The Annual Corn Exchange Drama Festival. The best of local amateur drama live on stage with professional adjudication and awards for the best performances and performers.This is the 35th Wallingford Corn Exchange Drama Festival, one of several festivals in the region where you can see amateur dramatics at its best and hear and learn from a professional adjudicator about acting. Each group is given 1 hour to build their set, perform their play and strike the set. There will be two plays each night and an adjudication at the end. And on the Friday night the winners and prizes will be announced including a punters’ prize that audience members can award. This year Alan M. Hayes from the Guild of Drama Adjudicators will be judging. Alan’s professional training was at Italia Conti Stage School, followed by a B.Ed. (Honours) in Drama and Education. He has acted in theatre, television and radio, and directed more than 100 stage performances.

This years’ entries are:

Tues 9th June – Sinodun Players with Death Knock by Mike Rowbottom; and Drayton Players with Bankers Gone Bananas by Sue Hadley.

Weds 10th June – Branching Out Drama Society with Don’t Panic by John Drew; and The Compton Players with The House With The Lights Still On by Pete Watt.

Thurs 11th June – Banbury Cross Players with A Handbag by Anthony Horowitz; and Abingdon Drama Club with Sganarelle by Molière.

Fri 12th June – HAODS with The Tussington Paradox by Julie Huntington; and Henley Players with I Can’t Remember Anything by Arthur Miller.

Read all about it! Read all about it!

There are stories to be read but not necessarily the one that the Gentlemen of The Footlights Club are looking for!

Children falling down rabbit holes

Wizards and Witches stopping friends reaching their goals

Pirates attacking boats in the middle of choppy seas

Townsfolk stopping a train just before it hits a landslide

But anything about an adventurer and his servant travelling the world in 80 days? We’ll have to wait and see!

Trains, boats, elephants and a cast of 48 young actors take us Around The Stage in 5 Plays!

Trains, boats, elephants and a cast of 48 young actors take us Around The Stage in 5 Plays!

Charlotte Brontë has a confession about how one sister became an idol, and the other one became known as the third sister. You know the one. No, not that one. The other, other one ... Anne.

This is not a story about well-behaved women. This is a story about the power of  words. It’s about sisters and sisterhood, love and jealousy, support and competition.

Sarah Gordon’s new play is an irreverent retelling of the life and legend of the Brontë sisters, and the story of sibling power dynamics that shaped their uneven rise to  fame.

This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd, on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

A contemporary play with distinct ‘Charlie Brooker/Black Mirror’ vibes. Things, and people, are not always what they seem.

“If I had a Time Machine I could go back to, um, to before anyone got as clever, before computer engineers… Yeah, maybe then we could start it all again.” (Maggie in The Sewing Group)

Crowe has crafted a gripping and mysterious piece of theatre that blurs notions of past, present and a possible future. Seeded with clues as to what might really be going on beneath the surface of the sewing group, the play resonates with modern audiences on many levels.

By agreement with Independent Talent Group Ltd.

A spellbinding one-man show based on George Orwell's classic, starring Sam Blythe as Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, Boxer, Clover, the sheep, the dogs, the hens... and many more, in this farmyard tale of power and corruption.Celebrating 81 years since the book's publication and 31 since its first performance, Guy Masterson's globally renowned solo adaptation of Orwell's barnyard masterpiece is now performed by the brilliant Sam Blythe.

Bringing all of Orwell's multiple characters to vivid life, Blythe gives us Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, Boxer, Clover, Mollie, Benjamin, Muriel, the Sheep, Dogs, Cows, Hens - and, of course, the cat - in a spellbinding performance that will shock, enchant, bewitch and bewilder, and linger long in the memory, ringing out Orwell's prescient warning that politicians through the ages, and of all creeds and colours will often let power corrupt them... and sometimes corrupt them absolutely...

A must-see epic, now more relevant than ever!

"ANIMAL MAGIC! The tale ignites, bringing both humour and sinister aspect to the rhetoric of the upwardly mobile pigs!" (The Herald)

"This brilliant adaptation gets to the heart of Orwell's barnyard classic, maintaining his original textual structure and style in a powerful multi-character performance that makes the book accessible and exciting. Animal Magic!" (The Times)

"A brilliant adaptation which delights with its physical grace and artistry. Complex and entirely theatrical, a combination of bravura acting and poetic storytelling that brings new nuance and meaning" (The Scotsman)

A "Story Time" family musical from the creators of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly.

Being a witch is super exciting. There's always so much to do and so much fun to be had. Especially around Halloween. And maybe that's why Natascha The Witch can't sleep... Can anyone, or anything, help her drift off?

Based on a story from Steven Lee's best selling "How The Koala Learnt To Hug and Other Australian Fairytales" this gentle, heartwarming show is just what you need to enjoy a cosy, cuddly time together with your family. Children get to join in, shout out, and help shape the story as it unfolds.

Being a witch is super exciting. There's always so much to do and so much fun to be had. Especially around Halloween... This gentle, heartwarming show is just what you need to enjoy a cosy, cuddly time together with your family. Children get to join in, shout out, and help shape the story as it unfolds.

So pop on your favourite pyjamas and come help Natascha The Witch enjoy a better bedtime in this enchanting sing-along musical. Presented with a magical mixture of live action, music and animation. Perfect for ages 3-103!

"Perfect for a cosy family cuddle" - Absolutely Mama

"A wonderful show for children to discover the power of their imaginations and the magic of storytelling" - The Guide.

"A gorgeous afternoon with the munchkins" – Neil Reading, Artistic Director, Arena Theatre.

"Warm, unassuming, and genuinely engaging" – Amy Clewes, Head of Producing and Programming, Theatre By the Lake.

"My 7 year old gave it 100/100 and my 4 year old wanted to watch it again" - Audience member, Blackfriars Arts Centre.

"My autistic child loved the show and didn't need her ear defenders" - Audience member, Pocklington Arts Centre.

"So amazing! Brilliant mixture of storytelling and animation and music" - Audience member, Arena Theatre.

"A brilliant show that got the kids involved - and the adults too!" - Audience member, The Regal Theatre

Oliver Lansley’s Immaculate, our late Autumn production, is a laugh-a-minute collision of dark, sparkly and risqué wit.

It tells the story of Mia, a vulnerable young woman who has not had sex for eleven months yet discovers she is inexplicably pregnant.

Visited by the Angel Gabriel, Mia is led to believe she is carrying a divine child. Or is there a more sinister force at play, with the Devil’s hand behind her pregnancy?

Crackling with audacious jokes, uncomfortable truths and gleeful provocation, Immaculate dares its audience to laugh even as the ground shifts beneath them.

An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books.Immaculate is a laugh-a-minute collision of dark, sparkly and risqué wit. It tells the story of Mia, a vulnerable young woman who has not had sex for eleven months yet discovers she is inexplicably pregnant. Is she carrying a divine child or is there a more sinister force at play.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music, spoken word, film, stand-up, and sketch comedy celebrating the life of local actor and comedian Lee Mullins. Performed by his friends, this one-off tribute promises laughter, memories, and heartfelt moments. All proceeds go to Prostate Cancer UK.