PROGRESS Theatre is kicking off its new season with The Effect, showing from Monday, September 4.
The Effect sees Tristan and Connie as they agree to take part in a clinical trial for a new anti-depressant drug.
The trial is thrown into disarray as they fall in love with one another, leaving Doctor James and Toby to question the ethics of the trial, and whether their feelings are real or just an extreme side-effect.
It explores the fault lines between pure scientific endeavour and the deeper philosophical implications of its effects on human impulses and reactions.
The Effect is running at Progress Theatre, The Mount, from Monday-Saturday, September 4-9, with tickets available via: ticketsource.co.uk/progresstheatre
The 2023/2024 season at Progress is set to see the return of WriteFest in late September, the 17th annual event which sees six short plays by writers in and around Reading.
The season will also see a Progress Youth Theatre production of Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding in November, Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather in December, Albion by Mike Bartlett in January, and Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood in May.
It will close the season with a double bill of new plays by Sarah Wright and Caroline White, followed by its staple open-air production of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, showing at Reading’s Abbey Ruins.
As well as theatre, Progress hosts a number of other events through the course of the year.
Pigfoot bring live jazz on September 15; Iszi Lawrence hosts live comedy starring Huge Davies, Rhodri Buttrick, and The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre on October 13, and an interactive performance of Alison Carr’s The Last Quiz Night on Earth in March.
Full details of Progress Theatre’s upcoming season and access to tickets are available via: progresstheatre.co.uk/2023-24-season
