were, would you really want to know? This new translation by David Tremain combines Pirandello's much-loved tragi-comic farce (rarely performed outside of Italy), 'It Is So If You Think So', with the harrowing sketch 'The Man With a Flower in His Mouth'.
"Because, you understand, if I were to only spend an idle minute inside by myself… why, I could beat the life out of someone, someone I didn’t know, take up a revolver and murder some poor unfortunate stranger, like yourself perhaps, someone who had missed his train"
- February 2015
Starting on Shrove Tuesday, Bafflesmash are back in the cellar.
Rambunctiousness is guaranteed from these Footlights Smoker regulars. Expect a show riddled with gags. Sketches will abound. Essentially, it's a multi-dimensional odyssey.
From three of the various minds behind: 'Anthony: A Sketch Show' ( - The Tab), 'Beauty Spots' ( - The Tab) and 'Bafflesmash presents: Menagerie (10/10 - TCS) comes a whole new sketch show.
That is all.
- February 2015
An exercise in uncomfortable conversations, Talking Out Loud throws us into the worlds of four individual – yet interconnected – people, as they navigate life in modern Britain. Told through monologues, this show tackles some of the most important issues of our time: identity, race, love, gender, and how to get away with not doing your science homework.
Sometimes funny, sometimes thought provoking, and always honest, Talking Out Loud presents the importance of saying what’s on your mind.
- January 2015
Ever thought the comedy scene was lacking in women? Think again! To mark the 30 year anniversary of women at Pembroke, The Pembroke Players are hosting an exclusively female smoker for one night only, in the renowned comedy venue The New Cellars.
- November 2014
In February 1599, Shakespeare sat down in a grotty Thames-side inn. “Hmm,” he thought to himself. “Should I write a sketch show, or the greatest tragedy of all time?”.
He choose the latter.
This is what would have happened if he hadn’t.
- November 2014
Jess loves David. Jess loves credit. Believing happiness can be bought in a world of easy finance and materialism, possessions become irresistible. But at what cost? Their love and money are killing their relationship, their future, and them. We trace back to the past to find out what went wrong, from the happiest bride in the world smiling in happiness by the just-received marriage proposal to the distraught husband feeding Smirnoff to his wife. Funny yet heart wrenching, Kelly’s dark comedy portrays a dislocated view of the world we live in, the risks we face, and the lengths we go to in search of happiness.
- November 2014
Oh yes, it's that time of year again. The stickiest floor of them all is back.
A glowing roster of Cambridge's funniest acts will, once again, make you laugh so much your feet stick to the floor. Laughter. It's what binds us together.
Reviews of last year:
"Excellent. Loved the floor." - Tab
"Help me. I'm still stuck." - TCS
"I haven't laughed so much in years." - Gadaffi
- November 2014
Pembroke Freshers' Play 2014
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”
The assassination of Julius Caesar has brought chaos to the Roman Empire. Persuaded by scheming politicians and his brother-in-law Cassius, Brutus has helped murder Caesar for the good of Rome, for freedom. But freedom does not come. Brutus and Cassius are called to arms: Mark Antony and Octavius are out to avenge Caesar’s death, and civil war rages across the land. Guilt-haunted, Brutus, “the noblest Roman of them all”, marches on the enemy.
Human error and ambition clash in Shakespeare’s visceral play. With only one week’s rehearsal, this production captures the raw, fiery, and impulsive nature of the text. Succinctly adapted and performed by Pembroke freshers, the staging brings youth and vigor to Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of patriotism, power, and betrayal in Ancient Rome.
- November 2014
Lane's plans for the Yale game are interrupted over lunch by the inconvenience of his girlfriend Franny Glass's spiritual breakdown. A few weeks later, at the Glass family's apartment, Zooey Glass tries to straighten things out with his sister, with the help of their dead and living brothers, a 19th Century pilgrim, and Christ himself.
After Seymour is a bittersweet look at the Glasses, a family plagued with questions about art, education, death, and religion, striving towards a very real, very human kind of Enlightenment.
- October–November 2014
Bafflesmash will see regular Footlights Smoker-ers creating laughter through the means of an hour long sketch show. There will be Dolphins and reggae.
- October–November 2014
'Know that I am a king – O, at that name, I feel a hell of grief. Where is my crown? Gone, gone. And do I remain alive?'
The King of England is in love, and the nobles are none too happy about it. The last and arguably most mature of Christopher Marlowe's works, Edward II deals with the brutal struggles and betrayals leading to the downfall of one of England's most notorious kings. Taking full advantage of Pembroke's New Cellars, this production aims to use innovative staging to evoke the full intensity and high stakes of Marlowe's tragedy.
- September 2014
For the eighth consecutive year the Cambridge University Japan Tour will be visiting Tokyo and Yokohama to perform a Shakespeare play and give educational workshops in schools, theatres and universities.
With generous sponsorship from Seikei University, the Tour this year is excited to present "The Merchant of Venice".
