What's on at Cygnet Theatre
May
blue vanguard jazz
28th May 2026
7:30PM
With guest artist Tara Minton (Harp/Vocals), Blue Vanguard Jazz return for their monthly session.
Tara Minton is a harpist and vocalist whose rare combination of voice and harp creates an intimate, emotionally direct live experience. Based in London since 2011, she has performed widely across the UK and Europe in venues ranging from major concert halls to small, attentive listening spaces. A former harpist with Melbourne Opera and an artist endorsed by Camac Harps, she released her debut album The Tides of Love in 2016 with a sold-out launch at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room. Her later release Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid further expands her jazz voice, combining fluid ECM-influenced writing with depth, warmth and striking originality.
June
troubled waters
12th June 2026
7:30pm
Contemporary retellings of ancient river legend, folklore & myth.
Leaping salmon, fishtail women, mythical raves and sacred springs.
scarlett pimpernel
19th June 2026
7:30pm
Formula 5: Music of art and animation
20th June 2026
2:30pm
An engaging drama of disguise, adventure, and conspiracy set between London and Paris, during the height of the French Revolution in 1792.
Combining drama and humour, this is a production of pure escapism and suspense.
Formula 5 presents a programme of music inspired by art and animation, featuring scores from films like Howl's Moving Castle and Fantasia, classical works tied to visual art, and a new collaboration between composer; Alfie Pugh and artist Hannah Wilson.
The centrepiece: Mussorgsky's Pictures From An Art Exhibition, newly arranged.
Blue vanguard jazz
25th June 2026
7:30pm
Kevin Figes is a saxophonist and composer who studied with Elton Dean and Tim Garland, and has performed and recorded with Keith Tippett. Since 2007 he has led his own quartet, releasing a series of acclaimed recordings including Changing Times (2020), which received a 4* review from The Guardian, and Wallpaper Music (2021), described as “a kaleidoscopic blizzard” in Jazzwise. He has performed at Ronnie Scott’s with artists including Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley, and is a member of Denny Ilett’s Electric Lady Big Band. His quartet has performed nationally and broadcast live from Glastonbury Festival on BBC Radio 3.
Many Ghosts of bishops philpotts
26th - 28th June 2026
7:30pm and 1pm matinees
A new play by Ashmeed Sohoye dir. by Krish Madray & Brandon Benoit-Joyce.
Exeter Drama Company present The Many Ghosts of Bishop Phillpotts, a new play based on real events, from the life of Bishop Henry Phillpotts. Old foes and long buried controversies resurface, as Phillpotts confronts past battles, with the people; the press; and truth. Whose interests was he really serving? God’s; the peoples; or his own? Most of his accusers are familiar adversaries, but why is he being visited by Eric Williams, a man who would go on to be the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago? The play asks questions about the British Establishments relation to power; and control, its past and its present, secrets and lies.
June/july
Romeo and Juliet
30th June - 5th July 2026
7:30pm and 2:30pm matinees
Shake on the Exe return this summer for the fourth chapter of their story. Step into Verona’s streets like you’ve never seen them before—where rival gangs clash under neon lights and the pulse of grime beats drives the drama. This bold retelling fuses Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy with raw urban energy, exploring forbidden love in a world of loyalty, violence, and rhythm. Expect explosive choreography, lyrical grit, and a soundtrack that shakes the stage. Modern, visceral, unforgettable—this is Romeo and Juliet for a new generation, where passion burns brighter than the city’s chaos.
Antigone Rising
9th - 11th July 2026
7:30pm
This devised exploration of the Antigone myth, highlights the conflict between: family & state, youth & experience, defiance & compromise.
Set in the aftermath of war this all female ensemble emphasises the bravery and sacrifice of this young woman who dares to confront the power of the state.
This layered and visual production returns to the ongoing question about our own individual
responsibility in the face of oppression, crisis and injustice; and asks can we stand up to and speak truth to power in todays world.
‘when you are powerless, wild gestures and heroic refusals are reserved for madmen’
The Wheel return to Cygnet after past productions: ‘Medea', ‘Love & War’, ‘The Mother’ and ‘The Planet & Us’