The Watermill, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 26th May to 13th September
Based on the MGM motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be directed by Paul Hart, with the Watermill’s signature storytelling, inventiveness and actor-musicianship at its heart. This new production will feature classic songs played live by an ensemble cast, including Truly Scrumptious, Hushabye Mountain and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The Mill at Sonning, Jack and Sarah, 23rd April to 14th June
A heartwarming, witty, and unexpected romantic comedy about finding love, family, and second chances in the most unlikely places. When Jack, a workaholic lawyer, is suddenly left to raise his baby daughter alone, his carefully ordered world unravels. Enter Amy, a free-spirited au pair with a big heart and an even bigger personality. Against all odds, and with a little help (and hindrance) from an eccentric cast of family and friends, their two very different worlds collide in the most surprising and life-affirming way. Packed with sharp humour, tender moments, and a generous dose of 90s charm, Jack and Sarah is a joyous new production about the messy, unpredictable enchantment of life and love.

Newbury Corn Exchange, Dino Tales: Jurassic Rescue, 31st May
There’s a baby Ankylosaurus that needs rescuing before The Doc gets his evil hands on it… Along the adventure you’ll meet Freya the dancing Raptor, Dylan the cheeky Dilophosaurus, Angie the Ankylosaurus, Scar the fearsome and Roxy the mighty T-Rex. With a captivating story and an entire herd of pre-historic beasts, Dino Tales is an unforgettable family adventure starring Europe’s largest walking dinosaurs to ever roam the stage. You and the kids will be jumping for Jurassic joy, so get ready for the ultimate Jurassic rescue adventure. Age Guide: 4+.
The Importance of Being Oscar, 2nd to 3rd June
Micheál Mac Liammóir’s renowned play The Importance of Being Oscar returns to the stage following huge critical acclaim. Step beyond the footlights into the private world of Oscar Wilde for a compelling journey through the career and relationships of the iconic man. Featuring excerpts of many of his best-loved works including An Ideal Husband, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Ballad of Reading Gaol you will have the chance to meet the man beyond the pages. Told in the shadows of Reading Gaol, where Wilde was imprisoned, this strictly limited run will immerse audiences in the intoxicating charm of Oscar Wilde for a night that promises to be Widely entertaining.
Les Misérables, 11th to 13th June
In nineteenth century France, Jean Valjean is released from years of unjust imprisonment, but finds nothing in store for him but mistrust and mistreatment. He breaks his parole in hopes of starting a new life, initiating a lifelong struggle for redemption as he is relentlessly pursued by police inspector Javert, who refuses to believe Valjean can change his ways. Finally, during the Paris student uprising of 1832, Javert must confront his ideals after Valjean spares his life and saves that of the student revolutionary who has captured the heart of Valjean’s adopted daughter.

Amateur theatre

Faringdon Dramatic Society, Lark Rise, 14th to 16th May
A drama by Keith Dewhurst, from the book by Flora Thompson.The play is based on the story Lark Rise, which was written in 1939 by Flora Thompson and soon becoming part of a trilogy known as Lark Rise to Candleford. It is a literary sampler of English village life in late Victorian Oxfordshire. The action takes place in and around the hamlet of Lark Rise in the late 1880s. It is the first day of the harvest. The scenes in Act I are set in the Timms’ family cottage, the gardens of neighbouring cottages, on the village green, and in fields around the village. In Act 2 there are also scenes on the way to the “big house”, in the village pub, and in the church. The final scene is thirty years later.
This is an outside production.

Jigsaw Stage Productions, Wantage and Harwell, Wind in the Willows, 16th and 30th May
A musical version of The Wind in the Willows, based on the children’s novel written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908. Book by Lewis Holifield, with music and lyrics by James Carter, this show promises to be a lot of fun for audiences and performers alike, full of brand new outstanding musical numbers.

Sinodun Players, Wallingford, Murder, Margaret and Me, 19th to 23rd May
Agatha Christie and Margaret Rutherford should never have been friends. But they were. Their paths crossed when they found themselves at the heart of one of British cinema’s most successful franchises. However, the Miss Marple films almost didn’t get made… Our production of Murder, Margaret and Me is one of the events being staged to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Agatha Christie. It is a story of friendship, identity and the achievement of women in the long-lost world of the silver screen.

Dorchester Amateur Dramatics Society, Calendar Girls, 11th to 13th June
A comedy by Tim Firth. Based on the true story of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund.