Travelling salesman, Willy Loman, has spent his life in pursuit of the American Dream. Dissatisfied and disillusioned by life, Willy loses his grip on reality – haunted by memories and failed aspirations.

'Death of a Salesman' follows Willy Loman, an aging traveling salesman whose lifelong pursuit of the American Dream collapses under the weight of reality. Haunted by memories past, and failed aspirations, Willy clings to illusions of grandeur - at the expense of his declining career and family, particularly sons Biff and Happy, who struggle with their father's expectations. Biff’s failure to meet Willy’s dreams triggers Willy’s deeper retreat into memories and fantasies. Arthur Miller’s 20th century masterpiece exposes the tragic cost of delusion in a society which advertises false hope in exchange for compliance.

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£7 Performing Arts Members

This event is taking place at the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, 40 North Bailey, Durham, DH1 3ET.

The performance will begin at 7.30pm and last for approximately 3 hours with interval. Doors will open 30 minutes before the performance begins.

The Classical acting showcase is an annual tradition where 8-10 actors perform classical monologues in a light competition.

The Classical Acting Showcase is a fantastic opportunity for those interested in developing their classical acting skills or try it for the first time. Actors work 1-on-1 with the directors to develop their pieces and perform in front of judges who are able to give constructive feedback to aid the actors development and give a light competitive nature to the competition.

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£7 Performing Arts Members

This event is taking place at Collingwood Arts Centre, Collingwood College, South Rd, DH1 3LT.

The performance begins at 7.30pm and lasts for approximately 70 minutes. Doors open 30 minutes before the show begins.

Inspired by the iconic Stephen King novel and its 1976 film adaptation, CARRIE: THE MUSICAL tells the tale of awkward teenager Carrie White navigating the difficulties of high school and her relationship with her religiously fanatic mother. When Carrie is humiliated at prom, she unleashes her telekinetic powers in vengeance that will throw her life into chaos.

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£8 Performing Arts Members

This event is taking place at the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, 40 North Bailey, Durham, DH1 3ET.

The performances begin at 7.30pm and last for 2 hours with an interval. Doors open 30 minutes before the performance begins.

Durham Drama Festival is back for 2026 with a week-long celebration of the best new plays and musicals from across the University scene.

In the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, we are welcoming three new productions:

19 Hour Dog Fight

'19 Hour Dog Fight' covers one day: open to close at an all day, all night pool and snooker bar, bartended by Felicity, and containing four regulars; Jerome, Silas, Harry, and Liam. The story revolves around Harry and Liam's psycho-sexual relationship, and works into themes of masculinity, mortality, purpose, and ego as they explore themselves and each other, leading to confrontations with Jerome and Silas (the older regulars), manic-depressive breakdowns, love, frenzy and tragedy as the sun rises.

The Dangers of Being Earnest

The Ainsely Theatre company is an amateur university theatre company, whose two directors - Frankie and Karly, have elected to put on the importance of being Earnest. Unfortunately, with miscommunications, feuds and a general lack of organization, their production goes from amateur to awful.

To Capture the Wildlife  - MUSICAL  

A boy grieving the loss of his mother meets an unusual girl each week in a graveyard. Navigating the pains of life and death, they find comfort in one another, but can their strange, transient friendship survive this tumultuous time?

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£8 Performing Arts Members

This show is taking place at the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, 40 N Bailey, Durham, DH1 3ET.

The performances will last approximately 3 hours total (approx 50 minutes per play, with an interval after each performance).

Durham Drama Festival is back for 2026 with a week-long celebration of the best new plays and musicals from across the University scene.

In the Collingwood Arts Centre, we are welcoming three new productions:

Infested

Set in WW1 November 1916, the wife is at home in England when during the Battle of the Somme the husband gets sent home because of an arm lesion and with extreme shell shock. The wife starts to question whether the person who has come home is really her husband that she loves or whether it's a mimic (due to shell shock and the mental effects of the war) that's infesting her home with malicious disease which manifests in the form of a deformed rat.

Part of Me

Jamie is a teenager – young, free, and on top of the world. Surrounded by his family and friends, things should be carefree and easy, but not everything is as it seems. Teenage life is confusing and we never know the full story of what goes on inside someone’s head. ‘Part of Me’ is a play about the teenage experience, mental health, growth, and most importantly, recovery.

