Celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and an “exciting festival of contemporary theatre” are among the attractions of the summer 2016 season at Derby Theatre.
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory and Tobacco Factory Theatres will stage a double bill, with a cast of 15 actors performing in Hamlet and All’s Well That Ends Well from Tuesday 24 until Saturday 28 May.
The outrageous side of Shakespeare will appear on the Derby Theatre stage with The Complete Deaths, a “solemn, sombre and sublimely funny tribute to the Bard” which includes all the onstage deaths in Shakespeare performed by “four of the greatest clowns working in Britain” on Thursday and Friday, 16 and 17 June.
Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap returns to Derby Theatre from Monday 6 until Saturday 11 June as part of its 60th anniversary tour. Louise Jameson plays Mrs Boyle.
In its fourth year, DEparture Lounge, which includes new work and Edinburgh Festival Fringe previews, promises “an exciting theatrical extravaganza for audiences and emerging artists alike” from Thursday 21 until Sunday 24 July.
Highlights of the summer Studio programme include The Diary of a Hounslow Girl presented by Ambreen Razia and Black Theatre Live, a play highlighting the challenges of being brought up as a young woman in a traditional Muslim family, on 17 and 18 June; Blast from the Past by Spiltmilk Dance, a fast-paced race through seven decades of British pop culture, on Wednesday 25 May; Victoria Melody’s Hair Peace, a comedic exploration of the human hair extension industry, on Friday 27 May; and Nobody’s Home, an exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder in a modern re-telling of Homer’s The Odyssey on Friday 10 June.