This week the Corn Exchange Newbury and New Greenham Arts announces a new season of theatre, dance, comedy and music.
The new season kicks off with Protest in April; a month of talks, exhibitions, debates and music around the subject of protest. Be sure to catch veteran Labour politician Tony Benn at the Corn Exchange on Friday 5 April for some straight-talking frank responses and entertaining political anecdotes. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to share, hear and see protest stories from Newbury and around the world.
One of the UK’s leading all-male dance companies heads to Newbury on Thursday 18 April with Out Of His Skin. The show’s strap line is “Everyone has limits. Not everyone accepts them”.
There’s plenty to keep families entertained during half term and the summer. Catch the classic tales Rumpelstiltskin on Saturday 20 April and Pinocchio on Wednesday 29 May. For older children, there is the dark Nordic fairy-tale The Girl with the Iron Claws on Wednesday 15 May.
Director Katy Griffiths says “We’ve got a fantastic season of live performance this summer. I’m very excited to welcome two of my personal favourites, the phenomenal Daniel Kitson and, a stunning new theatre piece The Bear. It’s described as a thriller with film noir tendencies. I was lucky enough to see the show in development and I really need to know what happens next!”
Daniel Kitson heads up a stellar comedy line-up that also includes Sean Hughes, Josh Widdicombe and Alistair McGowan. The Reduced Shakespeare company also returns for some madcap, fast-paced comedy theatre in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised).
The highlight of the theatre season is surely The Fantasist on Tuesday 11 June. Mixing puppetry, physical theatre and music, Lecoq and LISPA trained Theatre Témoin teams up with War Horse’s Robin Guiver, to explore the murky depths and glorious heights of bipolar disorder.
This season’s outdoor spectacular is a monumental installation of giant kinetic sculptures created by artist Ray Lee. Expect to see towering metal tripods and mesmerising orbits of colour and sound in the Market Place on Friday 26 and 27 April.
Visit www.cornexchangenew.com to find out more and book tickets, or call the Box Office on 0845 5218 218.