Richard Wilson looks at what is heading to the stage in the world of amateur dramatics

  • Those of you looking for a theatre fix would be advised to book tickets now – August seems to be the month when every am dram group takes a well-earned break.

Before then, however, there are some fantastic shows lined up.

The first of these is an open air performance of Jane Austen’s timeless book Pride and Prejudice in Trinity College Gardens, Oxford.

For the few among you who don’t know the story yet, this could be the perfect place to see it. It is being performed by the Oxford Theatre Guild to mark the novel’s 200th anniversary, in a stage adaptation written by Peter Kenvyn Jones.

It is midway through its run and ends on Saturday, with performances starting at 8pm.

Tickets vary in price from £15-£9 and are available on 01865 305305. Blankets are available for hire in the unlikely event that the weather turns cold.

  • Hopefully it won’t be too chilly on the nights of Studio Theatre Club’s latest comedy, which starts when a young woman dressed in pyjamas turns up on the door of a country house while seeking refuge from her bullying stepfather. The risk of a scandal quickly looms.

Rookery Nook, a farce by Ben Travers, is showing at the Unicorn Theatre in Abingdon at 7.30pm from Wednesday to Saturday, July 27. Tickets are £8.50 (£7.50 concessions) on 01865 778105 or via tickets@studiotheatreclub.com.

  • For a more innocent tale come to Tom’s Midnight Garden, which is being performed by Blewbury Players at Orchard Dene Garden Centre. It runs from Wednesday to Saturday, July 27, at 8pm each night, with a 3pm matinee on the Saturday. Tom sets off on a magical journey when he hears a grandfather clock strike 13 and audiences young and old are invited to join him. Tickets are £12 adults and £6 children from blewbury players.co.uk or on 01235 515144.
  • Finally, there’s a one-off performance of Arthur Pinero’s comedy The Playgoers on Friday, August 2, at 7.30pm. The free show by the Chiltern Players is at The Reformation Pub on Gallowstree Common, where a collection will be taken for Muscular Dystrophy. Call 01189 724705 for more information.