Upcoming
Shows
everything I
didn't say
On The Run
Meadow Rain would like to say sorry.
Sorry for disappearing.
Sorry for being a bad friend.
And sorry for calling her best friend a rude word.
She’s also sorry for keeping secrets. Secrets about Terry. Secrets she is now ready to reveal…
This funny 'subtle sucker-punch of a show' (**** The List) seeks to change perceptions of what coercive control is and what a victim can look like. It is brought to you by award-winning creators of fringe sell-out show So It Goes, made with support from Shoreditch Town Hall, Blue Elephant Theatre and UK SAYS NO MORE, a campaign to change the societal narrative towards Domestic Abuse.
Supported by Arts Council England.
6 May
7.30pm
Age 16+
Jim clapp's magnum opus
Jim Clapp is bringing his greatest production yet, 'Magnum Opus' to The Theatre Shop.
It’s opening night and someone from the BBC is in. However, the actors have quit last minute and his extravagant set is scattered and burning along the M4.
Jim has put the last of his money into this show and with his old contacts ignoring his calls, or dead, this is his last chance.
He needs you, the audience, to help him.
‘Extremely entertaining, very daring and utterly funny piece of theatre’
FringeReview
‘It will make you believe in the magic of theatre’
Milk and Blood Theatre
‘A night of laughter’
Hornchurch Life
7 May
7.30pm
Age 12+
Luke wright
WINNER Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Performer 2021
Whether he’s opening for the Libertines or reciting Georgian ballads down your local, Luke Wright is adept at taking poetry places it doesn’t normally go. John Cooper Clarke’s regular warm-up guy writes poems that are tender, riotous, caustic and romantic then delivers them with the ferocity and panache of a raconteur at the top of his game.
This is an ALL-NEW show with deliciously funny poems set against a backdrop of pandemic politics, ageing parents, and the endless, droning culture war.
Wright’s third collection The Feel-Good Movie of the Year is out now from Penned in the Margins. Ian Duhig calls it a “a terrific new book: subtle, nuanced and movingly personal. A hurt man taking stock in fresh words.”
“Luke Wright is one of the greats. A poetic pugilist. Beguiling and hypnotic.”
Carl Barât
“His performances rumble with rage, passion and humour.”
Guardian
“He must be on some kind of dope”
John Cooper Clarke
12 May
7.30pm
Age 14+
This performance is presented in association with More Than Words, Clevedon's very own Literary Festival
jeremiah
Jack Dean & Company
A raucous rebellious gig theatre show about a forgotten part of British history.
On the 9th of June 1817, Jeremiah Brandreth assembles a crew of malcontents in a pub near Nottingham. Their plan is to march on London, overthrow the government, wipe out the National Debt and end poverty forever. What Jeremiah doesn’t know is that there is a spy in his ranks with other ideas...
Jeremiah tells the incredible true story of the much-misunderstood Luddite rebellion – a movement that spanned the whole of northern England and had more British soldiers fighting it than Napoleon. Ever thought about a House of Lords debate staged as a rap battle? Accompanied by a cellist, violinist and guitarist fusing hip hop beats with cinematic orchestration the story is told through the lens of the life of Jeremiah Brandreth, the instigator of the Luddites’ final stand and the last man in British History to be beheaded by axe for High Treason.
Line up
Jack Dean - Rap / spoken word
Yoon-ji Kim – Violin
Beatrice Newman – Cello
Hanno Rigger – Guitars
‘Impressive poetic, musical and narrative skills... undoubtedly a performer with an exciting career ahead of him’ Exeunt
13 May
7.30pm
Age 14+
the beast in me
The Devil's Violin
Imagine a world where the lines separating humanity and animals have blurred, in which dark forests contain refuge as well as danger, and where blood is not always thicker than water.
The Devil’s Violin is Daniel Morden (story), Oliver Wilson-Dickson (violin) and Sarah Moody (cello). Their new show, The Beast In Me, is a masterfully woven tapestry of stories about our perception of beauty and the value of kindness.
‘In years to come, old friends will turn to one another and reminisce about this evening, reliving the pleasure of when The Devil’s Violin comes to town with their 21st century sensibilities enhancing the ancient craft of storytelling.’ Avril Silk
‘A scintillating combination of music, sound and story’ The Times
19 May
7.30pm
Age10+
the slow songs make me sad
Chloe Bezer and Little Mighty
A rollicking night of cabaret storytelling about post-natal depression??!!
Ten years ago, Chloe started writing a show. It was RAZAMATAZZ. It had a clown, and songs, and something about a grand piano.
But then she had kids (which was tricky) and life got in the way. And that show never quite made it through.
Now she’s a decade older, Chloe’s decided she’s going to make her comeback and finish it off. This is her chance to make a mark. To deal with the Big Stuff. To leave an inheritance for when she’s gone.
With a cheeky glint in its eye and a steely determination to talk about all the things you’re meant to keep quiet, The Slow Songs Make Me Sad blends together hilarious clowning, heartfelt storytelling and raucous cello songs.
21 May
7.30pm
Age 14+
the great big story mix up
Roustabout Theatre
The hit improvised play for families is back - and you’re in charge!
You choose the characters. You choose the costumes. You even control the Horn of Song and Trumpet of Dance! Watch as your wild and wonderful ideas are brought to life in an hour of never-before-seen fairy tales.
For everyone aged 3+.
28 May
11am & 2pm
Age 3+
people are cats, people are dogs
Stepping Out Theatre
Five darkly comic Covid era monologues, created by Bristol writer Mark Breckon.
