Monday
Wonder.land, the new musical by Damon Albarn and Moira Buffini, and directed by Rufus Norris, starts previewing as part of the Manchester international festival. Face to Face, the annual festival of solo shows, is at the White Bear, south London, and includes work by Jack Klaff, Claire Dowie and more.
Tuesday
The Drama Centre premiere Mark Ravenhill’s latest, When the Terror has Ended the Victims will Dance, set in the aftermath of the French revolution. It’s at the Platform theatre in London. There’s your last chance to see the monstrously entertaining Yer Granny, which is at Dundee Rep. Young circus company Silver Lining premiere their new show, Throwback, at Jacksons Lane, north London. Anders Lustgarten’s horribly topical Lampedusa is back at Soho theatre.
Wednesday
Maxine Peake plays The Skriker in a new version of Caryl Churchill’s play, directed by Sarah Frankcom at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, with music by Nico Muhly and Antony. The Theatre Royal Bath’s summer season begins with Michael Pennington and Anita Dobson starring in Lindsay Posner’s revival of She Stoops to Conquer. The Greater Manchester Fringe also kicks off today and features a wide range of theatre and performance. The programme is well worth a browse. At Bristol Old Vic, Owen Sheers’ epic poem Pink Mist takes to the stage in an intimate performance exploring the lives of three young Bristol men returning from Afghanistan. Down the road at the Tobacco Factory, New International Encounter are going Around the World in 80 Days. In Cardiff, the Hijinx Unity festival has a really terrific line-up, with five days of performances showcasing some of the best inclusive and disability arts from around the world. In London, the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is celebrated in a large-scale outdoor show at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich as part of Greenwich and Docklands international festival.
Thursday
I know little about the performer – Hannah Butterfield – but rather like the sound of 21,000 Miles of Rail at Cast in Doncaster tonight; it’s a one-woman show about northern railways, encounters and connections. What are the consequences of taking up arms for Queen and country? The veteran experience is explored in three very different ways via Triptych at three locations in Cardiff. There’s that rarely sighted beast, a new British chamber musical, The House of Mirrors and Hearts, opening at the Arcola tonight. Look Left Look Right have an interactive fairytale for 5- to 11-year-olds called The Secret Princess of Severndroog in Oxleas Woods, again from the Greenwich and Docklands international festival. Byron Vincent’s account of living with bipolar disorder, Talk About Something You Like, is at Battersea Arts Centre.
Friday and the weekend
Frazer Flintham’s The Throne and Chris Bush’s Larksong are part of a mainstage double in the ambitious and boundary-breaking Hoard festival at the New Vic in Newcastle under Lyme. At the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, Henry Goodman plays Volpone in Ben Johnson’s wonderfully nasty comedy at the Swan. Daniel Bye and friends create an evening of urgently topical performance responding to the day’s events in The Six O’Clock News at Northern Stage in Newcastle. Also tonight, the start of the Dukes annual walkabout show in Lancaster’s Williamson Park. This year, it’s Oliver Twist that will have audiences begging for more. On Saturday, at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, Anniversary sounds fantastic, a new piece created by professional theatre practitioners and older community performers and directed by Alan Lyddiard. Or head to the wonderful Winchester Hat Fair, a joyous weekend of street theatre and outdoor performance. Also on Saturday, the start of Michael Longhurst’s brilliant revival of Caryl Churchill’s A Number is at London’s Young Vic.
