Following its longest period of closure since World War Two, Cambridge Arts Theatre is preparing to open its doors again.

The theatre in St Edward's Passage has announced its reopening plans and 2021 season of plays.

Live performances will begin again with Oleanna by David Mamet in June.

A highlight of the forthcoming season will be Ralph Fiennes – M in the latest James Bond movies – appearing on the Cambridgeshire stage.

The acclaimed The English Patient, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter series, The Dig, and Skyfall and Spectre actor will star and direct a new stage adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets from June 28 to July 10.

The West End will also be on your doorstep with a host of smash-hit comedies and musicals this summer.

Fresh from London’s Fortune Theatre, Susan Hill’s spine-chilling gothic ghost story The Woman in Black comes to life in a terrifying live theatre experience, while Willy Russell’s legendary musical Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins separated at birth.

The team behind the side-splitting West End hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong also return with two laugh-out-loud comedies.

Magic Goes Wrong features daredevil stunts and jaw-dropping feats in Mischief’s biggest comedy catastrophe to date.

Meanwhile, Groan Ups takes the audience on a journey from an unruly class of six-year-olds, anarchic high school teenagers to the challenges of adulthood.

The next generation of theatregoers will be thrilled with three fantastic children’s shows for the whole family to enjoy.

Join an adventurous young girl and her seafaring father as they reimagine the story of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved picture book The Snail and the Whale in a show for children aged 4 plus.

Prepare for the horrible history of Britain with the nasty bits left in with Barmy Britain, the perfect summer holiday treat for ages 5 plus, while best-selling author David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny hits Cambridge throughout the October half-term.

Last but by no means least, a plethora of world-class dramas will warmly welcome you back to the Arts Theatre with outstanding performances and unrivalled entertainment.

David Mamet’s controversial drama Oleanna reveals the ultimate example of the power dynamic between student and professor, causing uproar and heated debate among audiences.

Meanwhile, Michael Frayn’s multi award-winning Copenhagen is a dazzling exploration of two brilliant minds in 1941 Nazi occupied Copenhagen.

Oliver Ford Davies (Game of Thrones) and Stephen Boxer (The Crown) star in the coruscating new political drama A Splinter of Ice, exploring an unlikely friendship in 1987 Moscow.

Television stars Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly also join forces in Ronald Harwood’s affectionate and hilarious portrait of backstage life in The Dresser, and esteemed actors Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers star in Noël Coward’s gloriously entertaining comedy-drama Private Lives.

Tickets for the season open for public sale at noon on Thursday, April 29.

All ticket prices include a £3 per ticket booking fee. Call the box office on 01223 503333 or book online at www.cambridgeartstheatre.com


Cambridge Arts Theatre: June – November 2021 season

Tuesday, June 8 – Saturday, June 12
Oleanna by David Mamet.

Thursday, June 17 – Saturday, June 26
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.

Monday, June 28 – Saturday, July 10
Ralph Fiennes stars in Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot.

Monday, July 12 – Saturday, July 17
Copenhagen by Michael Frayn.

Tuesday, July 20 – Saturday, July 24
Oliver Ford Davies and Stephen Boxer star in A Splinter of Ice by Ben Brown.


Wednesday, July 28 – Sunday, August 1
The Snail and the Whale.

Tuesday, August 3 – Saturday, August 7
Blood Brothers by Willy Russell.

Tuesday, August 10 – Saturday, August 21
Magic Goes Wrong.

Tuesday, August 24 – Saturday, August 28
Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain.


Tuesday, October 12 – Saturday, October 16
Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly star in The Dresser by Ronald Harwood.

Monday, October 18 – Saturday, October 23
Groan Ups.

Wednesday, October 27 – Saturday, October 30
Gangsta Granny by David Walliams.

Monday, November 22 – Saturday, November 27
Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers star in Private Lives by Noël Coward.