Join us in celebrating our drama students at the ARU Drama Festival of Performance 2025. There will be 5 student performances across 3 venues in Cambridge from 12 May - 17 May.
The Real Housewives of History:
Monday 12 May & Tuesday 13 May 2025, 18:30
Mumford Theatre, ARU, CB1 1PT
A darkly comedic supernatural thriller, The Real Housewives of History explores feminism, power, exploitation, and the thin line between justice and vengeance- served with a ghostly twist.
When Amelia Greendale inherits the eerie Kerwick House, she expects creaky floorboards and dust- not two opinionated ghosts. Ruth Bowman, a former suffragette from the 1920s, and Sandy Wellrock, a quick-witted war widow from the 1940s, have been haunting the house for decades. Instead of scaring Amelia away, they strike up an unlikely friendship, exchanging ghostly wisdom for modern insights on feminism and society.
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Things I Know to be True:
Wednesday 14 May & Thursday 15 May 2025, 18:00
Cambridge Junction, CB1 7GX
Rosie Price, a young woman, heartbroken abroad, cut a solo trip short as she returns to the comforting arms of her family back home. The youngest of four, Rosie is now a bystander to her siblings and parents lives.
With strong themes of love, self identity, and sacrifices, Things I know to be true is a moving piece about dysfunction within families and that no matter how much you love someone, love alone won’t make them perfect.
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The Mating Rituals of Snails:
Thursday 15 May 2025, 16:30
Cambridge Junction, CB1 7GX
Plop and Gurgle bump into each other on their journeys. Will they find love or will this just be a quick fling. Finding themselves a new adventure, they both explore new opportunities and each other. A comedic and steamy One-Act-er. But this isn’t a normal love story as these two main characters are … SNAILS.
Find more info here
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The Scopeful, I:
Friday 16 May 2025, 14:30
Mumford Theatre, ARU, CB1 1PT
When a writer constantly is unable to find his groove, and unable to be proud of any work he has achieved in the film space, can a theatre commission reignite, and reinspire his spark for the arts. Zane Ulrick, (Matt Weaver) finds himself in a bar, ‘celebrating’ his success until the next client approaches him at that same bar. Emily Otis, (Sadie Young) has a new opportunity, the stage! As the two hit it off well, they make their way to the stage and meet an unconventionally driven actor, Joanna Roberts, (Beatriz Marques De Amorim) calling out the writer's bad habits. Disappointment and resentment grow until Zane has to learn a new outlook on the conversation with art and creativity.
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Damn the Dark:
Friday 16 May & Saturday 17 May 2025, 19:00
Vinyl Cambridge, CB2 3HG
"Damn the Dark" is a new play that follows the lives of five women whose paths intertwine in a Soho discotheque throughout the year of 1977. The show sees Jean, a nurse, who also works at the discotheque while her younger sister Daphne dreams of being a housewife, and their friend Layla, an ambitious journalist, who seeks free drinks in the club. They are joined by regulars of the discotheque, Margot, a Gogo dancer, and Kim, a punk enthusiast, who often clash with their views on music and politics. Despite their differences, these five women share a common struggle: navigating the challenges of womanhood in the 1970s. Fear replaces frustration in the wake of escalating violence against women, the group unites to fight for their right to feel safe at night. Armed with music, courage, and a powerful cause, everyone comes together for the Reclaim the Night march.
Set within the vibrant atmosphere of a discotheque, "Damn the Dark" is an immersive production that invites the audience to dance, celebrate, and join in the powerful bonds of disco, punk, and sisterhood.
Please note this performance will contain strobe lighting and themes of sexual assault.
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