The Dukes award-winning outdoor walkabout theatre show returns to Lancaster’s Williamson Park (July 19-August 25), with a new version of Alice In Wonderland. Set against the backdrop of the spectacular park, which has views out across Morecambe Bay, the annual summer show is for audiences of all ages, and follows Alice through the park landscape, through a topsy-turvy wonderland featuring the mischievous Cheshire Cat, tyrannical Queen of Hearts and the rest of the Wonderland characters. The Dukes' new CEO, Chris Lawson (formerly artistic director and CEO of Oldham Coliseum), said: “We have a fantastic creative team working on this production and we're excited to present what will be a show full of fantastic family fun. "This will be my first time working with the Dukes team on the Play in the Park, but I'm excited to see what we create. These shows always sell fast!" More info and tickets here

Opera North and Leeds Playhouse's "loverly" cast for their production of classic musical My Fair Lady will be headed by John Hopkins (Masters Of The Air, Poldark, Midsummer Murders) as Professor Henry Higgins and soprano Katie Bird as Eliza Dolittle. Katie steps up from Opera North’s acclaimed chorus to sing some of the most popular songs in musical theatre, including Wouldn’t It Be Loverly? and I Could Have Danced All Night. The much-anticipated revival is at the Playhouse from May 31-June 29. James Brining, Playhouse artistic director and director of My Fair Lady, said: "I'm delighted with the talent we have brought together to retell this well-loved story. Our collaboration with Opera North should be a sumptuous feast for the senses." The musical follows Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform Eliza into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed? The production features the chorus and orchestra of Opera North, with additional guest artists performing classic songs including Get Me to the Church on Time, On the Street Where You Live and I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face. Recent musical theatre collaborations between Leeds Playhouse and Opera North include critically-acclaimed revivals of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (2016) and A Little Night Music (2021/22).

While the future of a permanent theatre building for Oldham continues to be debated - will it be a new building, or will the original historic Oldham Coliseum in Fairbottom Street be rescued? - the team keeping the flame alive is bringing a 160-seat, pop-up theatre to the town centre this summer with a free welcome weekend this Saturday /Sunday, April 27-28 (10am-4pm, both days). Coliseum at the Roundabout, in the car park of the town centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, will be home to a variety of live events and an artistic programme focusing on work made in Oldham. Free events this weekend include a drumming workshop, Mr Bubbles and a beatbox workshop. Over the coming months there will be opportunities for local community groups to use the space. Exisiting Coliseum groups, including Full Circle for the over 50s, Culture and Chips (an open group for discussions about arts and culture), and Roma Connections Ia project for Roma women), will also meet there. Cultivate, the Coliseum's week-long festival for anyone keen to get into the different areas of theatre, will be held and local theatremakers will be given a small budget to develop and showcase their work through Crafted at the Coliseum. August will see the return of the Khushi Festival. Named after the Urdu word for happiness, Khushi is an annual festival showcasing work by Oldham’s South Asian communities. More info here

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.

Know your theatre: Clonter Opera Theatre, Congleton Clonter, sometimes called ‘the Glyndebourne of the North’, is on a working farm in the Cheshire countryside, not far from the Jodrell Bank radio telescope. Clonter began as informal gatherings in a barn, with seating on bales of straw. Today the venue has a 400-seat theatre (though a former hen house is still part of the backstage facilities), and a well-established programme of events. Clonter notably showcases young operatic talent, but also jazz and folk. Front of house now offers sufficient accommodation for the entire audience to enjoy a meal under one roof, either before or part-way through the performance (ordered from the house caterer or your own picnic), which is something even Glyndebourne cannot offer. Expect to meet the Cheshire set in full cry (especially after imbibing during a long interval) as your fellow opera-buffs, but this stage frequently offers future international stars in the making, so it can be worth it... Address: Swettenham Heath, Trap Rd, Congleton CW12 2LR Phone: General inquiries and box office: 01260 224514 (10am-4pm Mon-Fri and performance days). The theatre is large, the building boasting separate rooms of various sizes, allowing it to function as a theatre and for corporate hires and schools use throughout the year. The theatre website offers a range of accommodation choices for long-distance visitors. Disabled visitors are well catered for Facilities: Parking: There is a drop-off point outside the theatre entrance, and free parking. Eight bays close to the main entrance can be reserved for those with reduced mobility. Online box office: Go here if you haven't booked online at Clonter before, or here if you have. You need to open an account for online booking.

Know your theatre: Opened in 1887, the Coliseum was one of the oldest British theatres still operating, and was much loved by its loyal supporters – perhaps more so since its demise in March 2023. Once a circus, in the 1930s it was briefly a cinema before becoming the members-only Oldham Repertory Theatre. It was said to be one of the most haunted theatres in Britain, and a famous stage death occurred there in the 1940s. By the 1950s-60s the resident company helped to form the careers of Coronation Street stars Jean Alexander, Pat Phoenix, Roy Barra-clough, William Roache and local girls Barbara Knox and Anne Kirkbride. In 1978 it became the Arts Council and local authority-supported Oldham Coliseum, offering a mix of professional productions of its own and other touring shows, It was famous for its massively-popular annual pantomime. Plans for a new building were scrapped in late 2018 and the withdrawal of an Arts Council "NPO" grant in late 2022 led to the theatre's closure in March 2023. Plans are supposedly in place for a smaller replacement within three or so years, which might not retain the name. Coliseum Theatre, Oldham (closed Mar '23) Address: Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Fairbottom Street, Oldham OL1 3SW Phone: Facilities: Parking: Some on-street metered parking. Bradshaw Street car park is nearby, with a concessionary rate after 6pm. More information here Online box office: