Ben Duke Rambert The Lowry April 18-20, 2024; 1hr 40mins (also Newcastle Theatre Royal, April 25-26) This Lowry double-bill lasts 100 minutes, including a 20 minute interval. Of this time there is about 50% dancing, with the rest an ironic take on the idiotic questions asked by interviewers... ("And how did you feel when Eurydice died?"), or rather good music, sung by Sheree Dubois. In fact to my eyes the second piece should really have been billed as a Nina Simone concert, with the odd bit of dance to accompany it. Rambert changed its name from Ballet Rambert some years ago, and this piece seems to sum up the change. When you have some of the best contemporary dancers in Britain, who possess an ability to express all kinds of deep emotions, it seems a shame to under-use them. Director Ben Duke has built a reputation for incorporating all aspects of musical and dance theatre into his work, but in these two pieces he appears to have forgotten that dance audiences come to see great dancers using their skills. We may wish to be amused, but not at the expense of the creativity of the dance. But amid the dross there are moments of wonder. Again the dancers seem able to overcome the restraints of the production to show what they could have done for the audience. In the first half there is a wonderful piece of movement as the troupe show how to fly through the auditorium without artificial aids but using their whole body to produce a moment of magic. It's invidious to pick out individuals, but any dancer who can entrance while using a stick to balance takes your breath away. Some of the ideas - such as the use of a dancer attached to a rope, moving across the stage to the sound of a drummer (Romana Campbell) to illustrate the process of the inevitable transition of life to death, play well. But that’s because they use the skills of the dancers to good effect. If only the lesson had been followed through. So, if you like music by Nina Simone, the second half is great. If you don’t mind watching an interviewer asking strange questions and getting strange answers then the two wonderful small pieces of dance in each half could be sufficient. But if you want the experience of creative expression through physical movement, this may not be your best choice. More info and tickets here

Bolton's Octagon Theatre is making attending the theatre more accessible for more people by offering hundreds of £4 tickets a year to Bolton residents on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, or living in low-income households. Working with local partner organisations, the scheme will take price out of the equation for many people who like theatre but can't afford to go. Any Bolton resident on Universal Credit or Pension Credit or referred by one of the Octagon’s ticket access partners will be able to buy £4 tickets for any of the Octagon's home-produced shows. Bolton is currently the 34th most-deprived local authority in the country, with 37 per cent of local young people living in poverty. The scheme will offer over 1,000 £4 tickets every year, and follws the declaration of Bolton as Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture. The £4 offer is in addition to thousands of £15 tickets available throughout the year, giving the Octagon some of the lowest theatre prices in the UK. Chief Executive Roddy Gauld commented: “Our audiences tell us what fantastic value the Octagon is, but the price can still be a barrier for some, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. We are proud to offer some of the most affordable theatre tickets in the country. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the magic of live theatre.” More info here

One of the newly-resurrected London City Ballet's inaugural tour stops will be at York Theatre Royal, (September 6-7). After a 30-year gap, the company was revived last year and the new company's first UK tour features a revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972, one-act ballet Ballade, not seen in Europe for over 50 years, and a new commission by Olivier-award winner Arielle Smith. The original company closed in 1996, having been based at Sadler’s Wells, London and internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading dance collectives – Diana, Princess of Wales was its Royal patron. Meanwhile, Ockham’s Razor, the UK’s foremost circus theatre company, brings Tess, a new vision of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles (May 8-11). The show uses the original text, combined with the physical language of circus as the performers wield wooden planks, shift walls, ropes and swathes of linen to make sets that unfold and which the cast balance upon, climb, carry and construct. Also coming this autumn is the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) from November 4-9. The show won the Best Comedy Olivier Award in 2022 and is an audacious retelling of Austen’s iconic love story. New play Wonder Boy (October 29-November 2) by Ross Willis is on its first tour after receiving acclaim when it premiered at Bristol Old Vic in 2022. Directed by Olivier sward-winner Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls), it tells the story of 12-year-old Sonny, who creates a superhero to help him with his stammer. More info and tickets here

