Status:	Active, open to new members
Contact:	Cinema and Theatre Leader (Carole)
Contact:	Cinema and Theatre Leader (May)
Venue:	As Arranged
Cost:	Purchasing tickets for the event

This group regularly attends cinemas and theatre shows. It could be a visit to the cinema for a show or a 'live' screening, a theatre performance or other event, When events are in the Showcase cinema, members usually try to get seats in rows G and F. Once you have your ticket or if you have any issues obtaining a ticket, please inform one of the group leaders.

With such a diverse selection on offer, why not come and join us! Just get in touch with Carole or May. the group leaders. using the contact links above. We look forward to your company at any of these events.

If you don’t get the opportunity to see the National Theatre's performances at the cinema, you might like to check out their web site, where many of their productions can be viewed from the comfort of your own home at a fraction of the cost at: https://www.ntathome.com

Future Events

Recent Events

Previous Events

May 2026	Several members went to watch the National Theatre’s production The Playboy of the Western World at the Showcase Cinema. The production took place in a run-down pub in the countryside of the North West of Ireland in the early 1900s.  Written by John Millington Synge, it is a riveting story of youth and self-discovery.
April 2026	Group members attended the Linwood Showcase for a matinee screening of the National Theatre’s play All My Sons. Everyone agreed that the acting was superb and that it was “An astonishing, deeply moving piece of theatre” (Evening Standard). A response from one of our member’s was “I very much enjoyed the sentiment of the show and thought the acting superb, although the subject matter wasn't very uplifting.” One family, at the heart of the American Dream. When wartime delivers profits for Joe, it comes at a price when his partner is charged with criminal manufacturing deals, and his eldest son goes missing in action. Will peace time bring peace of mind, or will he be confronted by the consequences of his actions, in this disturbingly prescient play.
April 2026	We returned to the Citizens Theatre to see the play I, Daniel Blake, an adaptation of Ken Loach’s compelling film about how people come together in the face of adversity. It was a powerful performance, particularly by the actor who played Daniel Blake. He was totally believable in his frustration and despair in dealing with government officialdom! As one member summed it up: “I, Daniel Blake was a wonderful production, with really outstanding acting and a very moving storyline. It obviously resonated with the whole audience as you could have heard a pin drop throughout the production.”
March 2026	The Royal Ballet’s production of Giselle was screened at the Showcase Cinema - The world turns upside down for the peasant girl Giselle when she discovers her lover Albrecht is actually a nobleman promised to another.  In despair, she kills herself.  Her spirit joins the Wilis, the vengeful ghosts of women who have been jilted and die before their wedding day.  The Wilis are hell-bent on killing any man who crosses their path in a dance to the death.  Wracked with guilt, Albrecht visits Giselle’s grave, where he must face the Wilis – and Giselle’s ghost. (extracted from Showcase listing)
January 2026	Following on from the film Hamnet, members attended the Showcase Screening of the National Theatre Live production of Hamlet . Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question – you know the one. National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Operation Mincemeat) directs this sharp, stylish and darkly funny reimagining. ( National Theatre Live)
January 2026	Our first outing for 2026 was the film Hamnet. It dramatises the family life of impoverished Latin tutor William Shakespeare and his free-spirited wife Agnes Hathaway as they cope with the death of their 11 year old son, Hamnet which inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet. The film won Best Motion Picture and Best Actress (Jessie Buckley) at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards. However, although the group acknowledged that the acting was superb, the feedback was quite mixed.
December 2025	This year for our Christmas Panto we supported the local Pace Theatre Company in Paisley in their performance of Snow White. It was a clever production with a lively and energetic chorus of talented young people. All the expected pantomime ‘cliches’ were included, to the delight of the audience. The members attending gave a positive response to the performance and the venue.
November 2025	Our final outing in November, saw eight members were back at the Showcase to see the film The Choral. The story by Alan Bennett tells of a choral society whose male members enlist in World War 1, leaving the demanding Dr Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes] to recruit teenagers and experience the joy of singing. With the chaos around them, in time, the community discovered the benefits of making music together.
November 2025	Ten members were at the Showcase to see The Royal Ballet dancing La Fille Mal Gardee. This classic ballet features the famous ‘clog dance’ created by Sir Frederick Ashton. The name translates as The Wayward Daughter and tells the story of a young country woman, Lise, who wants to marry a local farmer but her mother has other plans for her to marry a wealthy suiter. We were not disappointed and when the question, ‘How many marks out of 10?’ was asked, the swift reply was '11'.
November 2025	The Citizens Theatre was the first outing in November, to watch the excellent cast of four actors in a thought-provoking play, So Young. So Young is a comedy where an innocuous Glasgow evening slides into ruin as old friends face the challenges of middle age, growing apart and losing those close to them.
October 2025	A second October outing saw members at the Linwood Showcase for a live matinee screening by the National Theatre of Mrs Warren’s Profession, Bernard Shaw’s moral classic starring Imelda Staunton and her daughter Bessie Carter. This was an enjoyable afternoon with acting of the usual high standard. Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time and her mother, a product of the old patriarchal order.  It explored the clash between morality and independence, traditions and progress. (extract from the Showcase listing)
