Newbury Theatre

Newbury theatre guide

Find out about theatre events coming up in and around Newbury and West Berkshire, reaching out to Oxford, Basingstoke and Reading. Follow us on . Email us at

Posters of forthcoming productions, audition notices and requests for help are below

In the spotlight

Pinocchio: Watermill Theatre Reviews (Fri 15 Nov to Sun 5 Jan).
Sleeping Beauty: Oxford Playhouse (Fri 22 Nov to Sun 5 Jan).
White Christmas: The Mill at Sonning Reviews (Wed 27 Nov to Sat 25 Jan).
Dick Whittington: Corn Exchange Reviews (Fri 29 Nov to Sun 5 Jan).
Hansel and Grettel: Creation Theatre Company (Sun 1 Dec to Sat 4 Jan).
Sleeping Beauty: The Anvil (Thu 12 Dec to Sun 5 Jan).
Snow White: The Kenton Theatre (Sat 14 Dec to Mon 30 Dec).
Christmas crackers!: New Era Players (Tue 17 Dec to Thu 19 Dec).
Santa's Christmas Cracker: Arlington Arts Centre (Fri 20 Dec).

In case you hadn't noticed, it's panto time. As usual, there's a big collection of pantos and Christmas shows. Here goes.
First off the block was Hook Players with Mother Goose on 6th November followed by the Watermill with Pinocchio, Oxford Playhouse with Sleeping Beauty and Newbury Corn Exchange with Dick Whittington. Into December, Creation Theatre Company brings us Hansel and Grettel. Now they're coming thick and fast with Sleeping Beauty, Mother Goose again, A Christmas Carol and Snow White. Into January with Puss in Boots, Dick Whittington and Cinderella, with KATS bringing up the rear in February with Treasure Island. Phew!

See What's on for a list of everything.

Newbury Theatre and Penny Post

Newbury Theatre has joined up with Penny Post to give updated theatre information, and it will also appear here. Penny Post is a great source of local information - if you don't know it already, I can thoroughly recommend it.

Online theatre

The National Theatre are making their NT Live recordings available online. You can subscribe for £9.98 a month or rent individual plays for £7.99.

You can search for reviews of previous productions - there are more than 1000 pages of them in the Archive!

Latest news

Date	Item
24 Nov	Reviews of the Watermill's Pinocchio: "simply glorious" - ★★★★★ Guardian; "lots of charm and enough subtle asides to keep grown-ups happy" - ★★★★★ The Times; "an absolute magical Christmas treat" - British Theatre Guide; "ingenuity, talent and theatrical flair" - ★★★★★ The Stage; "gloriously vibrant production... succeeds in enthralling kids and their parents" - ★★★★★ WhatsOnStage; "every cast member shines" - ★★★★ AllThatDazzles.
13 Nov	Reviews of Compton Players' Dracula: "intelligent, faithful adaptation... [Pete Watt and Naomi Read] command the space with skill and are central to some of the strongest moments in this production... I would commend it to lovers of literature and classic horror alike" - NWN; "an enjoyable production... the story with its quirks and surprises was well received by the appreciative audience. Well done Compton!" - NODA.
10 Nov	Drayton Players are performing Last Christmas in Little Steventon on 23rd November at Harwell Village Hall and 30th November at Steventon Village Hall.
5 Nov	Triple Threat Theatre's Our Favourite Things is on 16th November at the Haymarket in Basingstoke.
3 Nov	The Aldermaston York Nativity Play returns from 5th to 8th December as it has done in the parish church of St Mary the Virgin every year since 1957. The play is an adaptation of 6 plays, that tell the story of the first Christmas, from the 400 year old York Mystery Cycle .

Now and coming soon

New Era - Improv New Era Players invite you to our Improv in Drama sessions. Maybe you quite fancy trying your hand at drama, but don’t want to learn lines or face an audience? This could be just the spontaneous, fun and friendly activity for you! Sessions are fortnightly on Mondays at the New Era Theatre, Andover Road, Wash Common, Newbury RG14 6NU. Come and join us from 7-8pm, sessions are free for members and £3 for non-members. Please contact the organiser, Neil, rather than just turning up as dates are sometimes subject to change. For more information please contact Neil Taylor on 07761 061545 or email

New Era - Christmas Crackers! Enter into the spirit for decking the halls with some festive choral readings at New Era this December. Join us for seasonal literary fare, including pieces from Charles Dickens, P G Wodehouse, Dylan Thomas, Laurie Lee, Kenneth Grahame and Benjamin Zephaniah, amongst others, in an evening of nostalgia and festive cheer to get you in the mood for Christmas. There will be a mix of prose and poetry, of comedy and drama, of modern and traditional: but all are Christmas Crackers! Performances are on Tuesday 17th, Wednesday18th, and Thursday19th December. We will be serving mince pies and mulled wine, included in the ticket price of £15.

Auditions and requests for help

New Era - backstage help wanted New Era Players (Newbury) want backstage helpers.

If you want your group's poster to be on the front page, then email it to the

This site was last updated on 08-Dec-2024. Our web hosts are ION Systems.