A wildly funny, fiercely moving and murderously entertaining summer season of theatre comes to Corn Exchange Newbury

This summer, we're set to welcome an exciting season of theatre, bringing together powerful storytelling, acclaimed performances and unforgettable comedy for audiences across Berkshire and beyond.

Leading the line-up is The Importance of Being Oscar (Tue 2 and Wed 3 Jun), a funny, fiercely moving and deeply human portrait of one of literature’s most celebrated figures. Hailed by Gyles Brandreth as ‘a beautiful production – intimate and utterly compelling’, the production stars Alastair Whatley in an elegant and electrifying performance. Through Wilde’s own words and those of his devoted champion, the legendary Irish writer Micheál Mac Liammóir, audiences are invited to experience the extraordinary rise and devastating fall of a man who lived and loved without compromise while creating some of the world’s most enduringly witty plays. 

Directed by Michael Fentiman (Amélie, Jekyll & Hyde, Lion Witch & Wardrobe) and produced by Olivier Award-nominated Original Theatre (Being Mr Wickham, The Interview, Birdsong), the production comes to Newbury for a limited run ahead of taking to the stage in London, offering audiences the chance to see Oscar Wilde not as a myth, but as real, raw and defiantly alive. 

Also arriving in Newbury following a hugely acclaimed London run is Bog Witch (Wed 17 – Fri 19 Jun), the latest work from legendary performance artist Bryony Kimmings. Deeply personal, funny and profoundly moving, the show follows Kimmings’ real-life decision to leave behind modern comforts and move with her son to a tumbledown cottage in the wilderness in a last-ditch attempt to rediscover happiness and sanity. 

Exploring what happens when online shopping, alcohol, coffee and takeaway culture no longer satisfy, Bog Witch is an honest and often hilarious exploration of reconnecting with nature, family and self. A British Sign Language interpreted performance of the show will take place on Thursday 18 June at 7.30pm, ensuring deaf audiences and BSL users can fully immerse themselves in the production. 

Rounding off the season’s theatre offerings is Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit (Sat 27 Jun), the riotously funny interactive comedy from Offie-nominated Edinburgh Fringe favourites Pinch Punch. Entirely improvised and completely different every night, the show sees four passengers board a train, though not all of them will survive the journey. With a world-famous detective onboard and the audience tasked with solving the mystery, the production promises an evening packed with outrageous suspects, impossible alibis, twists, thrills and plenty of laughter. Now celebrating its sixth smash-hit year, the five-star sell-out show invites audiences to don their deerstalkers, oil their moustaches and prepare for a gloriously chaotic night of comedy and murder. 

For full details and to book tickets to one of our upcoming theatre shows, visit the website, or call the Box Office on 01635 522733.