Previous Productions

  • What the Butler Saw

    What the Butler Saw (13-16 April 2011)

    The Blue Orange’s premiere production was Joe Orton’s classic What the Butler Saw. When Joe Orton’s final play was performed posthumously in 1969, its disregard for the conventional morals of the time outraged and enthralled audiences. Now, some 40 years later, the play has lost none of its impact and sparkles with acerbic wit and […]

  • Misery

    Misery (25 Aug – 3 Sept 2011)

    Best-selling novelist , Paul Sheldon is on his way back from a holiday when he is in a crash due to a freak blizzard. He is found by no one other than “His number one fan”, Annie Wilkes. She takes him back to her home (surprisingly without telling anyone) and isn’t best pleased when she finds out her favourite heroine is killed off in the novels. Paul later finds the true power of his novels and how they can destroy someone’s life. Literally.

  • Closer

    Closer (22 Sept – 1 Oct 2011)

    Would-be writer Dan supports himself by writing obituaries. He chances upon Alice when she is hit by a car. Alice quickly falls in love with him and Dan writes a book about her. A year later he is being photographed for a publicity show by Anna who he begins to fall for – Anna rejects […]

  • Two Way Mirror (17-26 November 2011)

    Two Way Mirror is an incision into the psyche of the modern world; Arthur Miller skillfully tears apart our idea of perception, reality and redemption in the way only a master of modern drama can. To keep the drama fresh and give the show an extra edge, this production saw the four actors alternate parts […]

  • A Christmas Carol

    Ebenezer Scrooge is mean, probably the meanest man in London. He is mean to his customers, his employees and even his own nephew, Fred. If that wasn’t bad enough, it’s Christmas Eve and Scrooge is even more grouchy than usual. If he had his way, Christmas would be cancelled altogether! That is, until he is […]

  • Teachers

    Teachers (16-30 December 2011)

    A fast-moving and entertaining play which brings alive the vigour of life at a Comprehensive school. A drama teacher struggles to put on an end of term play, but has to push against disruptive classes, cynical colleagues and unhelpful caretakers. This loud, cheery comedy has a poignant end which underlines its pointed political thrust.

  • Lady Windermere’s Fan (1-10 March 2012)

    Lady Windermere is a well respected women who has her suspicions about her husband. He has recently been spending a lot of time with mysterious older women, Mrs Erlynne.

  • Treasure Island (2013)

    Treasure Island (5-15 April 2012)

    Jim Hawkins and his mother barely escape death when pirates descend on their home, the Admiral Benbow Inn, in search of a map, that belonged to Billy Bones, revealing the location of buried treasure, which both Jim and Doctor Livesey are determined to find. With a ship and a one-legged seaman and a crew they […]

  • Frozen (31 May – 9 June 2012)

    One evening ten-year-old Rhona goes missing. Her mother, Nancy, retreats into a state of frozen hope. Agnetha, an American academic, comes to England to research a thesis: “Serial Killing – A Forgivable Act?” Then there’s Ralph, a loner who’s looking for some distraction. Drawn together by horrific circumstances, these three embark on a long, dark […]

  • The Arabian Nights (23 Aug – 1 Sept 2012)

    Long ago a king named Shahriar reigned from Persia to the borders of China. The king had a wife whom he loved more than all the world, but one day he retuned home early from hunting to find her in an embrace with a servant. The king ordered his Vizir to put her to death […]

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream

    A Midsummer Night’s Dream (27 Sept – 6 Oct 2012)

    Egeus orders his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius but she refuses because she and Lysander are in love. Her friend Helena is in love with Demetrius but is also in love with Hermia. Hermia and Lysander run away to the woods, pursued by Demetrius who is in return pursued by Helena. Meanwhile In the woods, […]

  • Dracula

    Dracula (25 Oct – 3 Nov 2012)

    On the coast of England a ship with only a dead man strapped to the wheel and dark sails flying from it’s mast crashes into the shore and a mysterious black dog leaps to land and disappears. Elsewhere in England psychiatrist Dr Seward is confused by his patient Renfield’s obsession with life and the nearby property […]

  • Misery (8-10 Nov 2012)

