Oxford Playhouse Shows

The Oxford Poetry Walk

Take an audio poetry tour through the city. This is a chance to hear Oxford's rich poetic history whilst exploring the buildings and locations which inspired the writing.

Ladies in Lavender

Ladies in Lavender tells the tale of two sisters, Ursula and Janet, who live in a close-knit fishing village in picturesque Cornwall in 1936.

This evocative and heart-warming play stars Hayley Mills and Belinda Lang.

John Sergeant

John will be talking about his career with a host of anecdotes, before taking questions from the audience.

The Diary of Anne Frank

This Pulitzer Prize-winning play dramatises Anne’s wry, witty and poignant observations of herself and her companions in their shared attic home. This adaptation includes material that had originally been withheld by Otto Frank and marks the 60th anniversary of the diary’s publication in English.

Mary Shelley

Oxford Playhouse Resident Company, Shared Experience, brings to life the extraordinary tale of Mary Shelley - and how she came to write one of the greatest stories ever told, aged just 19.

Operation Greenfield

Somewhere in middle England, four unlikely teenagers are preparing for judgement day with ladders, Elvis and Forest Fruits squash. Stokely's annual talent competition is nigh.

Rich Hall

Rich Hall's renowned grouchy, deadpan style has established him as a king of rapid-fire wit. Looking like a Pearl Jam roadie, Rich is a master of absurdist irony while eschewing the human condition. He particularly likes to lay into Americans and life across the pond at every opportunity.

Petit Mal

World-class circus like you’ve never seen before. Action-packed with seemingly impossible stunts, this explosive show fuses stunning acrobatics with trampolining and hip-hop in a high-octane performance that will take your breath away.

Matthew Bourne's Early Adventures

Britain's favourite choreographer, Matthew Bourne, presents a triple-bill of celebrated dances that established his career as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of his company, New Adventures.

The Art Takeaway!

Playhouse Plays Out invites you for a Chinese takeaway with a difference. An intimate theatrical exchange is taking place in Tsangs Kitchen on Iffley Road.

The Oxford Revue and Friends

Join The Oxford Revue, the world-famous sketch comedy group, as they unite with the Cambridge Footlights and the Durham Revue to take to the Playhouse stage in an opportunity to see the country’s funniest student comics for one night only.

Indian Takeaway with Hardeep Singh Kohli

On a mission to find the best Indian food in the UK, Hardeep Singh Kohli will order a takeaway live on stage and race against the clock to cook his own sumptuous feast before the takeaway arrives. Along the way he’ll be sharing recipe tips and amusing stories of his Scottish and Indian heritage.

Glenn Miller Big Band Show

The Glenn Miller Orchestra returns to Oxford bringing the Big Band sounds of the 1940s to the Playhouse stage. Featuring original arrangements of classic wartime chart toppers including; In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade, American Patrol, Little Brown Jug and Tuxedo Junction.

Blonde Poison

Cruel killer, betrayer of friends, promiscuous lover, victim and persecutor.
Stella Goldschlag, A.K.A. ‘Blonde Poison’ to the admiring Gestapo, betrayed fellow Jews to save herself and her family.

Close the Coalhouse Door

Led by two of Britain's foremost theatre artists, director Samuel West and writer Lee Hall, Close the Coalhouse Door is an exhilarating ride through all the major strikes, victories and disappointments in British mining history.

Hugh Hughes

Grab a drink, pull up a chair and join Hugh Hughes in the Angel and Greyhound pub for a story or two. In intimate groups of up to five, Hugh transports you to The Bull pub in Llangefni to meet its colourful clientele.

Best in the World

When darts fan Annie Rigby watched Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor win his 15th World Darts Championship she began to wonder, ‘What is it like to be best in the world?’

Release

Winner of a 2011 Fringe First Award, Release explores the lives of three prisoners in their first few months after release, as they attempt to reconnect with the people and remnants of the life they left behind.

Live Canon's Big Olympic Warm Up

The Olympics are fast approaching and Live Canon is limbering up! Come along for a unique celebration of the games in poetry. Hear a selection of the poems nominated to be engraved on the wall of the Olympic village.

Babur in London

The haunting story of four young people in today's society grappling with their beliefs, the consequences of their actions, and their feelings for each other.

Coelacanth

From the imagination of Ben Moor - one of the Edinburgh Fringe’s most lauded comedy writing talents - comes an extraordinary tale of love, loneliness, tree climbing and deeply oblivious fish.

The Real Thing

Tom Stoppard is one of the most important writers alive today, applauded the world over for his work in theatre and film. Sparklingly witty, genuinely moving and thought-provoking, The Real Thing is one of his most enduring and richly acclaimed works.

Triptych: Three Attempts at Love

A collection of three poignant, darkly funny and intriguing solo works exploring the human predicament of the struggle to love.

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Inspired by the exquisite Ladybird book, Theatre of Widdershins brings this classic fable to life using magical puppets, intricate design and original music.

Party Time

Harold Pinter’s vicious political satire is a stark exposé of class, power and social injustice in modern Britain. Performed by students of Magdalen College School.

The Aeneid: A Journey

Performed by Magdalen College School Theatre Academy Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid, tells the famous story of love, deception, patriotism and war.

Little Hippo and his Magic Pen

Based on the story Petit Hippo et son Stylo Magique this interactive tale, told both in English and French, will invite even the smallest audience members to make their own use of Little Hippo’s pen.

Educating Rita

A gem of British theatre, Educating Rita is the unforgettable story of the relationship between a feisty Liverpudlian hairdresser and a jaded university professor. Starring Matthew Kelly and Claire Sweeney.

Hamlet

For the fifth year running Oxford Playhouse and the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library are delighted to be hosting the Globe Theatre on Tour, with players taking to an Elizabethan style stage in the beautiful and atmospheric setting of the Old Schools Quadrangle.

Volcano

Jenny Seagrove leads an all-star cast in Noël Coward's undiscovered masterpiece. Never performed in Coward's lifetime, this is the first major production of a work which gives a fascinating insight into the glamorous and scandalous lifestyle that he himself enjoyed.

Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks is the playful spirit of a violin who breaks free from his strings and leads us into a world of musical fantasy.

Dickens' Women

As part of this year's celebrations for the bicentenary of Charles Dickens, Miriam Margolyes reprises her acclaimed Olivier Award-nominated production, Dickens' Women.

Everyday Moments

This is a podcast from choreographer and musician Hofesh Shechter, an invitation to move without inhibition. The installation lasts 15 minutes and has been created to be listened to alone.

DruidMurphy

Tony Award-winning Druid Theatre Company presents DruidMurphy – a major retrospective of the work of Tom Murphy one of Ireland's most respected living dramatists.

Jamuna: Of a Woman in War and Peace

On the eve of her first exhibition, artist Jamuna faces a dilemma.
The play focuses on the personal battle fought by a freedom fighter in Bangladesh.

The Duchess of Malfi

A woman pays the price for daring to transgress her social status. A powerful family is destroyed by passion and cruelty. Directed by Cheek by Jowl’s Associate Director Owen Horsley.

BEAM

Special guests for this performance will be members of Oxford Improvisors, Paul Medley, Bruno Guastalla and Martin Hackett. Hosting the evening will be the OxJaMS trio.

My Name is Bill

This moving one-man show reveals what happens on the day Bill Wilson hits rock bottom, turns down a drink and creates Alcoholics Anonymous.

Richard Tyrone Jones' Big Heart

For his thirtieth birthday healthy Richard Tyrone Jones got an unexpected present: heart failure. This long-awaited, solo debut asks: can almost dying actually improve your life?

Tea Time

A wonderfully silly celebration of meal times in words, song, music and dance, inspired by the games we have all played around the kitchen table. From the same great team that brought you the sell-out Bath Time.

Rising

Rising, performed by Aakash Odedra, uses dance, video and music to explore different processes and aesthetics that create a new, personal language.

Black T-shirt Collection

Direct from the National Theatre sell-out run, comes this new play by award-winning Inua Ellams, merging visual art, poetry and theatre with iconic imagery, humour and beauty.

Words Worth

A mixed-bill of exceptional dance entertainment, the evening includes a new work from guest choreographer Anton Du Beke, inspired by Twelfth Night.

Northern Soul

A hilarious one-woman show about Victoria Melody’s curiosity for other people’s passions and her attempts to join in.

Rumplestiltskin

Straw turns to gold, magic and mayhem are in the air. Before the sun rises will our brave heroine be able to solve the riddle and save the day or will rotten Rumpel double cross her once and for all?

Bones

Jane Upton’s achingly honest portrayal of a boy struggling to find his place in a world that doesn’t want him, will break your heart, spit you out and then make you wonder why you cared in the first place.

Dick Whittington

We’re holding out for a hero and there’s only one man that fits the bill... Dick Whittington!