Dark satire runs through these linked female monologues from dystopian, Covid haunted nightmares of dogs, cats and giant beetles to the excruciating cringes that sometimes come from working in theatre. Snappy, tightly woven, and occasionally hilarious, this show
is a foretaste of the play’s trip to the Edinburgh Fringe later in the season.
10 June
7.30pm
Age 16+
Fact into fiction:
HOW ADVENTURE TRAVEL AND UNDERCOVER JOURNALISM INSPIRED THRILLER-WRITING.
E M Davey
E.M. Davey’s career as an undercover journalist has landed him in some sticky spots.
He’s tracked down a corrupt supergrass in Brazil. He’s been chased by an enraged hippopotamus in Sierra Leone. He’s posed as a commodity trader to expose human rights abuses on palm oil plantations in Papua New Guinea, driven along the porous border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and faced the threat of being ‘spiritually destroyed’ by voodoo priests in Benin. He also has a
lifelong love of history, devoting his spare time to visiting archaeological sites around the world. Now Davey describes how his work – and deep understanding of modern espionage techniques – inspired a series of well-received action thrillers. Because sometimes, truth is indeed stranger than fiction...
12 June
11am
Age 12+
The super-greedy Caterpillar
Wild Words
Want to see puppets behaving badly; a man wearing fairy wings; and a 6 foot caterpillar who wants to eat the entire supermarket including your granny?!
Want to hear toe tapping tunes to dance to; singalong songs to join in with; and other silly serious business?
Wild Words aka Scruff and Ratty ably assisted by humans Michael Loader and Tom Veck bring you their new show and what is sure to be a new freaky family favourite with a serious message about the Environment... The Super Greedy Caterpillar!
Two funny puppets, two desperate men, live song and music, an undersized trumpet an oversized grub, glorious family theatre, participation galore and one giant Un-Eco friendly beast!
12 June
2.30pm - Playshop
3.15pm - Performance
Age 5+
the odyssey
David Mynne
Greek stuff (sex, swords, sandals) and all the boring bits removed!
From the makers of 'Great Expectations', 'Dracula' and 'The Canterbury Tales' comes a tale more exciting than excitement itself.
To Hell and back again. Gods and Monsters. And a love story that lasts decades.
A host of characters – including a one-eyed Cyclops, Circe the Sexy Sorceress and the terrifying Sea God Poseidon – will conjure up a mighty storm and keep you on the edge of your seat.
David Mynne is a veteran Cornish actor and a founder member of Kneehigh.
"Utterly compelling & laugh-out-loud funny"
"Inspired, epic lunacy! A proper treat for all"
"This is Play School for grown ups"
18 June
7.30pm
Age 12+
Elizabeth I-
virgin on the ridiculous
Living Spit
1558. England. A country divided by religion and politics, teetering on the brink of civil war. The hopes of the nation lie with one woman.
2020. England. A country divided by those who enjoy plays featuring men in dresses and those who don’t. The hopes of the nation lie with two West-Country actors.
Yes, that’s right. By popular demand (and the fact that they can’t be bothered to write a new show) Elizabeth’s back! The third of Living Spit’s (un)Holy Trinity of hilarious heritage historiographies is go as Howard and Stu attempt to tell the story of the greatest monarch that ever lived - Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen.
With more live original music, silly songs, smutty shenanigans, perfunctory props, and hysterically historical horseplay, this promises to be (another) poorly researched lesson in Tudor history that you’ll never forget.
“A case study of sinewy simplicity and honed comedy craftsmanship.”
The Stage
****
"Side-splittingly funny."
StageTalk Magazine
27 June - 7 July
7.30pm
Age 12+
ernie's journey
Clementines Live Arts
Ernie's Journey is a magical circus theatre adventure for family audiences.
The seamless integration of circus, physical theatre, story-telling, stage magic, poetry and puppetry will nurture and excite your inner-child.
An original live concert-harp score takes the tale from the dreamy realms of distant shores to the most raucous sea shanties! It felt like nobody really believed in Ernie and sometimes he wondered whether he even believed in himself.
He discovers that being himself and following his dreams can lead to all kinds of adventures but it is the people we love who make it all worth it.
25 July
12.30pm - Performance
2pm - Free circus skills workshop
Age 4+
FREE OUTDOOR SHOWS!
THANKS TO A GRANT FROM CLEVEDON TOWN COUNCIL, AND TO KICK OFF THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS, WE’RE ONCE AGAIN ABLE TO OFFER TWO FREE OUTDOOR FAMILY SHOWS IN QUEENS SQUARE, JUST OUTSIDE THE THEATRE SHOP. NO NEED TO BOOK, JUST TURN UP!
the Shodessey
Assembleth Theatre
Troy – Something BC. A young bull herder accidentally eats a golden apple. Three Goddesses aren’t happy. And then 10 years later a city burns.
Obviously, a lot happened in between these points and several important things happened before, all of which will be shown for the first time in well over a millennium as Assembleth Theatre take you on a journey through the Trojan War as you’ve never seen it before. The sort-of truth behind Achilles heel, the golden watermelon of Paris, the twelve accidental labours of Hercules and more will be revealed as the history of one of the most important conflicts of the ancient world comes to life.
“A very funny 60-minute romp through mythology with much stomping about and clattering of swords. There's carnage, chaos and a huge amount of humour”
British Theatre Guide
26 July
6pm
Age 8+
FREE OUTDOOR SHOWS!
THANKS TO A GRANT FROM CLEVEDON TOWN COUNCIL, AND TO KICK OFF THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS, WE’RE ONCE AGAIN ABLE TO OFFER TWO FREE OUTDOOR FAMILY SHOWS IN QUEENS SQUARE, JUST OUTSIDE THE THEATRE SHOP. NO NEED TO BOOK, JUST TURN UP!