    Best-selling novelist , Paul Sheldon is on his way back from a holiday when he is in a crash due to a freak blizzard. He is found by no one other than “His number one fan”, Annie Wilkes. She takes him back to her home (surprisingly without telling anyone) and isn’t best pleased when she […]

  • Peter Pan (2012)

    Peter Pan (15-29 December 2012)

    Our story begins in Kensington Gardens, London, where Wendy, John and Michael Darling are playing in their nursery. The three children are visited by Peter Pan who, with the help of his tiny friend, the fairy Tinkerbell, takes the children on a magical flight to Never Land. This enchanted island is home to Peter, Tink, […]

  • Messy Jessie (23-29 Dec 2012)

    An experimental theatre performance that explores children’s response to theatre as a first experience. The part improvised, sensory performance is aimed at children aged between 2-5 years old, and is told from the point of view of 3 years old ‘Messy Jessie’ who journeys around the space. The performance will offer a shared experience for […]

  • Twelfth Night (31 Jan – 9 Feb 2013)

  • Lady Chatterley’s Lover (7 – 16 March 2013)

    Lady Chatterley’s Lover Lady Chatterley’s Lover was originally published in 1928 and the book soon became notorious for its story of the physical relationship between a working class man and an upper class woman. It’s explicit descriptions of sex, and its use of unprintable words. In this stunning adaptation by Roman De Fruscan, all the […]

  • An Ideal Husband (18-27 April 2013)

  • Blithe Spirit (7-15 June 2013)

  • Doctor Faustus (15-24 Aug 2013)

  • Treasure Island (2013)

    Treasure Island (26-28 Sep 2013)

    Jim Hawkins and his mother barely escape death when pirates descend on their home, the Admiral Benbow Inn, in search of a map, that belonged to Billy Bones, revealing the location of buried treasure, which both Jim and Doctor Livesey are determined to find. With a ship and a one-legged seaman and a crew they […]

  • Jekyll & Hyde (2015)

    Jekyll and Hyde (31 Oct – 9 Nov 2013)

    John Utterson tries to unravel the mystery illness which has afflicted his friend, Henry Jekyll, while a dark and sinister man prowls the streets of London.

  • The Enchanted Tales (14-28 Dec 2013)

    Blue Orange Arts presents The Enchanted Tales – three 30 minute timeless classics. Rumpelstiltskin by The Brothers Grimm is a fairytale which tells the story of a malevolent imp who grants a wish to a miller’s daughter but with strings attached. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen tells the tale of a young boy […]

  • Bouncers (30 Jan – 8 Feb 2014)

    Four girls out to have fun. Four boys out to pull girls. Four men who have seen it all before.

  • Macbeth (6-15 Mar 2014)

  • A Female Perspective (10-12 Apr 2014)

  • George’s Marvellous Medicine (1-10 May 2014)

  • The Mikado (5-14 June 2014)

  • Statistics Unavailable (13-14 Jul 2014)

  • Alphabet Avenue (19-27 Jul 2014)

  • The 39 Steps (28 Aug – 6 Sep 2014)

  • Frankenstein (24 Oct – 8 Nov 2014)

  • The Wind in the Willows

    The Wind in the Willows (13 Dec 2014 – 3 Jan 2015)

  • Love Stories (12-14 Feb 2015)

  • Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre (26 Mar – 7 Mar 2015)

  • Turn of the Screw

    The Turn of the Screw (23 Apr – 2 May 2015)

  • James and the Giant Peach

    James and the Giant Peach (23 May – 7 Jun 2015)

  • Edward II (17-26 Sep 2015)

  • Jekyll & Hyde (2015)

    Jekyll and Hyde (18-21 Nov 2015)

  • Peter Pan (2012)

    Peter Pan (19 Dec 2015 – 2 Jan 2016)

    Our story begins in Kensington Gardens, London, where Wendy, John and Michael Darling are playing in their nursery. The three children are visited by Peter Pan who, with the help of his tiny friend, the fairy Tinkerbell, takes the children on a magical flight to Never Land. This enchanted island is home to Peter, Tink, […]

  • Romeo and Juliet

    Romeo and Juliet (4-13 Feb 2016)

  • The Jewellery Quarter at War

    The Jewellery Quarter at War (12-19 Mar 2016)

  • The Last 5 Years (25 May 2016)

    Jason Robert Brown's intimate portrayal of the five year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hiatt opens a window in to the lives of a young writer and his muse just as love captures them and then lets them go.

