2014 saw Oxford Playhouse take on the theme of Radical Thinking with many of this year’s home-grown productions taking inspiration from ground-breaking ideas associated with the city. We’ve been commemorating the pioneers of old, the pirates of today, and the mavericks who have dared to think differently in the fields of art, science, politics, religion, literature, and philosophy.

The year began with a UK tour to five theatres of our charmingly silly family show Tea Time, and in March we supported our resident company Shared Experience with the initial development phase of their new show Mermaid at the Old Museum at Oxford Town Hall. Our resident 16|22 Young Company kicked off the Radical Thinking season with performances of Attempts on her Life at Frevd’s café. Also, in the early Spring we launched The Scarborough Poetry Walk at the Stephen Joseph Theatre; inspired by the success of The Oxford Poetry Walk in recent years, this audio experience will be available in Scarborough over the summer months.

Our second year of the Evolve scheme is under way and we’re delighted to welcome Hannah Ringham, Anna Bruder and Tucked In to the scheme. May Day saw a day-long co-production with Pegasus Theatre in the form of Soapbox City, a chance for Oxford residents to address the world.

In June we were very excited to be working with Chris Goode and Company to present the world premiere of STAND, real-life stories of courage and conscience from Oxford residents who stood up for something or someone they believed in.

As if that wasn’t enough, sold-out family audiences enjoyed What To Do When You Find A Dinosaur in the BT Studio, which took inspiration from William Buckland’s ‘discovery’ of dinosaurs in Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, and to finish the year off in style we’ve got our traditional Christmas treats lined up with Hurry Up, Father Christmas! in the BT, and the enchanting tale of Beauty and the Beast taking centre stage as our annual pantomime.