The Blue Bird (Journey)

As You Like It

All Ages • 2h 39m

Shakespeare’s romantic comedy gets a modern-day makeover with music, cross-dressing and physical comedy in this energetic production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019, Kimberley Sykes’ production invites audience participation as the ensemble brings the Forest of Arden to life. Production photography by Topher McGrillis

Pieces of String

Guidance 12+ • 1h 48m

A new musical exploring three generations of one family, Pieces of String alternates between the 1940s and the present day, telling the story of a World War II soldier who returned with a secret that he would carry until the day he died. With haunting music and a very human story at its heart, this latest instalment from Perfect Pitch has been nominated for Best Musical Production at the UK Theatre Awards, with Gus Gowland also being nominated for Best Composer at the Stage Debut Awards. Developed by Perfect Pitch. Co-produced by the Mercury Theatre Colchester and TBO Productions. Production photography

The Sleeping Beauty

All Ages • 2h 12m

One of the most popular classical ballets, Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty is performed by the Royal Ballet on the occasion of the Company's 75th anniversary.

Timon of Athens

Guidance 12+ • 2h 10m

Shakespeare’s heartbreaking tale of a man whose compulsive generosity is taken for granted is reimagined in this Stratford Festival production. Filmed live at the festival in 2018, Joseph Ziegler stars as Timon, who is forced to make difficult decisions when he is abandoned before an upcoming attack on Athens.

Six Actors in Search of a Director

Guidance 18+ • 1h 17m

Six actors sit in a remote hotel, waiting to be called on to a movie set. They wait, and they keep on waiting… Steven Berkoff’s slick one-act comedy explores an actor’s need for expression and the power that directors hold over their subjects.

They Shall Not Pass: Battle of Cable Street

Guidance 12+ • 41m

Steven Berkoff reads the dramatic text from his successful stage play based on the clash in 1936 between socialists, trade unionists, immigrants and dock workers against Oswald Mosely, 3,000 fascists and 6,000 Metropolitan Police officers on London’s Cable Street. This work achieved sold-out performances in 2019 and highlights Berkoff’s reputation as a distinctive and original voice of the East End.

Great Expectations

Guidance All Ages • 1h 53m

Jo Clifford's adaptation of Charles Dickens' renowned novel explores the unrequited love of Pip, a young boy who becomes a gentleman of means and moves to London. Featuring some of the most famous characters in literature, this 'spectacular and awe-inspiring' production (WestEndWilma) boasts a talented cast of bizarre, comic and absurd characters, including Jack Ellis as Mr Jaggers, Christopher Ellison as Magwitch, Paula Wilcox as Miss Havisham, Paul Nivison as Adult Pip, Grace Rowe as Estella and Taylor Jay-Davies as Young Pip. Four Stars - The Times, The Sunday Telegraph, WestEndWilma.

Hamlet

All Ages • 2h 46m

Shakespeare’s masterpiece unfolds in this acclaimed production from Stratford Festival, in which a ghostly visit proves to be the catalyst for a catastrophic and violent sequence of events.

Frankenstein

Guidance 12+ • 2h 16m

Geneva, 1816. Dr Frankenstein obsesses over and becomes haunted by the creation of life. Mary Shelley’s landmark novel is beautifully retold by Blackeyed Theatre’s versatile cast and impressive puppetry in this production from 2022.

Henry VI: Rebellion

All Ages • 2h 26m

The Royal Shakespeare Company's trilogy continues with Henry VI: Rebellion, the second installment of Henry VI plays. When ordinary men and women start to speak out, Henry's already tenuous hold on the English throne wavers. The people rise in protest, but who is behind the rebellion?