  • Alice in Wonderland

    Alice in Wonderland (28 May – 11 June)

    Join Alice as she tumbles down the rabbit hole and meets a fascinating array of characters who lead her on a series of increasingly confusing adventures in Wonderland!

  • Macbeth Gone Mental

    Macbeth Gone Mental (17 June)

    Macbeth - a classically dark and tragic tale of corruption, murder and betrayal. This time however, it’s different. For their fourth outing, Tap the Table Productions will present Shakespeare’s quintessential tragedy as a rip-roaring comedy and a tribute to the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

  • Breakneck Hamlet

    Breakneck Hamlet (25 June)

    American actor and author Timothy Mooney recklessly slices Shakespeare’s four-hour masterpiece to an inspiring and hilarious hour-long romp!

  • Billy Liar

    Billy Liar (25 June)

    Bored by his dead-end job as an undertaker’s clerk, Billy Fisher dreams of life in the big city as a comedy writer. But his constant lying has him juggling two fiancees and getting into trouble at work. 

  • Losha

    Losha (5 – 8 July)

    Have you ever wondered where things go when you forget them?

    Meet Losha, a magical creature, who likes to collect things, small things, important things, things that have been forgotten. She will share the memories of half remembered stories and bring forgotten dreams to life in a delicate world of light and shadows.

  • Birmingham Fest

    Birmingham Fest (15-31 July)

    Birmingham’s annual independent theatre festival is back! Click here to see our programme of events (still being compiled) or below to visit the festival’s website. www.birminghamfest.co.uk

  • Peek-a-Boo (22-31 Aug 2015)

  • What’s in Store? (30 Nov)

    What’s in Store for the very busy department store this Christmas? Let the old reliable cleaners take you on a journey to discover what happens in the different departments with their characterful staff and managers. And who exactly will win the competition for the best Christmas Display? Find out by coming and watching the Blue […]

  • Plan 9 From Outer Space

    Plan 9 From Outer Space (1-10 September)

    We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. Friends, we cannot keep this a secret any longer! Unexplainable flying saucers lighting up the night sky!!  Strange and secret experiments at the old Lake Marsh place.  Deadly, mutated, atomic  creatures and […]

  • dial-m-for-murder

    Dial M for Murder (22 Sept – 1 Oct)

    After learning of his wife Margot’s affair, Tony Wendice plots the perfect murder. Hoping to inherit her substantial fortune, he hires an old classmate to carry out the deed. But when Margot’s assailant ends up dead himself, Tony is forced to formulate the perfect plan B. Soon Margot finds herself framed for premeditated murder and […]

  • Birmingham Jazz (2 Dec)

    Pavillon is a 12 Piece ensemble led by French Horn Player Jim Rattigan. The group exclusively plays Rattigan’s compositions and features some of the most exciting and in- demand instrumentalists in the UK. This is an exceptionally dynamic ensemble, which is the result of a highly creative line-up of Alto, tenor and baritone saxes, three […]

  • A Potpourri of Harps (15 Oct)

    International harpist Robin Ward presents a mixed programme of Celtic and Classical music on a variety of rarely heard harps. Taking you on a musical journey from Renaissance Italy to the music of Welsh Gypsies. The French Salon through Andalucían Spain and the harpers of the British isles. Originally from New Zealand, and now resident […]

  • Birmingham Improv Festival 2016 (21-23 Oct)

    Welcome to Birmingham’s first ever Improv Festival.  “Putting Birmingham on the Improv Map, and Improv on the Birmingham Map.” Friday 21st October- Sunday 23rd October 2016 At the Blue Orange Theatre Birmingham Improv Festival is bringing together some of the best improvised comedy performers in the UK, giving you the chance to watch top-quality improv […]

  • DRACULA the musical

    DRACULA the musical (28 Oct – 5 Nov)

    Drink deep... and live forever! Join us for a terrifying and passionate new musical based on one of the most frightening novels ever written.

