It's chaos at the radio station. Photo credit The Loft Theatre. Live on Air… and Under Siege: Pontypool by Tony Burgess at The Loft Theatre Studio, Leamington Spa, from 21 - 25 April 2026. Directed by Hannah Brown. Preview   It’s Valentine’s Day in the remote town of Pontypool, Ontario. Beacon Radio’s morning show team are about to go viral in a way DJ Grant Mazzy could only have dreamed of, until he realises that this might be his worst nightmare. Local weatherman Ken Loney

Charlie Hamblett (L) and Anton Lesser (R) Photo credit James Northcote. Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words and Music at Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7FD, Tuesday 19 May 2026 at 7.30pm. Actors Anton Lesser, Charlie Hamblett with Orchestra of the Swan. Director Judy Reaves. Music Director David Le Page. Writer Deirdre Shields. Producer Hambletts. Preview   Author, Laurie Lee’s extraordinary story - from  Cider with Rosie  to the Spanish Civil Wa

The Cast of Come From Away. Come From Away. The book, music and lyrics are by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Directed by Nicky Main, Musical Director James Harragan. At the Priory Theatre, Kenilworth from 8 – 18 April 2026. Review by Charles Essex   While the awful events of the planes crashing into the twin towers on 9/11 filled our screens and were the only news, a little-known event was being played out 1100 miles away in Newfoundland.  The small town of Gander, which had a

Priory Theatre's first production, 80 years ago! On 8 April, as the Priory Theatre team prepare to raise the curtain on their latest production, Come From Away,  they also celebrate a truly special milestone - the day the Priory Theatre first opened its doors in 1946. The Priory story began in 1932 with the Kenilworth Players, who performed on a portable stage in the old Abbey Hotel Ballroom. After the disruption of war, the company was reborn, transforming a disused chapel i

The Choir of Man. Photo by Mark Senior. The Choir of Man, Created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, directed by Nic Doodson. Direct from the West End, the Olivier Award-Nominated worldwide smash hit – now on its first ever UK tour. At the Belgrade Theatre from 7 – 11 April. Review by Margaret Mather. Set in a fictional pub called The Jungle, this show has it all. It tells the story of the great British pub institution which is sadly declining in the UK. It shows how much they ar

Mahesh Parmar, Kadiff Kirwan, Samuel Nunes De Souza & Mark Gatiss. Photo by Marc Brenner. The Resistible Rise of Arturo by Bertolt Brecht, updated by Stephen Sharkey, directed by Seán Linnen at the RSC Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 11 Apr – 30 May. Preview   Here’s a peep at rehearsals prior to the production beginning its run on 11 April, featuring double Olivier award-winner Mark Gatiss in the title role of the notorious gangster and small-time crook, with big bos

l-r: Matthew Salisbury and John Nichols. Photo by Gwyn Davies.   The Talisman Theatre is proud to celebrate the success of its vibrant Fringe programme, as two original comedy pieces developed through its popular Fringe nights have been selected to perform at the prestigious Stratford One Act Festival.   The Talisman Fringe has become a vital platform for new writing, offering writers, performers and creatives the opportunity to experiment, develop ideas and share original wo

George Ormerod as Hamlet. Photo credit @FuzFilms. Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Performed by Tread the Boards at The Attic Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 4 April until 26 April. Directed by John-Robert Partridge. Review by Charles Essex   Usually set designer Adam Clarke intricately arranges the small Attic stage with a wonderful array of props, dividing the space into various ‘rooms’ so it was a surprise to find the stage empty apart from two simple benches and a plain

Eve Hatz as Jesus Christ. Photo by Lucy Barriball. The Mysteries adapted and developed from the Medieval Mystery Cycles, Performed by Playbox Theatre at The Dream Factory, Warwick from 2 to 4 April, today at 2pm and 7pm. Creation and Doomsday Directed by Emily Quash, Passion Directed by Mary King. Review by Ann Evans Incredible! Sensational! Inspirational! I honestly can’t praise this production enough.  With a cast of 60, their ages ranging from around 3 to 18 performed the

