Johann Ludwig Bach Unsere Trübsal and Gedenk meiner, mein Gott Johann Sebastian Bach Jesu, meine Freude Francesco Cavalli Salve Regina, Giacomo Carissimi Jephte.

Presented by East Midlands Children's Theatre Consortium

A playful introduction to dance, Telling Tales takes a fresh look at two well-loved children’s stories, alongside two new dance pieces.

Look out for a mischievous version of the famous Hare and The Tortoise; a dressing-up game involving a squabble over the biggest overcoat you’ve ever seen; and a speed version of The Golden Goose involving only two dancers but a cast of thousands. In the finale, Sea of Clothes, shirts and skirts take on a dancing life of their own!

Age Guide: 4+

Telling Tales is funded by Arts Council England through Grants for the Arts

Carousel: This wonderful Rodgers and Hammerstein Musical is the poignant story of the faithful Julie and her brutish husband Billy. It has one of the most powerful stories in musical theatre and this perfectly matches its extraordinary score. Famous songs include You'll Never Walk Alone, Mister Snow, If I Loved You, June Is Bustin' Out All Over and When The Children Are Asleep.

Nick Channer will be giving an illustrated talk The Mystery of Agatha Christie which examines the fascinating world of murder and mystery of the all time best selling novelist.

During her lifetime Agatha Christie wrote more than 100 novels, short story collections and plays and her books have sold over a billion copies in English.

In this new talk writer and broadcaster Nick Channer travels the country in search of the places which were landmarks in her life and sources of inspiration for her writing

Presented by Chipping Norton Theatre, Fresh Glory Productions & Shapeshifter
Directed by John Terry
Written by James Graham, from the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Huck, an outcast teenager, and Jim, a runaway slave, are fleeing down the Mississippi on their makeshift raft. Adventures grow wilder, stories taller, and the people they meet more outlandish as they journey through a young America, searching for freedoms without and freedoms within.

The all-time classic novel is brought crashing onto the stage by award-winning theatre company Shapeshifter. With live music and a charmingly funny script, Huck is a messy, raucous and uncouth epic for young, old and everyone in between.

Age Guide: 8+ (Issues of Race and Slavery)
Post-show discussion (Thursday)

Two evil witches in the Kingdom of Two evil witches have moved into the Kingdom of Donnington and set about making everyone unhappy. Cacking with success, they are unaware that Prince Charming, along with his clumsy Uncle Hazzy, the ever hungry Rumble and his trusty steed Flash (the panto horse) travel into the Doomed Forest on a quest to stop them.

Chance meetings with Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolfe, along with a very capable Grandma, make for a fast paced show with lots of laughs in traditional panto style

"It’s two years since Simon Mayor brought some of Jake’s finest songs and masterful wit to Newbury. We’ve had a torrent of requests since for a follow up, so in this show Simon dips further into Jake’s repertoire pulling out more gems alongside favourites such as the Bantam Cock, Sister Josephine, The Lodger and The Bull".

Mr Thackray’s songs are painfully funny, sad, tragic, irreverent, incisive, downright rude - often all at once! The evening opens with a mouth-watering mix of folk, classical and original showstoppers from our zany virtuoso quartet.

“the wicked and wonderful Mandolinquents”, BBC Radio 3

www.mandolinquents.com

Multi-award winning American crime writer Sara Paretsky has fifteen books to her credit. She is best known for revolutionising the crime world with her female detective character V I Warshawski.

Her many awards include the Cartier Diamond Dagger award for lifetime achievement from the British Crime Writers’ Association. Sara will be talking about her new novel, Hardball and how she manages to write with such unbeatable pace and a passion for justice.

“It’s hard not to get caught up in her passion...snappy dialogue, tight plotting and realistic situations make Paretsky’s unapologetically politicised thrillers a pleasure to read, whatever your viewpoint.” Daily Mail

From the chaps who brought you the critically-acclaimed Aeneas Faversham trilogy and Radio 4’s Guy Fawkes, comes something a bit more modern day.

Presenting their critically acclaimed fourth live show, a brand new comedy thriller set on a mysterious theme park island.

"Unrivalled imagination, impeccable comic timing. A comedy masterpiece *****" - Three Weeks

www.pennydreadfuls.co.uk

Presented by Tall Stories

What happens when Something meets Something Else?

Tall Stories (creators of The Gruffalo) return with their new show based on the award-winning picture book by Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell. A magical show about the fantastical friendship between two unusual creatures with creative storytelling, upbeat songs and a lot of laughs.

Age Guide : 3+

www.tallstories.org.uk

The famous tenor Caruso was trapped in the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. In order to return home to the family he loved, he had to escape his collapsing hotel room, cross a city swept by fire and fight his way past the military on to the only ferry out of town.

Beautiful storytelling and live opera singing combine to reveal the heart behind a legend featuring live music from Puccini, Rossini, Leoncavallo, Tosti and the immortal song that Caruso introduced to the World: O Sole mio.

“Opera singing that has a pure fresh quality” The Scotsman

www.prodigal theatre.co.uk