  • From Tears to Tango (12 Nov)

    Harpist Robin Ward and Recorder player Andrew Collis present a programme show casing the adaptability and versatility of these instruments in a programme of music that flows from Dowland’s famous Pavan lachrimae through French courtly dances, J S Bach, Bartok’s Romanian dances to Argentinian tango. Robin is truly a unique musician, in that he performs […]

  • The Wizard of Oz

    The Wizard of Oz (17 Dec – 31 Dec)

    When a tornado sweeps Dorothy and her dog Toto into the Land of Oz, she discovers that her Kansas farmhouse has landed right on top of The Wicked Witch of the East! Dorothy learns about the wonderful Wizard of Oz who lives in the Emerald City and sets off to find him, hoping that he […]

  • The Snow Queen (4 Jan – 7 Jan)

    Jars of Clay Theatre Co. presents The Snow Queen Our story starts with the tale of a wicked mirror, too horrid to behold. Shattered into countless tiny fragments, it’s villainy infects the hearts of multitudes making their love turn cold. Kay and Gerda are the very best of best friends…but when pieces of the looking […]

  • Lady Chatterley’s Lover National Tour

    Lady Chatterley’s Lover National Tour: 26th January to 25th February 2017 Lady Chatterley’s Lover was originally published in 1928 and the book soon became notorious for its story of the physical relationship between a working class man and an upper class woman. In this stunning adaptation by Roman De Fruscan, all the elements of tension […]

  • A Garden of Delights with Eleanor Turner (12 Feb)

    Eleanor Turner presents a varied programme of light classics ranging from Satie’s Gnossiene to Eleanor’s transcription of Amelies Suite by Yann Tiersen, La source by Harpist composer Alphonse Hasselman and Ain’t Misbehavin by Fats Waller. Since her London concerto debut with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, aged just fifteen, British harpist Eleanor Turner has gained a worldwide […]

  • Dummy (18 Feb)

    DUMMY! A two person comedy improv show from DUMMY, winners of iO Chicago’s Del Award for “Best Improv Show” in 2013 and 2014. DUMMY  is Colleen Doyle and Jason Shotts, direct from Chicago iO Theatre, appearing for one night only in Birmingham! Jason Shotts and Colleen Doyle are a couple, and with a combined seventeen-some-odd years improv […]

  • Musicals Discovered II (17 March)

    Musicals Discovered II is about hearing and enjoying songs that deserve a wider audience. Performed by the Night Project Theatre Ensemble, they invite you to enjoy a relaxed cabaret evening in the bar of the Blue Orange Theatre. The programme will include songs you know, some you may not and new works by composers from […]

  • I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (23 March – 25 March)

    Nobody is perfect, right? For many people the road to love may not have been easy, but in this brutally honest, modern musical comedy, it has also never been so hilarious! From first dates to best mates, couple fights to swiping right, wedding bells to in-law hell, this show takes you on a jolly jaunt […]

  • The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music: Number 2 (26 March)

    Blue Orange Theatre are proud to be one of the hosts for The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music: Number 2 Presenting: Richard Barbieri (Japan/Rain Tree Crow/Porcupine Tree) With Very Special Guest GRICE Richard Barbieri will play live and will be supported by GRICE as part of a ‘double bill’ Two performances: Sunday 26th March […]

  • Private Lives (25 April – 29 April)

    Private Lives is one of the most sophisticated and entertaining plays ever written. Elyot and Amanda, once married and now honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel, meet by chance, reignite the old spark and impulsively elope. After days of being reunited, they again find their fiery romance alternating between passions of love and […]

  • The Memory of Water (20th-23rd March)

    Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Comedy, Shelagh Stephenson’s poignant and painfully funny comedy is about conflicting memories, life and loss. “I wish you’d stop remembering things that didn’t actually happen” Mary, Catherine and Teresa are sisters who think they share a common past. A world of disputed bicycles, midnight ice-cream sodas, Mum’s cocktail dresses […]

  • Dick Whittington (29th Mar – 7th April)

