Theatre Studio Presents,

Frozen Jr.

Join Theatre Studio this Christmas as their talented students present an enchanted production of Frozen Jr.

A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Frozen JR. expands upon the emotional relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humour, Frozen JR. is sure to thaw even the coldest heart!

Join us for a magic carpet ride at The Cheltenham Playhouse's Biggest Performance EVER! 🔮

Experience a whole new world with this magical pantomime filled with 'genie-us' comedy, costumes and Christmas spirit. Let us grant your wishes and whisk you away on a journey you won't forget, with plenty of boos and hisses along the way. Come join Aladdin, his sister Wishee and his mother, Widow Twankey, on a high-flying adventure that's sure to put a smile on your face, whether you're 4 or 104!

We can't wait to welcome you to an enchanting experience with Cheltenham's brand-new, affordable, professional pantomime! 🧞✨💜

We have added 2 new public dates to our run of Aladdin, the 21st and 22nd December at 11am!  All tickets for these two performances are available from £15.

For the relaxed performance at 11 am on Wednesday 27th, several changes have been made to make the show more suited to those who prefer a more relaxed environment. The script is the same, but regular theatre 'rules' are relaxed, house lights will be left up, sound and lighting levels will be less intense, and you're welcome to come and go during the performance. There will also be extra staff and volunteers on-site to support. The Cheltenham Playhouse is proud to be welcoming to all, so if you have any further information, questions, or accommodations, please don't hesitate to contact our box office, who will be happy to help! Please note for those with epilepsy, the performances may not be suitable. Pyrotechnics are not used in any performances; however, haze and smoke effects are; this uses specialist fluid designed not to impact asthma or other conditions.

For group bookings of 20+, please contact the Box Office for an additional 10% off.

For daytime school bookings on 15th & 19th-22nd December 2023, please contact the Box Office for more details.

Aladdin, written by Alex Jackson, directed by Kieran Mortell and produced by Matt Nolan Creative LTD & Makiom LTD in conjunction with the Cheltenham Playhouse.

Please note this event takes place at Holy Apostles Church, London Road, Charlton Kings, GL52 6HW

Cheltenham Community Choir, presented by CODS, returns to the stage this December following the roaring success of their summer concert. Come and witness the splendid talent of this glorious choir and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with some festive favourites and musical classics.

Ticket price includes festive refreshments.

There is no Restoration Levy applicable on this event as it is not at the Playhouse however if you wish to donate to the Playhouse this option is available at checkout.

Sallie Taylor - keeping the memory of Chapel Art alive

The Wood without the Town

Bottom’s story by Edward Derbyshire Performer, teacher, linguist and translator.

Nicholas Bottom has been longing to share his story. Far from

being the comical and ridiculous character of Midsummer Night’s Dream he is a sensitive, thoughtful beast and tonight, along with some fellow characters, he shares with you his views on nature and the environment and the changes he has witnessed. Join Bottom on his journey of daydreams, philosophy, music and the odd surprising revelation

MUSICAL COMEDY THEATRE AT ITS BEST.

Frankenstein - ‘or, a play about a man, wot built another man’.

Victor Frankenstein is on a scientific quest. He believes that he alone is destined to break through the greatest boundary of the medical world and harness the power to control life and death. Along with his faithful assistant, Igor, he finds that the act of creation is not all it’s cracked up to be when his efforts finally bring a homemade man to life. The only true question is who is the monster? Victor or his creation? Join Rain or Shine this winter for their hilarious take on this Victorian classic. Expect gags, fast paced chaos, well-timed comic set pieces. And hats. Lots and lots of hats.

Please note this event does not take place at the Playhouse

Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra

Rameau: Entrée de Polymie from Les Boréades

Berlioz: Les Nuits d'Été Op 7

Debussy: Danse Sacré et Danse Profane for harp and strings

Haydn: Symphony No 83 in

G Minor 'La Poule'

Conductor: Katherine Stonham

Soprano: Kathy Macaulay

Harp: Anwen Mai Thomas

Leader: George Ewart

Admission

All seats unreserved £22.00

to include a programme, available at the door. Students free.

