With nearly 40 years’ experience in the business and as the premier name in comedy, The Comedy Store is renowned as a breeding ground for new comedy talent, and remains the place to see tomorrow’s stars today. The likes of Eddie Izzard, John Bishop, Jimmy Carr, Rhod Gilbert and Sarah Millican, have all cut their comedy teeth with us. We bring you “The Best In Stand Up” from around the globe, showcasing the brightest names in comedy today. Simply the funniest show you’ll see all year!

Johnny Cash Roadshow, a show not to be missed by avid fans or the casual listener. The only show to be endorsed by the Cash family! This year prepare for a musical adventure with the biggest production to date. The UK’s No.1 celebration of Johnny Cash, fronted by award winning singer/songwriter Clive John, re-creates with astounding accuracy and truly captures the essence of what it was like to be at a real Cash show! Also featuring ‘June Carter’ and the ‘Carter Sisters’ (on selected shows) along with the ‘Roadshow Horns.’ All aspects of Cash’s life are covered with impeccable taste. The show takes the audience from the 1950s right up to 2002 and all the stops in between. All the greatest hits are included, along with unmissable songs from every one of the five decade’s that the Man in Black’s career spanned. All this accompanied by evocative screen images and shots from Johnny Cash’s life.

Completing the Trilogy begun with Genius 2.0 and The Work of the Devil, Have We Met? finds Simon standing, like Ulysses in Tennyson’s famous verse, gazing out over the moaning deep and the twinkling rocks and wondering whether to seek a newer world? To smite the sounding furrows? To strive, to seek, and to find? Or whether in fact, to put the kettle on, crack open the Hobnobs and simply yield? Drawing on Joyce, Proust and the career of Philip Schofield to make sense of his own tangled past and possible future, Evans skilfully weaves comedy, pathos and narrowly averted cancellation into an unforgettable two hours of unique entertainment.

20 years in stand-up for the Taskmaster cheeky texts icon, multi-award winner, YouTube cult figure, Radio 4 favourite and recently ‘Baby Reindeer’ actor: Watson returns after seasons at the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Edinburgh comedy festivals. A recent encounter with a stranger caused Mark to spend some time pondering the uncertain future facing humanity. He explores this – along with equally pressing matters like the worst word he has ever said in public, the current state of the UK sausage industry, and much more – in a typically frantic and fun-packed new show.

Ahoy Sailors! Old Time Sailors is a flashmob musical show designed to take the audience back in time through an unforgettable trip to the 19th century. The crew is composed of 17 musicians playing fully unplugged to ensure the most authentic experience. Over 40 songs and tunes where the audience will sing and dance surrounded by drunken Sailors, witnessing an astounding show! Join us and become an old time sailor; and have a truly memorable night out!

Laugh out proud is a brand new LGBTQIA+ comedy night Featuring the best in established and upcoming acts from the community on the UK comedy circuit. Hosted by bisexual comedian Mark Cram it’s always a belting evening of comedy gold with a tonne of laughs. Whether it's comedy, cabaret or anything in between - Laugh Out Proud is the queer night out you're looking for.

Milkshake! Live is back with a brand-new show! Join your favourite Milkshake! friends on Holiday with Dora, Pip and Posey, Blue from Blues Clues and You!, Milo, Milkshake! Monkey plus two of your Milkshake! presenters for an all-new adventure! Pack your bags and jump aboard the Milkshake! train as we go on an all singing, all dancing holiday together! It's a family show not to be missed!

Apparently caterpillars completely break down into goo before they become butterflies. Come join comedian Sara Pascoe as she reconsiders and reconstructs herself after having two babies and very little sleep.

Based on the beloved book by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. These pirates SO love underpants! Join our swashbuckling party of pirates on their quest to find the fabled Pants of Gold for the Captain’s Treasure chest! Dodge hungry crocs beneath Long-John Bridge, bob upon the waves of Big Knickers Bay, spot sharks in fancy underpants and trek across Three Pants Ridge. Filled with music, puppetry and glittering pants of gold, arrr you ready to set sail for a family adventure? Pirates Love Underpants is suitable for children aged 1+.

Rude Science Live The naughtiest, funniest, most revolting science show in the world. Brace yourselves for BBC Gastronaut Stefan Gates’ revolutionary, high-tech, highly-explosive new show, packed with outrageous science stunts. On the surface it’s a riot of disgusting experiments built to delight young audiences but under the bonnet it’s a brilliantly-constructed curriculum-driven adventure designed to inspire Britain’s kids with a lasting fascination for science. Expect enormous bottoms, frt machines, snot cocktails, vast whoopee cushions, pee-powered fireworks and ear-wax-oozing mannequins in this celebration of the fascinating bodily science essential to life. The show transforms complex biology, physics and chemistry into educational hilarity using Stef’s signature stunts and encyclopaedic science knowledge. Stefan Gates is an award-winning presenter of 20 TV series (including five for CBBC including Incredible Edibles, Gastrolab and Gastronuts), and a STEM author of 12 books (including Fartology and Science You Can Eat), and he’s internationally renowned for his clever, high-octane, highly-educational stage shows that inspire young audiences to fall in love with science.

NHS anaesthetist, comedian and author Ed Patrick injects the Edinburgh Fringe with a gut-punch show about becoming a junior doctor, the NHS, the pitfalls of modern medicine and the power of questioning it. There’s plenty of laughing gas to go round. 'Brilliantly funny’ (Matt Lucas). ‘Had the audience in fits of laughter’ (The Scotsman) 'Extremely funny' (Telegraph) 'Masterful, playfully provocative writing' (Chortle.co.uk). 'Packed with funny anecdotes' (Guardian). As seen on Channel 4 and heard on BBC Scotland, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4. Edpatrickcomedy.com

UK tour of the stage adaptation of the 1994 movie by the same name. Starring Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden, Priscilla is the hilarious adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus bound for the Outback to put on the show of a lifetime. Their epic journey is a heart-warming story of self-discovery, sassiness and acceptance. With more glitter than ever before, this smash-hit show features a dazzling array of stunning costumes, fabulous feathers and a non-stop parade of dance-floor classics including It's Raining Men, Hot Stuff, I Will Survive, I Love the Night Life, Finally and many more!

Wolsey writers Meet. Write. Share. Wolsey Writers is a creative writing group based at New Wolsey Theatre since 2015. Our community includes novelists, scriptwriters, poets, storytellers, children’s literature, comedy, and nonfiction. We welcome writing in any genre. We welcome writers from diverse backgrounds. We welcome all levels of experience and aspirations of every size - from haiku to blockbuster trilogy. Led by Katie Ward, an award-winning author from Suffolk, every session includes tips to improve your creative practice, focused writing time, peer support and inspiration. ‘I come away from Wolsey Writers wanting to go home and write. That’s how I feel.’ ‘You have boosted my ability to ‘just write’ beyond my expectations and it is helping me push my current novel forward.’ ‘Humble, informative and inspirational - that is surely the success and key to Wolsey Writers.’ Suitable for adults, and young people age 16+ with a commitment to creative writing. Check socials for updates, including our next theme: Instagram @wolseywriters; Twitter/X @WolseyWriters; Facebook @katiewardwriter. Throughout 2025 Wolsey Writers will meet on the first Saturday of the month (except August) in the upstairs bar. Doors open 10am for 10:30am start (ends 12pm). Tickets are pay what you feel.

Ipswich’s favourite Rock ‘n’ Roll panto hits the New Wolsey Theatre stage this winter with ‘Beauty and the Beast’ - and it’s set to be an absolute monster of a show! The fabulous Dame Mrs Ringer is making wedding plans for her daughter, unaware that Belle and her feathered friend Pigeon have bigger interests at heart, as they dare to unlock a mysterious 1000-year-old Ipswich door and help the Beast to undo the evil Snarlina’s spell! Can the Beast break the curse in time by learning to love again? Can Belle see beyond his fearsome appearance? And will Pigeon be able to help save the day without getting in a flap? Find out in our latest spectacular festive show for all ages that’s packed full of magical adventure, hilarious panto gags and incredible rock and pop hits all played live by an exceptionally talented cast!

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent School Edition is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages. Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, Rent School Edition follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical. Rent School Edition is exuberant, passionate and joyous and will be brought to life by the award-winning Co-op Juniors Theatre Company. This is an amateur production presented as part of the New Wolsey’s Summer '25 programme.

“Good things come to those who bake...” Inspired by the Channel 4 show and fresh from the West End, The Gallery Players are proud to celebrate their 40th anniversary with the area premiere of The Great British Bake Off Musical. Follow the musical journey of 8 contestants as they whisk, knead, and bake their way to glory, all whilst juggling love, fame and petit fours. Can the bakers prove that they know how to prove, whilst under the watchful blue and bespectacled eyes of TV’s favourite judges? Watch as The Bake Off tent comes to life - from tense technical challenges to joyous showstoppers - the musical creates a vibrant and immersive experience. Expect a rollercoaster of emotions as friendships form, cakes collapse, and dreams come true. Directed and Choreographed by Wade Ablitt (Parade, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole) and Music Directed by Matthew Snow (Fun Home, Parade), “...Bake Off” features a stellar cast of East Anglia’s leading amateur talent... no soggy bottoms here! This hilarious and heartwarming new musical blends the charm of the hit TV show with toe-tapping original songs! Whether you're a die-hard Bake Off fan or simply love a good musical, this is a theatrical treat that promises to rise to the occasion. This is an amateur production presented as part of the New Wolsey’s Summer '25 programme.

Booking an Audio Described performance? Add a Pre-show Touch Tour! The Touch Tours for Beauty and the Beast start one hour before the performance. Please meet at the Box Office. Please only book in as many places as are needed as numbers are limited for these events. For many blind, partially sighted or visually impaired theatregoers, a touch tour is an essential part of the theatre experience. Having access to the stage and set before a performance is a way of firming up the descriptive information they may have already received and provides them with extra detail to allow them to engage with the production. Customers will explore the space, and may like to handle selected props, costumes and furniture. A touch tour ticket is not a ticket to the performance, these are booked separately through the Beauty and the Beast event page linked below.

In celebration of the release of her hilarious memoir of the same name, comedian, novelist and professional show-off Jenny Eclair comes to venues nationwide with a brand-new autobiographical show. From drama school (mostly drinking cider and eating sausage rolls), sleeping with men who looked like they lived under a carpet, punk poetry, anorexia, bedsit misery, waitressing and not really having a clue about anything, to being the first woman to win the Perrier Award, becoming a mother, author, grumpy old woman, podcaster and nana! Still gigging to sell-out crowds forty years later, Jenny invites you to look back at what she can remember before she forgets everything. Warning: punk poetry, animal impressions and baritone nursery rhyme singing may feature.

Expect an evening of live vocals; belting out big band ballads, disco classics and songs you'd sing down the pub with the nation's number one tart. If you ain't a fan of dirty foul jokes and absolute smut then walk on by as this x-rated comedy extravaganza is not one for the faint hearted and is going to be very very arsh! So, come and party with the council estate princess herself and celebrate a 20-year career from queen of the boozers to international superstar! With stories and tales ranging from meeting the Queen to the backstage goss on RuPaul's Drag Race! Expect a night of sequins, wigs, feather boas and big jewellery, as this is a show for all the huns to dance around their handbags and go wild in the aisles.

The world’s most infamous miser, four ghosts and more than 20 other characters come to life in a ghostly tale of damnation and redemption. Ages 12+. Tickets from £15

In this gleeful comedy set in three bedrooms, four couples struggle hilariously with the ups and downs of their rocky relationships. Ernest and Delia are a middle aged couple trying to celebrate their wedding anniversary in peace, meanwhile newly-weds Malcolm and Kate are hosting a house warming party inviting Jan and Nick who are themselves navigating the pitfalls of commitment and a very bad back. Throw in troubled pair Trevor and Suzannah who create havoc wherever they go and you dive into a hilarious world of misunderstandings, mishaps and marital mayhem with Alan Ayckbourn’s uproarious play. With its charm, chaos, physical comedy, and Ayckbourn's trademark razor-sharp dialogue, Bedroom Farce is a laugh-out-loud masterpiece that will leave you smiling long after the curtain falls.

125 Years of Jazz Piano with The James Pearson Trio Pianist, composer, and Artistic Director at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club, James Pearson brings to life the incredible music and stories behind the evolution of jazz piano - from Ragtime to Stride, Boogie Woogie to Big Band, and much more. James and his trio of world-class musicians take us on a whistle-stop tour through a century of jazz piano greats. Featuring a sparkling collection of numbers celebrating the music from the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, George Shearing, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson and many more - this is a show full of anecdotes, wit, and virtousic piano playing.

It’s Easter weekend on the Carter family’s farm. In the fields, the soil is dying. In the shed, lambing season is in full swing. In the village church, a secret love is blooming. In the front seats of a rusty transit van, a brutal revenge is plotted. And around the kitchen table, the extended Carter family struggle to face the future. Black Sheep is a contemporary psalm about rural life, a razor-sharp account of the dilemmas facing generations of farming families. A curious directive production, developed with the support of the National Theatre Generate Programme.

Can words be the greatest escape? Welcome to HMP Ditchfield, where each week a group of prisoners are tasked with writing their own plays. From boxing rings to the Brazilian rainforest, from tragic pasts to wildly imaginative futures, these men learn that theatre is more than words on a page - it’s a way to reclaim their voices. But as creativity collides with authority, tensions rise, secrets unravel, and laughter turns to rebellion. Witty, raw, and full of heart, Penned Up is a powerful celebration of storytelling, second chances, and the unexpected bonds that form behind bars. Written by award winning playwright Danusia Iwaszko, who uses her more than 15 years' experience of teaching playwriting to prisoners to explore what life is actually like behind bars. Think Porridge meets Brassed Off - both a laugh riot and a gut-punch. Supported by Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Community Foundation, Synergy Theatre Project, The Drapers’ Company, Menagerie, St Giles

Welcome to this great, big, tiny world. It may be very old, but for us it’s brand new. Settle in amongst hundreds of real plants, to watch, hear and feel the world come to life all around you. Here we’re all a connected ecosystem, where the magic happens somewhere between us. Filled with beautiful sounds, scents, music, shadows and sensory objects, even the tiniest things play an important part. The world is different, now you are here. Created by internationally acclaimed sensory theatre company Oily Cart, especially for babies aged 0-12 months and their adults. Inspired by When the World Turns, a collaboration between Oily Cart (UK) and Polyglot Theatre (AUS)

A couple devastated by loss escape to the shadowed canals of Venice, hoping to leave their past behind - but the city has other plans. As eerie visions blur the line between the living and the dead, an ominous presence stalks them through the labyrinthine streets. Fate is closing in - can one truly escape their destiny? A masterclass in slow-burning dread and supernatural unease, Daphne du Maurier’s Don’t Look Now is a spine-chilling, thrilling descent into grief, guilt and the terrifying possibility that some warnings should never be ignored.

The inimitable Natalie Williams leads the UK’s finest Motown and Soul show with hits from Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and more.

A high-energy comedy with a punchy political message about the state of our country’s education system. Gail, Hobby and Salty are presenting their hilarious end-of-term play, one that tells the tale of their new drama teacher’s progress at their chaotic school. After two terms of rowdy students, downtrodden colleagues and a system on the brink, will this idealistic teacher be swayed by the calmer waters of a local private school? With only the props of their classroom to hand and just three actors taking on over 20 different roles, Teechers is a tour-de-force of live theatre and storytelling. Schools Tickets for students are £13 with a free teacher ticket for every 10 students in your group. Please note that a deposit of 15% of your total booking price will be required within one month of your booking being confirmed. Alongside the show, we are running some additional educational resources: Masterclasses: Taking place at 11am, before the 1:30pm performances on Wed 1 and Thu 2 Oct, this will be an opportunity for your students to work with some of the creatives of the show. Masterclasses cost an additional £3 per student. Post-Show Talks: Taking place after the 10:30am show on Mon 29 Sep and 6:30pm show on Tue 30 Sep, this is a chance to ask any questions to the cast and creatives on the show.

Presented by The Comedy Store The world-famous Comedy Store is back with another talented line-up for two hours of side-splitting comedy! Sat 30 Aug 7:30pm Ages 18+

Join us on an adventure, where your senses lead the way. You will become part of a fantastical world where animals, plants and objects are brought to life all around you. Here you can fully be yourself. Here, you are an important part of the eco-system. This immersive, sensory performance will take you into the heart of a living landscape, featuring surround-sound, singing, lights, shadows, scents, water, puppetry and over 300 plants. When the World Turns playfully explores our connection with each other and the world around us. When the World Turns is an award-winning, accessible show from the pioneers of Sensory Theatre, Oily Cart. You can expect small audience numbers to allow for lots of up-close sensory moments, a gentle pace, and plenty of breathing space for processing. The show has been expertly crafted for and with disabled children of all ages who experience the most barriers to access (children who have been labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities.) When the World Turns, a collaboration between Polyglot Theatre (AUS) and Oily Cart (UK), was originally commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne for major arts and disability festival Alter State 2022. The development and premiere was supported by the UK/Australia Season Patrons Board, the British Council and the Australian Government as part of the UK/Australia Season, with further support from the Cassandra Gantner Foundation, State Trustees Australia Foundation, the Jennifer Prescott Family Foundation, the Marian and E.H. Flack Trust, ArtPlay, Arts Council England and ecoDynamics. The UK version of When the World Turns has received support from Arts Council England, The Boshier-Hinton Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Wandsworth Council, funders that wish to remain anonymous and individual donors.

For the first time since 1881, the home of dinosaurs, London's Natural History Museum, is going on tour! Ever since they were first identified in the 1800s, dinosaurs have sparked the imagination of kids and adults alike and for the first time ever, the world-renowned Natural History Museum has teamed up with Mark Thompson Productions to take you on a dinosaur adventure like no other. We'll go on a pre-historic journey together to the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods and watch the life-like dinosaurs come alive right on stage! Not only that, but we'll also find out more about fossils, time scales, and how our planet has changed over hundreds of millions of years. So get ready for a roaring experience like no other as Natural History Museum presents Dinosaurs Live.

Warning! Warning! 100% Educational. 200% Entertaining. 300% Explosive. 400% Fun. This is a public safety announcement... Please keep your head firmly on your shoulders, and your arms, legs and feet inside the ride at all times – Ministry of Science Live is about to explode onto the stage! Ministry of Science Live is not your ordinary science show – it comes with a bang. It comes with a whoosh. But most of all it comes with a hovercraft built on stage! This new production takes an anarchic approach to science communication whilst looking at the inventors and engineers who have shaped and inspired the modern world that we live in. From Liquid Nitrogen frozen flowers to Hydrogen Bottle Rockets. From Buzz Aldrin to Virgin Galactic. From a cat food tin to the Hovercraft. From the discovery of Methane to the invention of the Battery. Join the super talented presenters and the voiceover from above (X Factor's Peter Dickson) as they take you on a journey using brilliantly designed demonstrations with a few loud bangs to lead the way. Fingers in ears advised...

“When you have one of the first brains of Europe up against you, and all the powers of darkness at his back, there are infinite possibilities” London, 1901. As the British Empire wages war in the name of a Queen whose health is failing, a series of mysterious events reveals a crack in the high corridors of power. A crack that threatens to destabilise monarchy, government and Empire. And at its centre, controlling the flow of information and influence, a shadowy figure plans a final deadly move. Drawn into the game and unsure who to trust, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves confronting figures from their past in a desperate race against time, aware that the most powerful person in the world could be in the pocket of one of the most corrupt. But just how much is Holmes willing to sacrifice as he faces ‘checkmate’? A thrilling adventure based on the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty is a world premiere combining powerful performances, a haunting soundscape and innovative design for an exhilarating theatrical experience. “One of the most innovative, audacious companies working in contemporary English theatre” The Stage Suitable for age 11+