Know your theatre: The most beautifully-located profes-sional theatre in the UK, Theatre by the Lake traces its origin to 1948 and a team of theatre enthusiasts who created a 225-seat mobile theatre to take live performance around post-war Britain. The convoy of trailers arrived in Keswick for the first time in 1961, but by 1975 was unfit to tour, so the company successfully took up residence by Derwentwater. In 1996 the convoy was uprooted one last time, to be replaced by the current permanent structure, the last theatre built in Britain in the 20th Century and the first to be built – at a cost of £6.5m –with the help of the national lottery. The theatre opened in August 1999 with Charley’s Aunt . There are two stages, a 400-seat main house with a central rake that has excellent sight lines, and a 100-seat studio. The main house is large for its seating capacity, high and wide, with a stage capable of holding big shows. In the main house the company presents a busy programme of now mainly wide- appeal co-productions (partnering with theatres including Bolton Octagon and Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough) throughout the year and a wide-ranging series of studio shows. TBTL also hosts a variety of festivals and visiting companies. The theatre has a loyal local audience, alongside the many tourists who enjoy a night of theatre after tramping the fells. Theatre by the Lake, Keswick Address: Theatre by the Lake, Lakeside, Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5DJ Phone: Box Office: 017687 74411 (9.30am-7.30pm/6pm non-performance nights). Admin: 017687 72282 (9am-5pm). Catering: 017687 81102 (9am-9pm). Also available by email . The theatre is currently closed but expects to reopen in autumn 2021. Facilities: A modern theatre with modern sensibilities when it comes to loos and disabled facilities. Avoid the main theatre side seats if you can, despite their lower cost. The adjacent restaurant is open 10am-3pm daily, and a tourist attraction in itself, with views across the lake. When the theatre reopens allow plenty of time to dine as service can be slow – though there is that view to look at... Parking: The theatre is located off Lake Road and is indicated on brown tourist signs throughout the town. Lakeside car park (Allerdale Borough Council, pay and display) is next to the theatre, and in summer gets very busy, so allow plenty of time to park. Charge is £1 from 7pm-7am. Before 7pm charges vary. Go here and follow the booking route to your show choice. Online box office:

Know your theatre: Built for £95,000 by public subscription and opened in 1967, the Octagon was the first professional theatre built in the North West after World War II – one of very few 'in the round'. Particularly associated with local playwrights Bill Naughton and Jim Cartwright, the Octagon today offers a wide range of repertory productions and co-productions mixing classics and lighter material. When the theatre's future was threatened in 1999, 12,000 people signed a petition to 'Keep theatre made in Bolton', and succeeded. The theatre closed in 2018 for a £12m renovation and officially reopened, after Covid delays, on July 6 2021, with a production of The Hound Of The Baskervilles . The revamped building has a new roof, electrics and plumbing, is more environmentally friendly, has greatly improved accessibility, new restaurant, bar and back stage facilities. The Octagon's main space seats up to 390, its studio space 100. The main house has the best sight lines of any theatre – that's probably a fact. Octagon Theatre, Bolton Address: Octagon Theatre, Howell Croft St, Bolton BL1 1SB . Phone: Box Office: 01204 520661 (Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm, opt 2; applies also to group bookings). You can also contact info@octagonbolton.co.uk with general inquiries and boxoffice@octagonbolton.co.uk with booking inquiries. Facilities: The new theatre has an extensive cafe/bar area (open Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm) breakfast served until noon), extensive facilities for disabled patrons, new seating and studio and classroom spaces. Parking: Nearest car park: Octagon NCP multi-storey (BL1 1TN). Free street parking (some disabled bays) in Le Mans Crescent after 6pm, (limited spaces). Online box office: Go here for what's on and follow the show links for tickets. Access 24 hours.

Know your theatre: Wales’ largest producing theatre opened in 1976 next to County Hall, in a complex opened by the Queen. The theatre has a proud history of major productions with star international names. Theatr Clwyd productions are seen throughout the year both in Wales and on UK tours. Appointed as artistic director in 2023 Kate Wasserberg, formerly artistic director of new-writing company Stockroom and Cardiff's The Other Room, is overseeing an ambitious, £35m redevelopment project to create a large extension at the front, including a new three-storey foyer and restaurant, bar and cafe. The building has three performing spaces and a multi-purpose function room, and though the redevelopment will massively upgrade facilities, the theatre spaces won't be changed. The main Anthony Hopkins Theatre is a single-raked tier seating up to 569, with five wheelchair spaces. The Emlyn Williams Theatre is a flexible studio space for 147-250. Studio 2, built to TV broadcast standards, can hold up to 120 for performance events and is used as a second rehearsal space. The theatre also has a small cinema (capacity 113) and a large function room used for gigs (capacity 240). Theatr Clwyd Address: Raikes Lane, Mold, Wales CH7 1YA Phone: General inquiries and box office: 01352 344101 (line open 10am-6pm) Facilities: The theatre complex is large, containing theatre spaces and other events and refreshment facilities. The theatre website is here . Disabled visitors are well catered for with wheelchair access to all floors, disabled parking spaces, an induction loop for hearing aid users, some "relaxed" performances when audience movement and noise are acceptable, and facilities for visual impairment. See here for details. Parking: Once in the Mold area prominent signage points you to the theatre complex. Currently, an underground car park is closed but parking is available on a tiered open air car park. Avoid parking immediately in front of the building. Online box office: Go here if you haven't booked online at Theatr Clwyd before, or find the show on the website and follow the bookings link. Email box.office@theatrclwyd.com with queries.