- June 2014
Just as May Week is quieting down, in Pembroke's New Cellars a brigade of sketch comedy talent will hot the night back up again, with Pembroke Players' new sketch night - THE NIGHT OF THE AMOROUS PRAWN.
Be there. It'll be amazing.
- May 2014
The most golden, godliest smoker of all - come to Pembroke's New Cellars for an intimate audience with Cambridge's finest comic talent. I've heard it's going to be good. And it's a hell of a lot funnier than revision.
- March 2014
White. Orange. Pink. Brown. Blue. Blonde. Six perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime – a diamond heist where nothing can go wrong. Then simple robbery explodes into bloody ambush, and the ruthless killers realise that one of them must be a police informer. But which one?
Critically acclaimed for its raw power and breathtaking ferocity, the brilliant American gangster movie classic from writer-director Quentin Tarantino is brought to the Cambridge stage for the first time.
"Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?"
- March 2014
Coelio has fallen in love with Marianne, who is married to old Claudio. But he doesn’t dare speak to her, instead asking his friend Octave to plead for him. We are at the heart of the Neapolitan carnival and personas might change quickly… The play, written by the poet Alfred de Musset, is one of the masterpieces of French theatre and will be performed in its original language. Yet our focus on physical theatre will make it accessible to everyone.
- February 2014
COMING SOON TO CINEMAS NEAR YOU
Acclaimed actor/director Cymbeline plays a British King resisting the might of the Roman Empire in his latest blockbuster. Come behind the scenes as he attempts to hold his media empire together in the face of lies, rivalry and infighting among the cast and crew.
The Pembroke Freshers present this classic tale of sex, power and deception, combining Shakespeare’s own language with a powerful new interpretation.
An empire will fall. The question is: whose will it be?
Tickets: £5 on the door. To reserve tickets please email ci229@cam.ac.uk. Email early to avoid disappointment.
Cymbeline is a key text in the second year of the English tripos.
- February 2014
We’ve known that the world was going to end for a few weeks, but it’s here now. It’s really here. The telephone lines have fallen dead, the televisions aren’t broadcasting anymore, the police have been told to go home and spend time with their families and the streets belong to the looters. Five people have come together to live out their very last hour, and turn to one another to find a reason to laugh one more time before the end. The third play from Eli Keren, Pompeii asks ‘The world’s about to end; What would you do?’
- February 2014
Manipulation. Lies. This is the Children’s Hour, where a brief moment can entangle you in a web of deceit and shame.
Karen and Martha have spent years saving up enough money to set up a girl’s boarding school on a farm. But in such a close-knit environment, a simple lie gets out of control, triggering a chain of events with devastating consequences.
Written by acclaimed and controversial playwright Lillian Hellman, the 1934 play 'The Children's Hour' had an initial run of over 600 performances, and still continues to be relevant today.
- November 2013
The Pembroke Sticky Floor Smoker is a great showcase for the most exciting new comedy talent in Cambridge. Taking place in the intimate setting of the Pembroke New Cellars, this is not a smoker to be missed. Whether you snigger, howl with laughter or are merely slightly disgusted at how sticky the floor is, this is not a Smoker to miss.
- November 2013
Enter the courtroom and witness first-hand the gripping action of the landmark trial in the fight for marriage equality in America. Pembroke Players, in association with Broadway Impact and AFER, present a staged reading of ‘8’, a documentary play about the ‘Perry vs. Schwarzenegger’ trial, written by Academy Award-Winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar). Following the performance, stick around for a discussion about ongoing developments in this debate at home and abroad.
‘8’ is based on the actual words of the court transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families. Performed as a documentary play, it sits at the intersection of art and politics and uses pre-existing documentary material as source material for the script. Breaking down the perceived barriers between the personal and the political, ‘8’ attempts to bring the audience into the real-life courtroom of the landmark trial that changed American history.
This event is being run as a fundraiser for PACE, a LGBT+ mental health charity.
- March 2013
Fifteen years ago Una and Ray had a relationship. They haven't set eyes on each other since. Now she's found him again.
An evocative presentation of an award winning modern play dealing with the darker sides of familial and sexual relationships and the deeds that lie underneath. Presented in frank proximity to an intimate audience in the closeted space of Pembroke New Cellars, the productions promise an intense, raw experience focusing on honest and open presentations by actors of the delicate subjects of sex and abuse.
David Harrower's Olivier award winning play dealing with the emotional trauma and experiences in pedophilia. Trapped in a single room, the two actor piece deals intimately and frankly with the experiences of those concerned.
- March 2013
Four Cambridge comics come together for an hour of sketches to give you an insight into the dark recesses of their minds, all in the intimate setting of the Pembroke New Cellars.
No costumes. Few props. Some mercy.
It's about to get tough, but not especially crowded.
- March 2013
Mental health issues: myth or fact? Based on interviews and correspondence we bring together verbatim, immersive and physical theatre in a bid to hand the stage back to those at the heart of the matter.