    Affordable, family panto is back in Birmingham…for Easter! Celebrate our 8th legendary family production with our PANTO PAVED WITH GOLD! From the same team that brought you Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella & Aladdin Join brave Dick Whittington and his faithful feline friend on their quest to seek fame and fortune in the city of London, where […]

  • Pottervision: Secret in the Chamber (9th April)

    The Potter parody show is back with a brand-new show, now celebrating the ridiculousness of the second Potter film. With mad props, regular wig-changes, and audience participation, the Pottervision boys take you on a Ford Anglia ride through the Chamber of Secrets with new characters, new sketches and the same old Pottervision madness. Sell-out runs […]

  • The Witching Hour (23rd – 26th May)

    Returning to Birmingham for ONE WEEK ONLY before its National Tour and London run She died. Her curse lives on. Do you dare join us for the most terrifying tale yet? Book now for the best seats and prices. Due to popular demand, the national tour of James Williams’ critically acclaimed ghost play launches at […]

  • Can’t Stop Carrying On (10th – 11th July)

    Blue Orange Arts presents – Can’t Stop Carrying On As Part of Birmingham Fest A new play about one man’s desire to carry on making Carry On films. “Certain sections of the press seem to have sore misgivings about my plans. I told them to put some talcum powder on them. It’s time to Carry […]

  • Charles Dickens: The Hanged Man’s Bride (10th – 14th July)

    Blue Orange Arts presents – Charles Dickens: The Hanged Man’s Bride As Part of Birmingham Fest “She comes towards me on the floor; always approaching; never coming nearer; always visible as if by moonlight whether the moon shines or not”. A writer struggling to reignite his creative vision. A real life crime. And a visit […]

  • Edgar Allan Poe: The Murders in the Rue Morgue (12th – 13th July)

    Blue Orange Arts presents – Edgar Allan Poe: The Murders in the Rue Morgue As Part of Birmingham Fest The original detective story. Two women are found brutally murdered in their Parisian home in the Rue Morgue – one body, virtually decapitated, the other thrust head downwards up a chimney. The Police, baffled by the […]

  • M. R. James: Whistle and I’ll Come to You (12th – 14th July)

    Blue Orange Arts presents – M. R. James: Whistle and I’ll Come to You As Part of Birmingham Fest “Who is this who is coming?” When the rational and sceptical scholar Professor Parkins takes a trip from home, he stumbles upon a mysterious whistle. Unaware of the eerie history attached to this seemingly innocuous object, […]

  • Ms Olini & The The Three Bears – The Quest for the Holy Grail of Dildos (19th -20th July 2024)

    TwoJens&Me Theatre Company presents – Ms Olini & The Three Bears – The Quest for the Holy Grail of Dildos. As Part of Birmingham Fest An Adult Panto.   Ms Olini has polished off her third husband and realises that no man alive is enough for her, with the help of her three best friends, […]

  • Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (25th – 27th July)

    Blue Orange Arts presents – Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles As Part of Birmingham Fest Lord Baskerville is found dead with mysterious footprints besides his body. His heir, Sir Henry is set to inherit the vast Baskerville fortune but with the legacy comes a deadly curse. “Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of […]

  • D.H. Lawrence: The Prussian Officer (25th -27th July)

    Blue Orange Arts presents – D.H. Lawrence: The Prussian Officer As Part of Birmingham Fest Power, Passion and Peril! Set against a militaristic backdrop, a young officer’s attraction to his orderly escalates from professional to personal, allowing a power dynamic to take hold, ultimately leading to a tormented relationship and a disturbing abuse of authority. […]

  • Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol (13th – 24th December)

    Blue Orange Arts presents – Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly and wealthy man, is well-known for his miserly ways and unkind spirit. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, who is eager for Scrooge not to share his miserable and eternal […]

  • iHands: A Life Less Lived – New Comedy Series

    iHands is a brand new comedy series available FREE on YouTube. In the first season, Izzy directs hapless actor, Richard Bridgerton, in the brand new play, A Life Less Lived. With exclusive access from page to stage – over 9 episodes – Izzy delivers (in his humble opinion) a master class in theatre production. To […]

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