In January Anglia Contemporary Theatre will present three productions at the Mumford Theatre, including the premiere of a new play, Portraits of Artemisia written and directed by a member of staff at Anglia Ruskin University.

The Wonderful World of Dissocia, written by Anthony Neilson and directed by Simon Bell, will be performed on 6 and 7 January.

Produced originally for the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival, The Wonderful World of Dissocia, is a hugely original play, both magical and moving, that confirmed Anthony Neilson as one of major voices in contemporary British Theatre. Lisa Jones is on a journey; a colourful and exciting off-kilter trip in search of one lost hour that has tipped the balance of her life. The inhabitants of the wonderful world she finds herself in - Dissocia - are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the brutal. As Neilson himself put it, 'If you like Alice in Wonderland but there's not enough sex and violence in it, then Dissocia is the show for you'.

Ophelia's Aria, a devised work directed by Joanna Bucknall, will be on stage on 11 and 12 January. An inter-textual, multimedia, ensemble performance exploring the themes of suicide and female representation in dramatic literature and identity, the performance is inspired by the writings of Sarah Kane, Heiner Müller and Sylvia Plath.

This production draws on a physical theatre aesthetic, focusing on Butoh and bouffant-inspired performance devices. The landscape of the performance will be interdisciplinary and multi-media. The live group work will interface with still and moving footage to make a collage of live and recorded images to create the internal landscape of a troubled mind.

Portraits of Artemisia written and directed by Nigel Ward, is the final play on 16 and 17 January. This is the premiere of a new play based on events in the life of Artemisia de Gentileschi, one of the world's first professional female artists. Set in Rome in the 17th century, the play explores the dramatic events of Artemisia's early life and the ways in which her rape and the subsequent trial informed her paintings, with their intense expressions of darkness, pain and anger.

All productions have been produced by the Department of Music and Performing Arts in close collaboration with Cambridge School of Art whose students have worked throughout the semester on costume and set design.

Performances start at 7.30pm. Tickets are £6 or £4 concessions.

To book, call the Mumford Theatre, 0845 196 2320 (local rate) or 01223 352932.