Captivating opera, Shakespeare inspired ballet and a mesmerising look-back into war life are all set to feature at Gala Theatre this summer.
The season kicks off with the smash-hit comedy Invincible, written by Torben Betts and produced by award-winning Original Theatre Company, on Monday 2 May to Wednesday 4 May 2016.
As class and culture collide, Invincible tells the story of how Emily and Oliver downsize their middle-class London lifestyle to a small town in the north of England, inviting their new neighbours Dawn and Alan into their home.
Audiences will have plenty to sing about in May as the internationally-acclaimed West End hit Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie comes to the stage on Friday 6 May.
Adding to the sing along is winner of ITV’s I’d Do Anything, Jodie Prenger, as she steps into Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s classic musical Tell Me On A Sunday (Saturday 7 May).
Performing an illuminating mix of works that showcase the range and beauty of ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s (Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 May) latest performance starts with Wink, which is a new one-act piece from Jessica Lang.
This performance is followed by pieces from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Dream and The Taming of the Shrew, before finishing with The Moor’s Pavone.
English Touring Opera return to Gala with a double bill of opera – a classic performance of Don Giovanni (Monday 16 May) and the heart-wrenching masterpiece Iphigénié en Tauride (Tuesday 17 May).
Music fans are in for a treat as award-winning seven piece band Skerryvore bring their signature folk rock sound to Durham on Monday 30 May, after celebrating their tenth anniversary.
The James Taylor Quartet will be performing music from one of the greatest instrumentalists of his generation on Saturday 4 June, and The Drifters, who had big hits like Under the Boardwalk, Saturday Night at the Movies and Up on the Roof, will be performing in town on Saturday 11 June.
Rhythm will be brought to Durham as the annual Durham Blues Festival returns with twelve acts including headliners King King on Saturday 18 June.
Audiences will be taken on a trip through the wacky and wonderful world of Dr Seuss as juniors from Gala Theatre Stage School perform in the Seussical the Musical (Thursday 2 and Friday 3 June), with seniors following up their sell-out success of Phantom of The Opera with Jekyll & Hyde (Saturday 9 to Wednesday 13 July).
Families should prepare for an invasion on Sunday 5 June as the crazy and hilarious tale of the best-selling children’s book Aliens Love Underpants is brought to life on Gala’s stage.
To view the Gala Theatre’s full programme of events and to book tickets, visit www.galadurham.co.uk, contact the Box Office on 03000 266 600, or call in person.