Max Cooper. Photo by the artist. Max Cooper 3D/AV Live, Feeling is Structure Album Tour. At Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre on Friday 15 May 2026. New Album out 8 May 2026. Preview Acclaimed electronic artist and multidisciplinary composer Max Cooper will be bringing his 3DAV live album show to some of the most prestigious venues throughout the UK on the back of his London sold out Royal Albert Hall performance - including Coventry's Warwick Arts Centre (15 May 2026) Re

Michael Seeley as Billy, Gill Halford as The Queen Mother. Photo by Rob Warner. Backstairs Billy by Marcelo Dos Santos at The Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth from 13 - 18 April 2026. Directed by Steve Smith. Preview The Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre invites audiences behind the doors of the Queen Mother’s official residence, serving you our newest production Backstairs Billy. Marcelo Dos Santos’ script is brought to life by director Steve Smith in a story of rivalries, affai

James Proctor as Ralph Wantage. Photo Richard Smith Photography. Frozen by Bryony Lavery, at The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa, from 1 - 11 April 2026. Directed by Dave Crossfield. Review by Ann Evans Three talented actors portraying three very diverse characters, set the scene for a story that is every parent’s worst nightmare. The play by Bryony Lavery begins in the 1980s and ends 20 years on. At the start, mother of two young daughters, Nancy Shirley (Cheryl Laverick) is ha

Esther Atkin and Matthew Rutherford, Night Falls. Photo credit Riding Lights Theatre Company. Night Falls. Performed at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 31 March to 1 April 2026 by Riding Lights Theatre Company.  Directed by Paul Birch. Review by Charles Essex.   Although the story is around 2000 years old, Night Falls is a new look at the days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion written and directed by Paul Birch. Riding Lights did a marvellous job to tour with t

Cat White as Ruby and Martins Imhangbe as Diamond. Photo by Marc Brenner. Driftwood by Martina Laird. At The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, from Friday 17 April to Saturday 30 May 2026. The transferring to Kiln Theatre, London from Wednesday 3 June. Director Justin Audibert. Preview   Rehearsal images have been released for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), in association with Kiln Theatre, for the world premiere of Driftwood, a powerful new play by Martina Laird.   Set

L-R: Hazel Sloan, Aimee Marriott, Alice Guard, Evangeline Parker and Nyasha Usiku. Photo by Archie Parker. The Crucible by Arthur Miller, performed by In The Round Theatre youth group at Rugby Theatre, from 11-18 April. Preview A classic Arthur Miller play highlighting the dangers of polarisation and mass hysteria is next up at Rugby Theatre, performed by talented young actors from local youth group In The Round Theatre. The Crucible is a re-telling of the Salem witch trials

Sharon Sully (Rita) and Stuart Lawson (Frank). Photo by Rach Davis.   Educating Rita by Willy Russell. Performed by the Young Performers Institute at The Dorothea Mitchell Hall, Claverdon. Directed by Pete Davis. Runs until 29 March 2026. Review by Charles Essex.   Willy Russell’s play is well-known and the story set in Liverpool could easily have been marred by mediocre clichéd acting.  Fortunately, director Pete Davis was blessed with terrific performances from the two lead

Jonathan Goodwin. Photo by Bindi Chauli.   The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Anglican Church in London Road Cemetery. Performed by Don't Go Into The Cellar Productions. Friday 27 March 2026. Review by Amanda Burden.   Human duality: the eternal tug-of-war between good and evil, light and dark, restraint and indulgence - the mask of ourselves we present to the world versus the savage brute lurking just beneath the surface, waiting for its chance to wreak havoc.   Admi

Claire and Tim Johnson. Photo courtesy of Consensus Opera. A Ring of Untruths, written and adapted by Tim Johnson, performed by Consensus Opera at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 25 - 27 March 2026. Review by Charles Essex   Following on from Consensus Opera’s 2026 production A Bitter and Twisted Cocktail,  Tim Johnson has written a wonderful thriller using his encyclopaedic knowledge of Gilbert and Sullivan music. The story starts with a lowly detective (Trac

Kenneth Branagh plays Prospero. Photo (C) the artist. The Tempest by William Shakespeare, directed by Richard Eyre, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from Wednesday 13 May – Saturday 20 June. Preview  Full casting is today announced for the RSC’s forthcoming production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, directed by Richard Eyre marking his first time directing in Stratford-upon-Avon following an esteemed career as a director, writer and former Artistic