Poetry Club  

When Martin’s wife passes away, he’s left at a loose end that he intends to tie up by starting a poetry discussion group. Playing out over the first meeting, 'Poetry Club' (working title) brings together a group of unusual people who readily make assumptions about one another.

You’ve met them all before, and you might even have been one of them. How do our first impressions of people guide the way in which we interact with them? What causes us to change our minds?

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£8 Performing Arts Members

This show is taking place at the Collingwood Arts Centre, Collingwood College Durham

The performances will last approximately 3 hours total (approx 50 minutes per play, with an interval after each performance).

Durham Drama Festival is back for 2026 with a week-long celebration of the best new plays and musicals from across the University scene.

In the Mount Oswald Hub, we are welcoming three new productions:

Oranges and Lemons  

“Do you believe in ghosts?”

“No, but I believe in being haunted.”

A group of people in their mid-20s return to their hometown after their old headmistress has passed away. As the play unfolds, we learn of their personal histories, the threads that sew these particular few together. Things that never were or could have been, times you could never go back to.

Mythweaver  

Desperate to regain the affections of her distant ex-lover Atthis, the poetess Sappho makes a late-night bid for help to the goddess Aphrodite. However, Aphrodite foresees a new love, the wealthy heiress Eirana, entering Sappho’s life, putting her at a crossroads between regret and infatuation. Supported by her mother Kleis and with an ever antagonistic relationship with her goddess guide, Sappho sets on a journey of love, loss, and poetry.

The Hope That Kills You  

Ollie Mackintosh is many things: Arsenal’s trailblazing winger, iconic England goal-scorer and the north-east's golden boy.

Ollie Mackintosh is also gay—But nobody knows that. At least nobody knew that until a photo of Ollie kissing his boyfriend is leaked online. With control wrenched from his grasp, his agent breathing down his neck and his boyfriend away on tour, Ollie is left contending with what his life and his career could look like in the face of such all-encompassing change.

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£8 Performing Arts Members

This show is taking place at the Mount Oswald Hub, The Drive, Durham.

The performances will last approximately 3 hours total (approx 50 minutes per play, with an interval after each performance).

'I am fine, thank you.' - Documentary Screening and Post-Screening Q&A (moderated by Professor Geetanjali Gangoli)

This documentary originated from the ‘We Are Hongkongers’ research project, funded by the British Academy/Wolfson Fellowship. Eleven Hongkongers, having moved to the UK since December 2019, participated in sharing their experiences and feelings in multiple filmed visits. The documentary features selected stories from these participants.

This documentary presents stories of Hongkonger migrants in the UK, each navigating their own path and defining what it means to live ‘right’ in a new land.

After parting from Hong Kong for some years and settling in a country where the language, culture and climate are vastly different from home, how would Hongkongers remember their home islands? What are the fragments of memory that they still carry?

This documentary originated from the ‘We Are Hongkongers’ research project, funded by the British Academy/Wolfson Fellowship. Eleven Hongkongers, having moved to the UK since December 2019, participated in sharing their experiences and feelings in multiple filmed visits. The documentary features selected stories from these participants.

Content warnings:  Police brutality. Strong language.

This screening is free to enter. Please book your free ticket to ensure your seat.

The screening will last 85 minutes. The doors will open 30 minutes before the show begins.

DOE is proud to present Will Todd's musical reimagining of the classic story 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', an opera for new and old fans alike.

11-year-old Alice is jolted out of her mundane daydreams during the school holidays when she encounters a talking rabbit who insists that she follow him to the mysterious Wonderland. In this fantastical place, Alice meets a host of peculiar characters who foster a sense of wonder and curiosity. However, she soon learns that all is not well in Wonderland; a mysterious and very cross Queen of Hearts seems distressingly eager to chop off everyone’s heads.  

£12.50 Standard

£9 Concession

£7 Performing Arts Members

This event is taking place at the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, 40 North Bailey, Durham, DH1 3ET.

The performances begin at 7pm or 2pm and run for approximately 3 hours with interval. Doors open 30 minutes before the performance begins.