I’m having some major theatre withdrawals. When I left Cambridge for the summer, I anticipated missing my friends, some independence, a decent night out and even some of the structure imposed by academic life, but I hadn’t quite thought about the fact that I’d also be leaving behind my beloved theatre scene. During my first year, theatre has slowly but surely become an integral part of my Cambridge experience and, well, my life. Now the thought of getting through week after week without even a glimpse of the ADC Theatre or Corpus Playroom is giving me some pangs.

“I don’t expect to have privileged access to such exciting theatre in the same way again”

The Cambridge theatre scene is a wonderful and unique thing, and I’m sure that everyone who has been a part of it will miss it over this long vacation, but it’s a particular issue for those of us returning to more isolated rural areas. I should probably admit at this point that I’m a mere two-hour train ride away from London, but sometimes it feels a great deal more than that. From the tiny village where I live, you’d have to drive at least half an hour to find an actual theatre, and an hour to find a decent one (apologies to my local arts centre, I just don’t think your Eagles tribute act is for me). And of course there are no buses to speak of, so if you don’t have your own means of transport then it’s very easy to languish in cultural isolation. So as I desperately try to make plans to meet a friend in London for at least one theatre trip this summer, I’m realising how lucky I’ve been to have had so much theatre right on my doorstep in Cambridge.

“If you don’t have your own means of transport then it’s very easy to languish in cultural isolation”

And I’m not even meaning to suggest that I have it especially bad – in the South West, we are certainly not as neglected or disconnected as other parts of the country. There is, however, a certain frustration in knowing that great theatre is out there, somewhere close even, but would require a concentration of time, effort and money to access. The great privilege of the Cambridge theatre scene is that you can access it with very little investment. The spontaneity of theatre trips when I first arrived in Cambridge excited me greatly. Going to see a show could be an easy answer to the question “What shall we do tonight?”, and required little more thought. As we all know, student theatre in Cambridge has some genuine gems to offer, and all it took me to see them was a stroll into town and the price of a G&T in the pub. No more asking my mum for a lift to the station. I was free to eat my fill at this theatrical feast.

“Cambridge has made me greedy – with two new shows in both our main venues every week, I only lament that I can’t find time to see absolutely everything”

All of this adds up to a culture where you can take a chance as a theatregoer. It doesn’t seem wise to give up an entire day (or two!) and fork out for the ticket (London prices), the trains (thank God for railcards) and any sustenance I might require, all to see a show I’m not sure I’m going to enjoy. As such, its very tempting to go and see Mamma Mia! again, because at least that’s definitely going to make for a good day out. In Cambridge, I’ve tagged along to see shows I knew nothing about, just because they looked interesting. After all, I only had a couple of hours and a tenner or so to lose. This means I’ve stumbled into brilliant things by chance, as well as a host of other shows that I didn’t love but was glad to have the experience of seeing for a variety of reasons. Cambridge has made me greedy – with two new shows in both our main venues every week, I only lament that I can’t find time to see absolutely everything (or so my DoS would have me believe).

All of this is to say that we shouldn’t take our theatre scene for granted. I don’t expect to have privileged access to such exciting theatre in the same way again in my life, so this is a reminder for all of us to make the most of it. It really is right there in front of you, and it’s the people who decide to take a chance on seeing a show, rather than just hang out in the college bar, that keep it going. It’s wonderful to have such open opportunities to get involved in making theatre, but we shouldn’t forget that it’s a treat to be able to just wander into the audience as well. So I’m very much looking forward to another packed Camdram calendar in the new year. And in the meantime, I’ll just have to treat myself to a London day out.