‘ In delay there lies no plenty … youth’s a stuff will not endure’
Christmas 1916. While war wages on, those back at home in Illyria try to forget and seize the day, seeking distraction through frivolity, solace, and companionship.
When refugee twins, Viola and Sebastian, are shipwrecked and separated, they shake up this grief-stricken community, resulting in mistaken identity, folly and love.
Shakespeare’s most delightful yet melancholic comedy, this is a vibrant, intimate ensemble production enriched with music...
by Alfred Shaughnessy from the novel by Reginald Arkell Directed by Simon Downing
Giles Shenton, as Old Herbaceous, keeps us engrossed, entertained, amused and emotionally engaged. Old Herbaceous is an acute and sometimes hilarious observation of relationships between the classes in a gentler, simpler age.
Sprinkled with witticisms and epithets. Giles Shenton truly lives the part and makes us feel it’s a private chat from a bygone and comforting age that leaves us with a feeling that, perhaps, all’s right with the world. The humorous love story of a single-minded yet gentle...
Substance & Shadow Theatre bring you an original tale of intolerance, alienation and Findus crispy pancakes!!!
It’s the 23rd June - the day of the Euro Referendum and just another lunch time in the works canteen for cousins Len Silver and Melvyn Gould and their colleagues, but beneath their love of haute cuisine and jovial banter there’s trouble brewing. Sid Vishnu’s lentil Dahl and Don Beattie’s bangers and mash are emblems of a nation divided!
Substance and Shadow Theatre present a black comedy that will have you chewing over the remains of Brexit and deciding on a...
with Giles Shenton as ‘Herbert’ by Alfred Shaughnessy from the novel by Reginald Arkell Directed by Simon Downing
Giles Shenton, as Old Herbaceous, keeps us engrossed, entertained, amused and emotionally engaged. Old Herbaceous is an acute and sometimes hilarious observation of relationships between the classes in a gentler, simpler age.
Sprinkled with witticisms and epithets. Giles Shenton truly lives the part and makes us feel it’s a private chat from a bygone and comforting age that leaves us with a feeling that, perhaps, all’s right with the world. The humorous love...
Substance & Shadow Theatre bring you an original tale of intolerance, alienation and Findus crispy pancakes!!!
It’s the 23rd June - the day of the Euro Referendum and just another lunch time in the works canteen for cousins Len Silver and Melvyn Gould and their colleagues, but beneath their love of haute cuisine and jovial banter there’s trouble brewing. Sid Vishnu’s lentil Dahl and Don Beattie’s bangers and mash are emblems of a nation divided!
Substance and Shadow Theatre present a black comedy that will have you chewing over the remains of Brexit and deciding on a...
Immersive in style, Feeding the Darkness frames verbatim and ‘faction’ monologues, duologues and poetry as a series of ‘ministries’ which challenge our ignorance and avoidance of this sensitive and disturbing subject.
It features wide-ranging material such as the experiences of the mother of Pte Lynndie England (court-marshalled for the abuse of Abu Ghraib detainees), a Kurdish asylum seeker at an appeal tribunal, and examines the role of trained medical professionals in state-sanctioned torture, amongst many others.
After two sold-out shows, Untold Theatre returns to Cygnet Theatre.
The year is 1867 and, aboard the SS Cuba, Charles Dickens set sail for his final tour of America. During his journey, the renowned author becomes plagued with guilt-ridden visions and visitors from the spirit world. Figures from his life appear alongside characters from his stories. These spirits return to guide (and taunt) him. As reality blurs into fiction, the author is compelled to revisit the sins of his past. But this is no tale of redemption....
Eurydice by Cygnet Company The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is retold from the feminine perspective in Sarah Ruhl’s witty and moving re-imagining.
Shifting between the worlds of the living and the dead the play depicts Eurydice’s descent into the jaws of death with a touch of surreal poetry. Eurydice’s lessons in love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory sit at the centre of this tender-hearted comedy.
“Cygnet’s young, talented actors were excellent, bringing terrific energy and insight to the script. Ensemble work at a high level.” Remote Goat review Terrorism...
“Do you know what’s wrong with this country? Cowardice. No one’s brave enough to stand up and say what’s obvious.” 24 playlets. 31 characters. 6 actors. Rachel Besser’s new play Eggs is a fast-paced mosaic of modern parenthood, family life and the disturbing effect it can have on the child. This is a work-in-progress and we will be holding a short Q&A after each performance. Please join us. Your feedback matters to us, and will be used to develop the play.
Playwright and paediatrician, Rachel Besser, has been part of the New Writers Programme...
Cygnet Theatre in Exeter is running its annual Summer School August 1st – 5th
Open to anyone interested in performing (aged 16+) the 5 day course will use Shakespeare and Contemporary texts to explore approaches to acting and characterisation.
Voice, movement and improvisation are key focusses as participants work towards an informal showing of work in progress at the end of the week guided by a range of tutors including Alistair Ganley (Artistic Director of Cygnet), Stephen Copp (Actor and Voice specialist) and Steve Bennett (Actor Broadchurch, Peep Show , Panto Dame and...
