A theatrical season at the Corn Exchange like no other: bold, brilliant and completely unmissable 

Audiences are in for a treat as a new season of live theatre bursts onto our stage.

From improvised musicals to mind-bending magic, twisted crime fiction, and moving tales of identity, this is a cultural calendar you won’t want to miss.

Leading the charge is the riotously funny Shamilton: The Improvised Hip-hop Musical (Thursday 28 August), which heads to Newbury following its run at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Created by comedy powerhouse production company Baby Wants Candy, this freestyle phenomenon lets the audience pick a historical legend and the cast makes up the rest. Think Hamilton, but funnier and arguably better. 

From fictional legends to real-life ones, BAFTA-winning writer and comedian Adam Kay returns to present his brand-new show Particularly Nasty Case: A Murderously Funny Evening with Adam Kay (Saturday 6 September) to mark the launch of his gripping debut crime novel. Audience members can expect a night of trademark hilarity and horror, as Kay offers a peek behind both the hospital curtain and the crime fiction page. The ticket price for this event includes a copy of Adam’s new book so that you can take part of the evening home with you to enjoy.

The comedic theatre just keeps coming with Newbury favourite and outrageously funny, if slightly more risqué, Dirty Dusting (Tuesday 7 October) returning. When three ‘vintage style’ cleaning ladies find themselves facing redundancy, a misdialled call to an adult chat line sparks an idea.  

For more traditional style theatre loves, DRUM (Tuesday 14 October) takes audience members back to 1960s London, where two rising Ghanaian creatives, photographer James Barnor and broadcaster Mike Eghan, meet for the very first time. What unfolds is a beautifully crafted story of identity and legacy, blending theatre, dance, and archival footage into a portrait of Black excellence in a changing Britain. 

The drama kicks up a notch with Dragged to the Musicals (Thursday 23 October), starring RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Divina De Campo. This is a full-throttle, glitter-soaked night of West End hits reimagined through the fierce lens of drag. Think live vocals (no lip-syncs allowed), killer choreography and diva-level energy. Whether you’re a fan of Les Mis, Mamma Mia, or Kinky Boots, you’ll find something you’ll love.

And just when you think you’ve seen it all, The Remarkable Ben Hart (Friday 24 October) takes to the Corn Exchange stage with a reality-defying experience that will leave you questioning everything. A master illusionist and psychological trickster, Hart strips magic back, using only a few objects, his hands, and your mind to create impossibilities live on stage. Don’t miss Revenge: After the Levoyah (Tuesday 4 November), a wildly original Jewish heist comedy in which a funeral in Essex turns into a kidnap plot. Written by Fringe First winner Nick Cassenbaum and directed by Emma Jude Harris, this darkly hilarious and politically charged play skewers antisemitism, family dysfunction, and the madness of collective delusion. Following critically acclaimed runs in London and Edinburgh, it’s now heading to our stage this autumn. 

Rounding off the season is Discovering Antarctica (Wednesday 12 November), an incredible solo performance by the talented Aidan Dooley that brings unsung Irish hero Tom Crean to life. Against the brutal beauty of the Antarctic, Crean's story unfolds in a gripping and heartfelt tribute to endurance, loyalty and human courage. From Shackleton’s doomed Endurance expedition to Crean’s 36-mile solo rescue mission during the Terra Nova voyage, this is history told with humour, heart and harrowing detail.