Coming to The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 5 – 13 June 2026. Directed by Jo Knight. Preview When a woman in a battered old van is offered a temporary place to stay, it seems like a simple act of kindness. A few days becomes a few weeks. Then months. Then Years. Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van is the remarkable true story of Miss Shepherd, a sharp, stubborn and often infuriatin

Graham Macdonell and Cassandra Wilson. Photo by Andrew Maguire Photography. TWO written by Jim Cartwright, performed by Tread the Boards at The Attic Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 15 - 24 May 2026. Directed by Ash Bayliss. Review by Charles Essex The landlord and landlady (Graham Macdonell and Cassandra Wilson) are genial and full of bonhomie in their northern pub in a working-class area, but the affability and banter quickly dissipate as they fire sharp barbs at each

A Phoenix Night Rises, performed at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 16 May 2026. Review by Charles Essex. The Phoenix Players theatre company is 80-years-old and this variety evening was an opportunity to showcase the various performance genres and the talents of their members in 17 songs and comic sketches, and two one act plays. The evening kicked off with a rousing rendition of I’m gonna be [500 miles] involving all the cast, followed by an eveni

Max Cooper at WAC. Photo courtesy of Antony Hopker. Max Cooper, Warwick Arts Centre, 15 May 2026 Review by Antony Hopker Live electronic music can be something of an acquired taste. The performance is generally watching the artist mixing, flicking switches, triggering sequences. Cynics may say that you’re not watching anything live as it’s all pre-programmed. Max Cooper blew any such notions away with a stunning visual show where he laid down the tracks to a dazzling mont

Show poster. Glorious written by Peter Quilter and directed by Kirk Jameson at the Belgrade Theatre from 19 – 23 May 2026. Preview Florence Foster Jenkins is about to blow your mind… and possibly your eardrums. Glorious! follows Florence’s journey as she prepares for her concerts, builds an unlikely friendship with her accompanist, Cosme, and defies her critics to follow her dreams. Dubbed ‘the worst singer in the world,’ Glorious! is the true story of American socialite

The company of Mallory Towers. Photo by Steve Tanner. Malory Towers from the novels by Enid Blyton and adapted and directed By Emma Rice, at the Belgrade Theatre as part of the UK Tour, from 12 - 16 May. Tour dates and venues below. Review by Amanda Burden. Three proof points that would have convinced 10-year-old me that adult me had absolutely won at life. 1. I saw Bananarama live (Godiva Festival, 2023. Potentially the best gig I’ve ever seen). 2. I once sat in the So

Following the success of their spring concert (Brahms’ German Requiem), audiences are invited to experience the rich tapestry of folk music from around the world as Warwickshire Singers present their summer concert, Echoes of Tradition, at The Old Shire Hall in Warwick on Sunday 5 July at 3.00pm. Warwickshire Singers are excited to be joined by soprano Evelyn Byford, baritone Gianpiero Greatorex and percussionist James Jackson. Join them for an afternoon filled with vibrant

Last year's show. Photo courtesy of the BMM. VauxALL, the celebration of all Vauxhall, Opel and Bedford models, is calling all owners and enthusiasts to bring their vehicle to the British Motor Museum on Sunday 17 May. Sponsored by Howden Classic Insurance Services, VauxALL is in its fourth successive year and is widely respected as one of the leading Vauxhall events in the UK. This headline May event is recognised by many as the start of the show season for the Vauxhall, O

A pupil from Thomas Jolyffe Primary and one of the birthday butterflies. Photo credit the school. Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm marked the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough on Friday 8 May with a memorable celebration bringing together local schoolchildren, visitors and staff to honour one of the world’s most treasured naturalists and broadcasters. Pupils from Thomas Jolyffe Primary School and Stratford-upon-Avon Primary School joined the special event, releasing

The Masqueraders Theatrical Society present the Gershwin Musical, Crazy For You at the Abbey Theatre, Nuneaton from 21 to 23 May 2026. Also, Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone on 20 May at 7.30pm and 23 May at 1pm performed by the Masqueraders Juniors. Preview Crazy For You is a high energy romantic musical comedy featuring a fabulous score by George and Ira Gershwin and based on the book by Ken Ludwig. It follows Bobby Child, a stage-struck banker with dreams of dancing on Broadwa

