SIX new productions have been announced by the New Theatre, Cardiff, which have been lined up for their 2016 programme.

Adding to what is already a jam-packed schedule of shows, the theatre will host two critically acclaimed musicals, two classic American plays, the adaptation of a much-loved British novel, and the world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company.

America is painted in two very different lights by Guys and Dolls and American Idiot. Guys and Dolls - from Tuesday, July 5 to Saturday, July 9 - is set in the sizzling New York world of gangsters, gamblers and nightclub singers, and features classic Broadway tunes such as Luck be a Lady and My Time of Day. American Idiot - Tuesday, April 19 to Saturday, April 23 - on the other hand, is set in a post 9/11 world, following the changing lives of three boyhood friends. It’s an explosive show featuring songs from Green Day’s award-winning album of the same name.

The American invasion of Cardiff continues with two modern literary classics. After their excellent rendition of Hamlet this year, Theatr Clwyd will return to the New with Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer prize-winning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof from Tuesday, March 8 to Saturday, March 12.

Two months later, an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s iconic novel Of Mice and Men - from Tuesday, May 3 to Saturday, May 7 - also arrives, following the friendship between migrant workers George and Lennie. Both plays explore family and relationships during and just after the Great Depression, and are essential viewing.

Another classic much closer to home is the wonderfully uplifting Goodnight Mister Tom, based on the multi-award winning children’s book by Michelle Magorian, will run from Tuesday, May 10 to Saturday, May 14. As the Second World War looms on the horizon, a friendship blossoms between young evacuee William Beech and Mister Tom, the elderly recluse who has taken him in.

Finishing off this set of new shows is Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from Tuesday, May 24 to Saturday, May 28. Billed as A Play for the Nation, the RSC come to Cardiff as part of a big UK tour. The principle cast will be played by RSC professional actors, while Bottom and the Mechanicals will be played by amateur actors from Cardiff’s Everyman Theatre.

There is something for everyone at the New Theatre, and these exciting new shows are adding to what is already a tremendous 2016. With 26 shows currently on sale from now until next summer, there has never been a better time to visit the New.

Tickets for all these shows are on sale now from the New Theatre Box Office on 02920 878889 or online at newtheatrecardiff.co.uk (bookings subject to a Ticketing Service Charge – exemptions apply).