Go beyond the curtains and backstage at The Cheltenham Playhouse and learn how theatre productions are brought to life at this historic building. Matt Nolan will guide you through all the backstage areas, and you will learn about the operations of the theatre whilst exploring the buildings' interesting past.

Fancy a dip into the history of the old Montpellier baths? Well, you'll even see the remains of the swimming pool!

An interesting perspective of one of Cheltenham's oldest buildings!

Approx 60 minutes, walking tour.

Please note this tour is throughout a complex historical building with various steps, unstable surfaces and other hazards; therefore, it may not be suitable for those with limited mobility or young children. If demand exists, we are keen to also run more accessible versions of the tour for those who would benefit. Please let us know via access@cheltplayhouse.org.uk to register your interest.

Please note these tours will be taking place in a working theatre. This may mean the tours may vary depending on what is going on in the building.

Please Note: The tour starts on time, so to ensure access to the venue, please arrive at least 5 minutes before the start time. Bring an electronic or paper print out of ticket due to the box office not being open on the day.

Eclectic Cinema Presents:

Sunday Bloody Sunday (15)

UK | 1971                              

DIRECTED BY

John Schlesinger

STARRING

Peter Finch|Glenda Jackson|Murray Head

We mark the passing of Glenda Jackson in June 2023 with a screening of her 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday, directed by John Schlesinger. In this, Jackson plays the female corner of a love triangle. Peter Finch plays the the male corner, while at the triangle's apex is Bob, rather younger, bisexual, and played by Murray Head.

The set-up sounds pretty modern, even today, but this was London at the tail-end of the swinging 60s. The film was hailed for its positive presentation of homosexuality, unusual for this era, even compared with Schlesinger's previous film, Midnight Cowboy (1969).

The film went down well with the critics; there were Oscar nominations, and BAFTA awards, including Best Actress for Glenda Jackson and Best Actor for Peter Finch. Commercially, however, the film lost money and played well only in urban areas. No doubt, mainstream audiences of the early 70s were just not quite ready to buy-in to a romance like this. But time has passed, so here is the chance to appreciate Glenda Jackson's talents alongside those of a very strong cast.

Runtime: 110 minutes

Christmas Discount now avalible, giving an automatic discount of 15% off until the 24th December 2023!

Roll The Damn Dice is here to bring you a monthly dose of madness. 'A Night of D&D, Improv and Comedy' is a live, interactive, comedy Dungeons & Dragons show, where the audience gets to take over. Do you want to help or hinder the players? Maybe you want to rain down fire onto the battlefield, give us advantage or just throw a casual beholder at us? Get involved and come join the chaos at The Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre. You don’t need to be a D&D pro to enjoy this show - It’s for everyone to be entertained by, so long as you embrace the chaos!

Roll The Damn Dice is a D&D 5e Actual Play YouTube show and podcast. We are a Gloucestershire-based group of friends made up of performers, stand-up comics, and a plumber. Roll The Damn Dice has been featured at MCM London and Birmingham Comic Cons, Cheltenham Literature Festival and is now joining the Cheltenham Playhouse family as a monthly regular and we couldn’t be more chuffed!

Come along and join in!

Caution: May not contain dungeons and/or dragons.

Since arriving on the tribute scene back in 2019, Moments Of Pleasure have rapidly emerged as one of the most acclaimed tribute bands in the UK.

This 5 piece band features the amazing vocals of Lisa-Marie Walters, as seen on BBC, ITV and heard on BBC 5 and various BBC regional stations.

Her passionate and spellbinding vocal performance is widely lauded as the next best thing to listening to Kate Bush herself!

Far from being about gimmicks, this 5 piece band performs the songs of Kate Bush accurately and affectionately and with stunning authenticity, capturing the tone and emotion of Kate's songs perfectly.