October 2025	Scotland’s iconic lunchtime theatre experience, Play Pie and a Pint came to Paisley Town Hall where the brand new show The Glasgow Poisoner: A New Musical was being performed. The story is based on the most sensational murder trial of the nineteenth century. Madeleine Smith, a Glasgow socialite living in Blythswood Square, was accused of a secret affair and poisoning her lover to death. The trial ended with a rare ‘Not Proven’ verdict, but now Plume, an aspiring pamphleteer, controlled the narrative for re-telling the story from different perspectives.
September__2025	The group attended the first main stage production, Small Acts of Love, at the Citizen’s Theatre. This popular building, (closed since 2018), has opened its doors in August 2025. Our recent visit left our group of 18 emotionally drained by the heartbreaking, remarkable true story of compassion and connection between Lockerbie and New York after the Pan Am103 atrocity in 1988. Humanity at its best; “not a dry eye in thehouse”!  Spanning thirty-six years, it tells the story of how two communities from the Scottish borders and New York State built a lasting connection through friendship, compassion and small acts of kindness.
September 2025	Seven of us were ‘wowed’ by the National Theatre’s brilliant production of Inter Alia. A fabulous play with an absolutely riveting performance by Rosamund Pike; we would all highly recommend this production. In Inter Alia starring Oscar a smart Crown Court judge is at the top of her career. Behind her robe she is a Karaoke fiend, loving wife and supportive parent. When events threaten to throw her life completely off balance, can she hold her family upright. (Image and description courtesy Showcase Cinema)
July 2025	An annual visit to Oran Mor for the summer panto Oliver in a Twist. This was a very loose homage to Charles Dickens and the Artful Dodger was replaced by the ‘Jammie Dodger’! At one point two of the actors appeared to forget their lines and the resulting ad libs were hilarious. Summer silliness at its best!
June 2025	A Streetcar Named Desire was being screened at the local Showcase Cinema. It is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947.  The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern Belle who, after encountering a series of personal losses, leaves her once-prosperous situation to move into a shabby apartment in New Orleans rented by her younger sister Stella and brother-in-law Stanley.
April 2025	In April, 16 members visited the Showcase to see an action packed, non-stop singing and dancing production of Six The Musical. This modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII was presented in the form of a singing competition. The wives took turns telling their story to determine who suffered the most from their shared husband, but ultimately seek to reclaim their individual identities and rewrite their stories.
March 2025	The group enjoyed a visit to see Billy Elliot This is set in a northern mining town during the miners strike where Billy’s journey takes him out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class. The film is joined by music legend Elton John and produced a funny & uplifting theatrical experience.
March 2025	This was a matinee visit to the Theatre Royal, preceded by lunch for some of us at the Ardnamurchan Restaurant. Seven of our members watched an adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s, The Boys from the Blackstuff, performed by the National Theatre. This was a funny, punchy and humane story of five men in Liverpool during the 1980s when there was no work and little money. With ingenuity, these men eventually succeeded in finding work and friendship.
February 2025	Group members watched the screening The Importance of Being Earnest live from the National Theatre, London.  Max Weber (Life of Pi) directed this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance with three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke and Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy. It had superb acting and its humour brightened up the day.
January 2025	Our first outing for 2025 was the film, Maria The Final Cut starring Angelina Jolie as the world's greatest opera singer, Maria Callas, The film follows the seven days before her death in 1977 in Paris where she reflects on her life and career. The consensus was that Angelina Jolie gave an excellent performance about an exceptional performer. You don’t have to be an opera aficionado to appreciate this film and we would definitely recommend it. It was a fascinating film and those attending felt inspired to find out more about the life of Maria Callas.
December 2024	The group thoroughly enjoyed the music and story line from the musical Girl From The North Country and took time to discuss it afterwards.
December 2024	The group had great fun at the Festive Panto Weans in the Wood at Oran Mor. It was another hysterical, subversive Christmas panto full of laughs, boos and of course a pie!
November 2024	Group members attended a live screening of the musical comedy, Kiss me Kate, at the Showcase Cinema in Linwood! Streamed from the Barbican.
November 2024	Members of the group met for lunch at the Ardnamurchan restaurant before taking our seats in the Theatre Royal to enjoy the spectacular stage adaptation of Disney’s animated film Aladdin.
October 2024	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was an enthralling performance with amazing choreograpy, music and scenery. streamed live from the Royal Opera House in London. It was very popular with the group.
September 2024	A trip to the King's Theatre in Glasgow to see the musical Come away From. A true story based on the events of September 11th, 2001, when, far away from New York, 38 transatlantic flights were grounded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland.
September 2024	Visit to the Showcase Cinema in Paisley to see a production by Mathew Bourne "New adventures Company" Edward Scissorhands. breathtaking interpretation of this witty, bittersweet story of an incomplete boy left alone in a strange new world is a good introduction to contemporary dance.
August 2024	An excellent performance of the Andre Rieu's 2024 Masstricht Concert, Power of Love, at the Showcase Cinema in Linwood. This 'live screening' was enjoyed by 11 members of the group.
July 2024	At Oran Mor, several members attended Mumbelina by Johnny McKnight. It is about the unfortunate adventures of a girl who wakes up to find she in rapidly shrinking.

Paisley and District u3a Groups