site search by freefind advanced

 Connecting professional and amateur theatre in Newbury, West Berkshire and beyond

≡

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 X (Twitter): @NewburyTheatre. Email us at

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

Newbury Theatre: the future

I created the Newbury Theatre website 25 years ago, in April 2000. At that time, there were very few amateur groups that had their own web site, and I provided a platform that they could use. Now they all have their own web sites, and this seems a good point to change Newbury Theatre.

Up to now, some groups have been sending me information about their forthcoming productions, and I have perodically searched other group sites for this information. I'll no longer do this searching, but if you continue to send me your information, I'll include it. I'll also continue to include professional theatre information, but only for the Newbury Corn Exchane, the Watermill theatre, RABBLE Theatre and the Mill at Sonning. So nothing else for Reading, Basingstoke or Oxford.

On this basis, I'll retain newburytheatre.co.uk for at least two years. It contains a huge number of review pages - over 1000 - mostly from the Newbury Weekly News and I'm very grateful to the NWN and Trish Lee for giving me permission to publish them.

You can see what the site looked like in 2001 at web.archive.org/web/20010302021159/http://www.comptonplayers.freeserve.co.uk/. It hasn't changed  much! I'll continue to provide a weekly theatre page on Penny Post.

If you have any comments or questions about this, please email me, Paul Shave at .

In the spotlight

Spotlight

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
9 AugKATS' next production from 28th to 30th August in Upper Bucklebury is Everybody's Talking About Shakespeare.
9 AugReview of KATS' The 39 Steps "Jamie Ledwith’s clowning and brilliant timing brought the house down... a brilliant evening"
9 AugReview of Boxford Masques 2025 The Healing Tree "the fifty or so strong team of actors, musicians and volunteers are truly exceptional... a feast of original drama, dance and music... The Healing Tree accomplishes everything a community play should be... it is truly a magical experience"
7 AugThe Pantomime Society of Great Bedwyn have sadly had to fold after nearly 20 years of successful productions. Over the years we have collected an amazing selection of costumes which we seek to pass on to interested groups. The collection, which comprises many principal costumes including several spectacular dame costumes, as well as many chorus sets, will be on display at Bedwyn Village Hall, SN8 3PB, on Saturday 25th October at 2pm. There will be modest charges for items, with proceeds going to local charities. If you wish to attend, or require further information, please contact - robbraybrooke@gmail.com
27 JulReviews of The Mill at Sonning's Don't Rock the Boat "a stunning set design... some brilliant performances from its talented cast" - ★★★; "some lovely moments" - ★★; "a hardworking cast does their best with what they are given" - ★★★; "set design is beautifully realised" - ★★; "not an unpleasant watch" - ★★★½;; "well-cast and offers an engaging piece of theatre... another great evening" - ★★★★.
27 JulNew Era Players' next production between 11th and 20th September is The Old Country by Alan Bennett.
19 JulOn 11th August at Shaw House, Newbury Immersion Theatre present an open air production of The Wind in the Willows.

Now and coming soon

Watermill - Jesus Christ SuperstarThe Watermill's current production of Jesus Christ Superstar is now on and runs until 21st September. Told through the eyes of Judas, this reimagining of Jesus’s final days is a timeless reflection of the nature of leadership, the intensity of fandom and the ultimate cost of betrayal and sacrifice. Spilling out of the theatre into the gardens, be immersed into the heart of this epic musical, with an incredible cast of actor-musicians seamlessly fusing these classic roles with iconic music including Gethsemane, I Don’t Know How to Love Him and Superstar.

New Era Players - The Old CountryNew Era Players' next production between 11th and 20th September is The Old Country by Alan Bennett. With his customary wit and irony, Bennett leans into the notion of the loneliness of the spy. Hilary and Bron await the arrival of a sister and brother-in-law for lunch: Bron pottering in the garden, Hilary asleep in his rocking chair listening to Elgar. A very English setting. The visitors arrive, bringing with them anticipated gifts, and the conversation proceeds. It is soon apparent that this is not England: Hilary has fled into exile some years previously, having betrayed his country. But now it seems he must return… Does he regret or justify his betrayal? His dreams of a vanishing England poignantly bring out the embittered isolation and irony of exile, and with this irony is revealed the very heart of Englishness.

Auditions and requests for help

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

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

Back to top

This site was last updated on 09-Aug-2025. Our web hosts are ION Systems.