The show will take you on an amazing journey through much of the incredible Kate Bush back catalogue - Moments Of Pleasure will perform many of the singles such as Running Up That Hill, Wuthering Heights, Hounds of Love, Babooshka, Wow and Cloudbusting together with popular tracks from albums such as The Kick Inside, Lionheart, Never For Ever, The Dreaming and Hounds Of Love.

This is an event that no Kate Bush fan will want to miss.

Here are a few recent fan reviews

"I've seen many live acts and many tribute bands over the years. Over that time I have seen Australian Pink Floyd a lot, considering them to be musically and vocally just about the best tribute band there is. Until now. Wow! And I do mean WOW. This talented group of musicians provided the very bedrock for Lisa's perfect vocals to nail Kate Bush's individuality and creative talent. Every intonation, every expressive note was just bang on. As an impressionable teenager, I fell in love with Kate. I've just fallen in love again. If you're only allowed to see one band this year, this is the one to see."

"Absolutely amazing, never seen a tribute band that sounded like the real thing. Total tribute to Kate. Definitely well worth going to see."

"Wow! Absolutely Awesome gig last night. The lead singer Lisa-Marie Walters had Kate off to a T, with the look, facial expressions and hand gestures. The choreography was also mimicked throughout the performance. What a voice! A great likeness to Kate in range, pitch, tone, diction and delivery. Moments of Pleasure delivered an energetic show, a fitting tribute to Kate Bush both musically and theatrically. There were some spine tingling moments that made your hair stand on end and gave you goosebumps, well worth seeing."

Sallie Taylor - keeping the memory of Chapel Art alive

This is the first time these two charismatic Cheltenham musicians have performed together playing a beautiful selection of music for cello and piano.They have chosen a programme featuring works by Handel, Fauré, Bach, Chopin and some mesmerising music from classic film greats including, Cinema Paradiso, The Godfather, The Mission, The Deer Hunter.

David Powell was appointed sub-principal cellist with the CBSO by Sir Simon Rattle, a position he still holds today  “under their Chief Conductor & Artistic Director, Kazuki Yamada.  David has collaborated with many of the world's finest conductors and soloists and toured and recorded extensively.

"I’m thrilled to be joining forces with Robin for this concert. Wonderful melodies from film scores, many arranged by Robin himself, combined with music originally conceived for the cello, together revealing its true heart and soul. The perfect combination for a Sunday morning."

Robin A Smith is a composer, Grammy-nominated orchestral

arranger, a conductor and producer. He has worked with musicians of all genres, from Pavarotti to Earth Wind & Fire; Burt Bacharach to Goldie; The 2Cellos to Andrea Bocelli. His talent and versatility are matched by his great warmth as a performer.

Eclectic Cinema Presents:

Metropolis (PG)

Germany | 1927                            

DIRECTED BY

Fritz Lang

STARRING

Brigitte Helm|Alfred Abel|Gustav Fröhlich

If you were to choose a single film whose aesthetic had influenced so many that came after, then Fritz Lang's 1927 epic, Metropolis, would be a good choice. The vision of a ziggurat-like urban environment, complete with raised transport corridors and flying cars has re-appeared many times: Blade Runner (1982) is but one example. The idea of an elite living in luxury above the ground, enjoying all modern conveniences and with plenty of leisure time to indulge themselves with sporting and romantic diversions has also been exploited many times since.

Lang's Metropolis is powered by the labours of an underclass, who are forced to live and work literally underground, well away from the elite above them. They are collectively essential, but individually expendable. The imagery in the film of workers tending the massive machines, finishing their shift, exhausted, only to be replaced by another line of labourers has become truly iconic.

The film was ambitious and expensive, requiring huge sets and special effects as well as hundreds of extras, including some 500 children. It's a long film, and this latest restoration is complete apart from a few minutes of footage probably lost for ever. The Eclectic Cinema offers you the opportunity to see this film on the big screen in a form as close as possible to its original release in Berlin almost a hundred years ago.

Runtime: 153 minutes

Welcome to Howlers at the Playhouse, the home of great comedy in Cheltenham. Every month at Howlers we bring you the very best in stand-up with top notch line-ups from the UK and beyond!

