Ten things to see in West Sussex, Friday to Thursday, March 15-21

1. Orlando.

Friday, March 15, £13.50-£15.50, 7.45pm, The Hawth studio, Crawley, 01293 553636. Dyad Productions’ Orlando is written and directed by Elton Townend Jones and performed by Rebecca Vaughan. A spokesperson said: “Orlando: Who is she? Who is he? Who are we? Writer-director Elton Townend Jones and performer Rebecca Vaughan present the award-winning comedic tale of an immortal poet, whose gender cannot be pinned down, whose spirit cannot be caged, and whose irreverent, romantic adventures across British history, from the 1500s to 2019, provide a magic-realist exploration of human identity; personal, sexual and national.” The show is based on the 1928 novel by Virginia Woolf.

2. Voodoo Room.

Saturday, March 16, £15, 7.45pm, The Hawth, Crawley, 01293 553636. Voodoo Room pay tribute to Hendrix, Clapton and Cream. The three-piece is fronted by guitar wizard Peter Orr who has been wowing rock ’n’ roll fans across the UK and Europe for three decades. A spokesperson said: “The engine room of this power trio is the rhythm section of Jevon Beaumont and John Tonks. Their superlative credentials include: Massive Attack, Duran Duran, Sting, Thunder, Bryan Adams, Fish, Stevie Winwood, Arthur Brown and more.”

3. The Boy and The Mermaid.

Saturday, March 16, 12.30pm, 3pm, £12, The Capitol studio, Horsham, 01403 750220. Join three shanty-singing fishermen as they weave a fishy tale. A spokesperson said: “On the farthest edge of a wind-battered rock there sits a small fishing town. Sometimes it feels like the town is on the edge of the world. That’s mainly because it is. The Boy lives with his Grandma, forbidden from venturing beyond the shore, but the tall tales told of monsters in the deep only whet his appetite – he stares at the ocean and dreams. Can one unlikely friendship save the Town-On-The-Sea from catastrophe?” The Boy and the Mermaid is based on a story by Alex Kanefsky and features original songs by Darren Clark.

4. The Amazing Adventures of Pinocchio.

Sunday, March 17, 2.30pm, 5.30pm, Chequer Mead, East Grinstead, 01342 302000. Inspired by the beloved children’s story and presented by Immersion Theatre, The Amazing Adventures of Pinocchio is a high-energy musical for the whole family. Immersion Theatre performed their version of The Jungle Book in April 2018 and it was a sell-out success. This new production is written and directed by artistic director James Tobias and composed by Robert Gathercole. James said: “Rob and I have developed a clear understanding of the style of show we enjoy creating: high-energy, pacey scripts with frustratingly catchy songs, which serve to create a larger-than-life introduction to classic stories for youngsters, which older generations can enjoy just as much.”

5. Crawley Sings Live.

Monday, March 18, £5-£7.50, 7pm, The Hawth Theatre, Crawley, 01293 553636. After its success in 2018, West Sussex Music and the schools of Crawley, East Grinstead and Horsham are bringing Crawley Sings Live back to The Hawth. The event will see more than 150 pupils from Crawley, East Grinstead and Horsham uniting as one massed choir, accompanied by a live band, to present an evening of uplifting song. This will be led by West Sussex Music’s leader for singing projects Rosie Secker.

6. Steve Richards.

March 20, 7.30pm, £12, Ropetackle, Shoreham, 01273 464440. A spokesperson said: “Steve is an award-winning British TV presenter and political columnist who has written columns for the Guardian, Independent, New Statesman and Spectator. He regularly presents Radio 4’s Week in Westminster and hosts Rock ’n’ Roll Politics. At a time of epic political drama, Richards returns to give a behind-the-scenes Brexit guide to all the political twists and turns.”

7. Room on the Broom.

Tuesday and Wednesday, March 19-20, Tuesday: 1.30pm and 4.30pm. Wednesday: 10.30am (relaxed performance) and 1.30pm, The Hawth studio, Crawley. Tall Stories offer a magical and musical adaptation of Room on the Broom, the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Tickets cost £12.50.

8. The Truth/The Flats.

Pitchy Breath Theatre Company offers a night of two-brand new plays written by Tim Fifield. The Truth/The Flats is on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 19 and 20 (7.45pm), at The Hawth Crawley. Both plays take a look at the theme of loneliness in plain sight, firstly from the perspective of an estranged father and daughter meeting up after a gap of 25 years, followed by a play about a disparate group of people living on the sixth floor of a block of flats. Tim said: “Social isolation is an increasing concern for everyone, whether it’s older people being off-grid or people choosing to disengage from real-world interaction through the pressures of modern life (ie social media, fear of crime, mental health etc). Of course, loneliness comes in many flavours, so the plays look at a group of people all struggling with their own forms of isolation and how they are forced to confront their issues.” Tickets on 01293 553636 and www.hawth.co.uk.

9. Fisherman’s Friends.

A Horsham District Year of Culture Event. Wednesday, March 20, 7.30pm, £26.50, The Capitol, Horsham, 01403 750220. Cornwall’s best-known musical export, the Fisherman’s Friends are back on the road. Bound by lifelong friendship and a love of Cornwall’s stirring songs of the sea, they will showcase a fresh haul of old and new tunes.

10. Vienna Festival Ballet presents Coppélia.

March 21, 7.30pm, £22.50, The Capitol, Horsham, 01403 750220. This ballet is based on an original tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Inventor Dr. Coppélius creates a life-size dancing doll that captures the heart of a village boy called Franz. Ignoring his real girlfriend, Swanhilda, the young man comes up with a plan to meet Coppélia. Chaos ensues when Swanhilda and a group of girls from the village decide to sneak into Dr. Coppelius’s house as well.