Event type: Theatre

Shelter invite you to join them at Claremont Farm this summer!

This funny, much-loved and exciting family adventure is back!

Illyria are bringing back their hit 2018 show! When Dr John Dolittle of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh is taught by his wise old parrot Polynesia how to talk to animals, news of his skills spreads far and wide.

Soon animals across the world send messages asking for his help. So he buys a leaky old ship and, together with his trusty pet-crew of Jip the dog, Chee-Chee the monkey, Dab-Dab the Duck and permanently hungry Gub-Gub the pig, sets forth on a mission to heal illness, spread compassion and gain a greater understanding of the animal kingdom.

What if there was another take on the Trojan War, an untold breathtaking adventure you’d never heard before?

Enter Medusa. She was there.

Monstrous gorgon? Snakes for hair? A turn-to-stone glare? Perhaps. But she was there – as a bodiless head strapped to the shield of a goddess. Her forever-open-eyes saw it all: Epic combat. Mighty swords. Giant horse-sculptures filled with men. But as the war raged on, Medusa’s petrifying gaze focused on three extraordinary women who might just hold the key to her ultimate hope.

Beautiful Evil Things is a high-energy one-woman show from Ad Infinitum, combining physical storytelling with cut-throat wit. Coming hot on the heels of their multi award-winning hit Odyssey, this acerbically comic, thrilling and poignant show “brings tears to your eyes and raises your heart rate” ★★★★ The Guardian.

A fierce, funny, bloody take on some of the oldest stories known to woman. From a killer Gorgon.

Playbill’s 2023 Pick of the Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe 2023 OffFest Award Nominee
Nominated for an OffFest (Off West End) Award 2023

Ruby doesn’t think she has a problem, Maggie’s almost six months into recovery, then there’s Callum…

Family, friendship and booze

Drinking to remember

And drinking to forget

Written and directed by Helen Jeffery, this new piece dives deep into the drinking culture of contemporary Britain as it asks the question: How do you navigate sobriety in a world that revolves around drink?

There will be a Q&A after the show on Fri 22 March. The Q&A will be held in the Studio and will last 45mins max.

Welcome to Auntie’s Roadshow, an interactive multi-media show that will take you on a journey through lost BBC archives to reflect on the progress of women’s rights from the 1960s to the present day.

Hosted by the enthusiastic Auntie, the show celebrates women who went against the grain of society’s expectations, exploring the experience of 1960s societal change using actual documentary footage, satirical dramatisations of archive material and personal reflections from women representing different generations, cultural backgrounds, and experiences.

Alongside Auntie you’ll meet a group of feisty women from the 1960s, a troupe of modern-day actors performing a host of humorous sketches, and a couple of researchers ready to bring some historical perspective and a touch of healthy cynicism to proceedings. There will also be opportunities for you to share your own experiences and responses to the material.

The performance builds on research and development initially undertaken in 2022, when the BBC celebrated its centenary year. Collective Encounters was invited to work with Dr Marcus Collins, AHRC BBC 100 History Fellow and Reader in Contemporary History at Loughborough University, and Dramaturg Dr Alda Terracciano, on a project entitled ‘The BBC and Cultural Change since the 1960s’. The project involved adapting transcripts from ‘lost’ BBC documentaries from the 1960s and transforming them into a new performance piece.

Following a successful work-in-progress performance, the team has developed this new full-length multimedia performance focusing on four key programmes from the BBC archives to explore themes surrounding gender roles and expectations within the home, in relationships, and in the workplace. The show incorporates archive material from:

• The BBC Homemaker Competition (1960-61), a televised contest open to married or widowed women that aimed to promote understanding about the qualities that make a good home-maker

• Woman’s Hour: Dropping in at a Meeting of the Family Planning Association (20.10.60), which covers topics such as the dangers of giving contraceptive advice to ‘unmarried girls’ and whether Doctors should encourage ‘less intelligent’ people to have fewer children.

• Man Alive: Living in Sin (2.3.66) interviews with couples who had decided not to have their relationship blessed or formalised by religion or state.

• 24 Hours: Equal Pay for Women (5.9.68) reporting on attitudes from men and women in industry towards proposed legislation that would bring women’s pay in line with men’s

AUNTIE is devised and performed by Collective Encounters’ intergenerational Women in Action group with creative support from theatre director Tessa Buddle, writer Mandy Redvers-Rowe, and digital creatives/designers Focal Studios.

Access

The performance includes integrated captioning and audio description.

BSL interpreted performance: Saturday 9 March, 5pm.

Bookable touch tour: Saturday 9 March, 12pm. Email admin@collective-encounters.org.uk to book.

The venue has step-free access.

If you require a ticket for a carer/ essential companion, please include a note on your order or email: admin@collective-encounters.org.uk

If you have any questions about access or any other requirements, please let them know when you book.

If you are unable to pay or you wish to arrange a group booking, please email admin@collective-encounters.org.uk or call 0151 345 6266.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea is a short children’s story, first published in 1968, written and illustrated by Judith Kerr.

The book concerns a girl called Sophie, her mother, and an anthropomorphised tiger who invites himself to their afternoon tea and consumes all the food and drink they have.

The book remains extremely popular more than 50 years after it was first published, and a theatrical adaptation of the story is being staged by St Helens Theatre Royal.

Dead Guilty is a Murder Mystery production by the SDC

A tense psychological study of guilt and obsession by the author of The Business of Murder, Dead Guilty concerns an attractive young graphic artist whose leg is badly injured in a car crash that occurred when a business associate suffered a fatal heart attack at the wheel.

There is also an additional matinee show 13 April, 2.30pm.

Written by David Haig, based on true events that took place during World War II. It centres on the true story of James Stagg and the weather forecasts that determined the date of the D-Day landings as part of Operation Overlord.

The personal and military stresses of Stagg, the tensions between the teams with different weather forecasts for the date of the proposed D-Day, and the events of the 72 hours leading up to D-Day are explored throughout the play

The UK’s biggest and best live murder trial show, Murder Trial Tonight, returns to Liverpool on Sat 23rd and Sun 24th March 2024.

The immersive theatre experience is coming to the M&S Bank Arena for its second season and a new case following a sell out debut tour and glowing 5 star reviews from the West End and countless critics.

The fascinating concept invites the audience to become the jury in a live murder trial based on true events — watching the trial unfold on stage before submitting your verdict of guilty or not guilty at the end of the show.

Lauded by critics and audiences far and wide, Murder Trial Tonight is a gripping and dramatic showcase like no other.