Line up includes:

Garrett Millerick

Greg Winfield

Steve Bugeja

Sara Barron

At Howlers we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar. Doors open at 19:15 and the showtime is 8pm to 10pm approximately.  

Howlers usually sells out so please buy in advance to avoid disappointment.    

Over 18s only

Acts may be subject to change

Bringing you the best of UK and international stand up!

Real life brothers Colin and Steve Temple  are the UK's No.1 Tribute to The Everly Brothers as voted for by the National Tribute Music Awards 2017. This fantastic two hour show celebrates the music of the Everlys and features all their classic hits such as Cathys Clown, Walk Right Back, Ebony Eyes, Bird Dog, Dream,  Let It Be Me, Love Hurts, Devoted To You, 'Til I Kissed Ya, Wake Up Little Suzie and When Will I Be Loved plus many, many more. With their live supporting band and flawless harmonies this is a musical feast. But that is not all! Joining the 'Everlys' on stage are their legendary friends 'Buddy Holly' as played by Buddy Walker and the first wildman of rock n roll 'Jerry Lee Lewis' as played by Peter Gill.

This is a spectacular and magical night of musical excellence and rock 'n' roll!

www.thetemplebrothers.com  

Formed by veterans of the Queen tribute scene, Extreme Queen are here to turn your world inside out. Exploring this 70’s & 80s rock powerhouse’s eclectic repertoire, they will take you headlong on a journey across two decades of music. Delivering 2 hours of non-stop Queen fun, this is an invitation you can’t decline!

Extreme Queen as a fully live 5-piece Queen tribute, paying tribute undoubtably one of the best bands of all time.  We will rock you to the Extreme.

Please note this workshop will take place in the Green Room 

Join us at the Cheltenham Playhouse for a still life painting experience led by artist Estée Angéline. Start the experience with a free drink (with the option to purchase more throughout the night) whilst Estée shows you how to paint your own masterpiece. This class is for all ranges of artistic abilities with the guarantee that you leave with a full canvas!

Estée will supply fun and creative subject matters sourced from the theatre historical props for you to paint and will guide you through her system to transfer what's in front of you onto your canvas, all whilst enjoying cocktails, snacks and soft drinks on offer!

Please contact estee_ap@yahoo.co.uk with any dietary requirements.

Tickets - £30 including a free drink 

Cheltenham College’s Drama Scholars present a beautiful adaptation of one of Dicken's best-loved novels, bringing it thrillingly to life for the stage.

Pip takes us back in time to tell us his winding life story. When the orphan Pip meets the convict Magwitch in a graveyard and is forced to help him escape, his life takes a series of unexpected turns. Invited to the house of the mysterious Miss Havisham, he falls in love with her adopted daughter, the beautiful but cold-hearted Estella. Then the generosity of an unknown benefactor sends him to London to become a

gentleman. But the truth behind his change of fortune, once revealed, is not what Pip expects...

CODS returns to the Cheltenham Playhouse this February - but not as you’ve seen them before. Come join us as we celebrate the last 20 fabulous years of CODS productions.

Expect show stopping numbers from shows such as 42nd Street, Evita, The Producers, Legally Blonde, Rent & more.

CODS is one of the oldest amateur societies in the South West (if not the country), we have been committed to putting professional scale productions on for the audiences of Gloucestershire for overt 130 years, with no expense spared.

We look forward to welcoming you to not only our February celebrations, but also the next 20 years to come.

Promenade Productions are back to start their 40th anniversary year with a bang, with their traditional family pantomime, Sleeping Beauty.  

Follow Princes Rose as she navigates her teenage years, not knowing that Bad Witch Hazel has put a curse on her. Will Fairy Lilac be able to thwart the Bad Witch’s plans? Will the Handsome Prince save Princess Rose? Come along and find out! Full of well known songs which will have you tapping your toes, and plenty of laughs, Sleeping Beauty is guaranteed to fill your half term with magic and sparkle!

