This academic year has seen a vibrant variety of shows—from hilarious comedic compilations to theological explorations, there was something for everyone at the ADC Theatre, Corpus Playroom, and other fantastic stages. Here’s our rundown of the top 10 shows from this year.

My Dad Wears a Dress

A one woman show performed by Maria Telnikoff about her relationship with her father, who is a trans woman. Giving it 5 stars, reviewer Macsen Brown lauds Telnikoff’s performance and her “ability to switch so suddenly in tone and character [...] eliciting some thunderous laughter from a thoroughly entertained audience.”

Life Before The Line

When revision is disrupted by a terrorist attack alarm, four Jewish students are forced to consider what lines they are willing to cross. Set in Manchester 2016, during the rise of antisemitism, the play explores the effects of living in politically charged times. Jasmine Charles, rating it 4.5 stars, described it as “distressing at times, and refreshingly real, the play managed to pay homage to Jewish traditions and culture while being an honest look at the community.”

Slaughterhouse Blues

Charlie Butler gives 4.5 stars in her review; consisting of around eighteen bizarre sketches, Slaughterhouse Blues satirically considers how we consume, market, and judge food. She summarises the production: “A familiar situation becomes increasingly surreal and twisted, with an incredible proportion ending in the murder/cannibalisation of one, if not all of the characters.”

Animal Farm

This particular production of Animal Farm combines cinema and theatre. It adds a Brechtian appeal that highlights Orwell’s novel as emblematic of twentieth-century European politics. Giving it an outstanding 5 star rating, Lewis Andrews argues: “It lets the original text speak for itself, bringing the story vividly to life, and letting the audience draw their own comparisons to modern-day governmental hypocrisy.”

The Son

The Son is an uncomfortable, nuanced presentation of depression. The audience is placed in the position of the parents, forced to watch as the eponymous son struggles to communicate, connect and deal with his mental health, while you are incapable of reaching him. It gets 5 stars from Tom Howlett, who suggests it “is a play about pain, about love and about sacrifice but, most of all, it is about tension or strain. The strain of pain, the strain of love, the strain of sacrifice and the audience feels every second of it.”

The Student Union

The Union is a satire mocking the Machiavellian machinations that we all imagine are at the heart of a Student Union’s bizarre bureaucracy. This character-driven comedy sought to strike at the heart of what is wrong with university politics and prick the pomposity of all who are part of it. It gets a 4.5 rating from Lent Editor-in-Chief Emaan Ullah, who recounts: “Backstabbing, blackmail and malicious libel all grace the stage in equal measure.”

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is Shakespeare’s best romcom. Beatrice and Benedict’s torturous yet amusing will-they-wont-they relationship is juxtaposed with the sickeningly besotted Claudio and Hero with myriad twists and turns. Jasmine Charles, giving it 4.5 stars, praised it as it “encapsulated a collective, creative cultural perspective from members of the BME community, making it inclusive and enjoyable.”