What's On
UNDER MILK WOOD by Dylan Thomas
26 April - 4 May 2024
In this inclusive production of Under Milk Wood, we meet a host of larger-than-life characters, some mournful, some comic, from a fictitious Welsh town Llareggub (spell it backwards). We see into their day and night dreams and secret desires.
Two voices narrate a night and a day in the life of these colourful characters, in the unique and memorable poetry of Dylan Thomas.
There will be reduced capacity/relaxed performances on Saturday 27th April and Tuesday 30th April shows.
This project has been supported by funding from the Reading Seed Fund, run by Reading Borough Council and Creative Lives.
The performance on Saturday 27th April features a BSL interpreter who is on stage and integrated into the performance; almost like another character. The interpreter will use British Sign Language to interpret the show live.
BSL performances provide D/deaf or hard of hearing patrons with a way to access theatre using their first or preferred language of communication.
FOURBEARS FEST
2pm 19 May
Sci Fi and Fantasy fans!
We have a whole panel of authors talking about their books and the genre for Fourbears Fest.
- Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and her brand new novel The Mars House.
- Georgia Summers, author of City of Stardust
- Grace Curtis, author of Floating Hotel.
- Esmie Jikiemir-Pearson author of The Principle of Moments.
This is going to be a brilliant event and perfect for fans of the genre.
PROGRESS PREMIERES
12-15 June 2024
Two new plays in a double bill.
MOLES by Sarah Wright
Set in a London Underground bunker, Moles is a drama about the staff who supervise the railways during the Second World War. A new member of staff arrives, but as the action develops we learn that the station has a mole, but who can it be?
DIRT by Caroline White
A family of gravediggers encounter an extra corpse. The daughter seems to know who the new body is, but she’s acting cagily about it. Meanwhile, the brothers are concerned about rivals and the father has an eye on protecting the family business both from meddling governments and increased competition.
PYT Presents...
4-6 July
Director’s Cut - Thursday 4th, Friday 5th and Saturday 6th July at 7.45pm
Performed by the Floodlights and Blinders - A bloody dagger, an enchanted forest, a devilish pact, and a bit of Chekhovian meta-theatre…what could possibly go wrong? Seamlessly blending scenes from Progress' past seasons with original devised work, the Floodlights and Blinders are proud to present this performance which encapsulates all the highs, and the lows, of rehearsing a production. Charting our beloved theatre's history through reinterpretations of iconic plays, this playful production pays affectionate, and at times hilarious, testimony to the magic of theatre.
Channel Hopping - Wednesday 3rd July 7.45pm and Saturday 6th July at 2.30pm
Performed by Birdies and Parcans A group of teenagers attend a sleepover but like many can't decide on what to watch. As they argue over each channel we see a glimpse into each of the programmes they choose from a nature documentary to a soap opera to a game show and many more but will they agree on what to watch before the night ends. Birdies and Parcans will use improvisation to take the audience on a journey that we can all relate too. From fantasy to drama to reality to pure entertainment, so sit back and feel like you're sitting on your sofa at home trying not to lose the remote.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde
17-27 July in the open air at Reading Abbey Ruins
The Importance of Being Earnest is the most renowned of Oscar Wilde’s comedies. It’s the story of two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, who create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure. The elaborate plot ridicules Victorian sensibilities with some of the best-loved characters on the modern stage.
See this timeless classic in the shadow of Reading Gaol, where Oscar Wilde was himself imprisoned.
All the plays in our 2023-2024 Season
Including work by Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thomas, Terry Pratchett, Lucy Prebble and new writers.