Eclectic Cinema Presents:

The Girl Who Leapt through Time (12A)

screened with English subtitles

Japan | 2006                          

DIRECTED BY Mamoru Hosoda

This anime is derived from a 1967 novel with the same title written by Yasutaka Tsutsui. He was the very same author who, in 1993, wrote a story called Paprika, which Satoshi Kon adapted into an anime in 2006. The Girl Who Leapt through Time was also released in 2006, but the director is Mamoru Hosoda and the visual style is rather different.

The narrative involves a teenage girl, Makoto, who finds she has the ability to travel through time, but gets into a time loop in which she repeatedly relives the same day. It is a story that seems to have fascinated Japanese film-makers because it has also appeared, with some variations, in three Japanese live-action films from 1983, 1997 and 2010. This is apart from a number of TV adaptations and a stage play.

The Eclectic Cinema's anime series has featured different directors with different styles. There was the cyberpunk aesthetic in Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell (1995), the nightmarish fantasies of Satoshi Kon's Paprika (2006) and now we have Mamoru Hosoda whose style is perhaps softer and more realistic. It does bear comparison with Miyazaki's hallmark style at Studio Ghibli, and it is worth noting that in 2001 Hosoda was lined up by Studio Ghibli to direct Howl's Moving Castle. In fact, Hosoda fell out with the studio over creative differences on this project, and he eventually went on to set up his own studio.

Runtime: 98 minutes

Sallie Taylor - keeping the memory of Chapel Art alive

'Viva Pavarotti’ - Tenor, Paul Ettore Tabone is back with a celebration of the great, Luciano Pavarotti.  

Experience the power and passion of one of the greatest opera singers with a special performance honouring the late Luciano Pavarotti. Lyric Tenor, Paul Ettore Tabone - Australia’s own ‘Bocelli’ brings Pavarotti’s music to life with his stunning voice and captivating presence.

'Viva Pavarotti' will include performances of classic arias such as Nessun Dorma, Torna Surriento, O Sole Mio. An unforgettable evening for opera fans and music lovers.

Welcome to Howlers at the Playhouse, the home of great comedy in Cheltenham. Every month at Howlers we bring you the very best in stand-up with top notch line-ups from the UK and beyond!

Line up inlcludes:

Stephen grant

Jon Wagstaffe

plus 2 acts tbc

At Howlers we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar. Doors open at 19:15 and the showtime is 8pm to 10pm approximately.    

Howlers usually sells out so please buy in advance to avoid disappointment.    

Over 18s only  

Acts may be subject to change

Bringing you the best of UK and international stand up!

Early Bird tickets are now on sale, giving an automatic discount of 10% off until the end of December 2023!

Wanna Party?

If you love the 80’s era then Kick Up The 80’s is the band for you…

Not “just another” 80’s tribute band.

Kick Up The 80’s put together a fun, high energy show featuring a varied set full of faithfully recreated 80’s classics from across the decade.

Formed in 1999, with 25 years experience of performing sell out shows across the Country, Kick up the 80’s are the UK’s Premier, longest running and most popular live tribute to the 80’s.

Over their 2 decades performing together the seasoned four piece have appeared with 80’S LEGENDS such as; ABC, GO WEST, BAD MANNERS, LIMAHL (KAJAGOOGOO) and JAKI GRAHAM and are still the best 80’s party in town!

Covering all 80’s music  genres from NEW ROMANTIC to SKA via HEAVY ROCK and ELECTRONICA  There’s something to please everyone!!  

All this assures Kick Up The 80’s  are  “The Ultimate 80’s Party Band”  

Eclectic Cinema Presents:

Fanny Lye Deliver'd (18)

UK | 2019                  

DIRECTED BY Thomas Clay

STARRING Maxine Peake|Charles Dance|Freddie Fox

A film from independent British director Thomas Clay. Set in deepest Shropshire during the time of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth, it has the feel of a western and shares characteristics with the folk-horror and home-invasion sub-genres.

Fanny Lye (Maxine Peake) is married to John Lye (Charles Dance), a Puritan ex-soldier, and fulfils the role of a hard-working farmer's wife, suppressing much of her natural personality and intelligence on pain of a beating from her husband. Their young son comes off no better. Puritan patriarchy rules their household. At least, that is, until it is disturbed by the arrival of a young couple, naked and dishevelled, who claim to have been attacked and robbed: enter Thomas and Rebecca (Freddie Fox and Tanya Reynolds). Thomas's bluff about his Puritan military service is enough for John Lye to allow them to stay awhile.

Of course the couple's situation is not as they claim. It becomes clear that they are on the run from Commonwealth authorities for inciting subversion and licentiousness. Soon the Lye family is captive in its own house. For Fanny, though, there is a connection with the interlopers' revolutionary mindset and, with it, the possibility of deliverance from her repression.

Runtime: 112 minutes

Roll The Damn Dice is here to bring you a monthly dose of madness. 'A Night of D&D, Improv and Comedy' is a live, interactive, comedy Dungeons & Dragons show, where the audience gets to take over. Do you want to help or hinder the players? Maybe you want to rain down fire onto the battlefield, give us advantage or just throw a casual beholder at us? Get involved and come join the chaos at The Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre. You don’t need to be a D&D pro to enjoy this show - It’s for everyone to be entertained by, so long as you embrace the chaos!

Roll The Damn Dice is a D&D 5e Actual Play YouTube show and podcast. We are a Gloucestershire-based group of friends made up of performers, stand-up comics, and a plumber. Roll The Damn Dice has been featured at MCM London and Birmingham Comic Cons, Cheltenham Literature Festival and is now joining the Cheltenham Playhouse family as a monthly regular and we couldn’t be more chuffed!

Come along and join in!

Caution: May not contain dungeons and/or dragons.

After two sell-out nights at the Playhouse in 2022 Simon returns in 2024! Early bird discount, giving 10% off, available until end of August 2023!

On the remote Siula Grande in Peru in June 1985, mountaineer Simon Yates found himself in a desperately unenviable position. He was slowly being pulled off the mountain face by his injured partner, Joe Simpson, dangling on the rope 50 metres below. His decision to cut the rope saved both their lives in the epic of survival that followed and with the publication of the book ‘Touching The Void’, later film and stage play, both climbers became household names.

It was an experience that could have put many off the sport of mountaineering - but not Simon. Over 35 years later, he is still a very active exploratory climber and guide, making several expeditions to the mountains each year. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, Alaska to Central Asia there is hardly a significant range that he has not visited.

Come along and witness Simon’s tireless journey from that mountain in Peru to some of the remotest on the planet and share with him the drama, excitement and beauty of modern, lightweight alpinism. Told with wit, dry humour and lavishly illustrated with images and film collected on his great climbs.

“Simon is a totally engaging speaker, who both entertains and inspires.”

“It's a cold, rainy night and a storm is outside

Rain beats on the window by Lily's bedside

She's scared of the dark so she shuts her eyes tight

She hates nothing more than the dead of the night

Tap. Tap. Tap. Comes a noise from the hallway…”

Will Lily conquer her fears? Will she conquer her fright? Will she conquer the ghouls in the dead of the night?

From the creators of Chris Mystery and the Mystery of the Missing Christmas Tree, and One Duck Down (‘A perfect show for kids’ ★★★★★ Families Edinburgh) with music by Cat Gisby (Elle & the Pocket Belles), this adaptation of Arthur McBain's book is full of spooks, songs, silliness, and most of all - monsters!

Grove Productions brings to life (and death) Shakespeare's classic tale of unbridled ambition. Macbeth is spurred on by the dark premonitions of three witches and by his wife. He murders the rightful King, and destroys the peace and order he had just helped to win. Chaos ensues and the Macbeths turn to tyranny as their ambition and paranoia grow. The ordered and peaceful land turns to civil war and the Macbeths are forced to murder more of their compatriots. Ambition can not quell their consciences and they are consumed by guilt. They deal with this guilt in different ways but the consequences for their actions result in a tragic end for them both.