Jo Banbury as Blanche, Paige Phelps as Stella and Richard Morelli as Stanley. Photo by Gwyn Davies. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, at The Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre, Kenilworth from 18 to 23 May. Directed by Chris Carpenter. Preview by Sharon Sully As summer draws nearer, this May the Talisman Theatre is delighted to announce the staging of Tennessee Williams’ best-loved classic drama ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. After a hugely successful run acros

Daisy Swaby as Ariel. Photo courtesy of Caramba Theatre Company. Caramba Theatre Company present The Tempest by William Shakespeare at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 9 May 2026. Directed by Mollie Taylor. Review by Charles Essex. Caramba Theatre Company’s adaptation of The Tempest used novel costuming and effects in the production of this Shakespeare classic. The audience was greeted with an intriguing set when they entered, beautiful birdsong contras

Alex Brown as Bird and Sean Kerrigan as Bull McCabe. Photo by Martin Pulley. The Field by John B Keane performed by the Rugby Irish Community Drama Group at Rugby Theatre, Sunday 10 May as part of Rugby Fringe Week. Directed by Nicky Main & Bev Avis-Dakin. Review by Ann Evans The Rugby Irish Community Drama Group took on The Field by John B Keane and an excellent job they did of it too. We spent the evening in Flannigan’s Bar, in the village of Carraigthomond in the Southwest

Bill Pullman inThe Cherry Orchard at the RSC Swan Theatre. Image courtesy of the RSC. The Cherry Orchard, a new version of Anton Chekhov’s final play by Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade. Directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director, Tamara Harvey. At the RSC Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from Friday 10 July – Saturday 29 August. Preview The RSC have announced that Bill Pullman will play Gaev in The Cherry Orchard, a new version of Anton Chekhov’s final play by Olivie

Rebecca Mileham. Photo courtesy of Alison Manning. The opening night of this year's Springboard Festival at the Criterion Theatre in Earlsdon did not disappoint. As Artistic director, Anne-marie Greene said in her opening welcome, this is the 4th year of the festival which consists of a week-long celebration of creative arts, featuring a variety of music, poetry, theatre, literary discussion, community groups and even visual art. The festival brings together amateur and profe

Saints Drama Group present The Welkin. The Saints – The Welkin by Lucy Kirkwood. Saints Drama Coventry in association with Second Chance Productions. Directed and Produced by Peter Daly-Dickson. At Allesley Village Hall, Coventry CV5 9GX from 19 – 23 May. Preview The year is 1759. A child has been murdered. The accused, 21-year-old Sally Poppy, must convince twelve matrons that she is pregnant to spare herself from the gallows. But these women - midwives, shopkeepers, servan

Falling. Photo courtesy of Open Theatre. Falling performed by Open Theatre’s ensemble company of young performers touring to Birmingham REP, The Belgrade (Coventry) and Arena Theatre (Wolverhampton) this May. Dates and times below. Preview Falling is an experience on the borderlines of theatre, dance and mime. This ground-breaking theatre show has been devised and is performed by Open Theatre’s ensemble company of young performers. Described as the “most validating piece of

Cast of Flashbang. Photo courtesy of Proforca Theatre Company. Flashbang written by James Lewis, directed by David Brady presented by Proforca Theatre Company at the Belgrade Theatre, B2 Venue, Coventry from Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 May. Review by Annette Kinsella. Which wise philosopher first observed that “we are all just two or three bad decisions away from Armageddon”? History does not record their identity, but I’d be willing to put money on it being someone who once wi

Mum Comes To Dinner by Nicholas Marsh. Photo courtesy of Rugby Theatre. As part of Rugby’s Fringe Week Black Box Productions present three new one-act plays for one night only – 7 May 2026 at Rugby Theatre, including new work from their Rugby Theatre Writers’ Group. Review by Ann Evans There was an excellent turn out to support this year’s Black Box Productions, which brings us new plays from local writers, in the stripped back theatre using the bare minimum of props and scen