The UK tour of a unique reading play will be coming to Newbury and Reading later this year.

RedCape Theatre's new show, The Luminous, will be performed at the Corn Exchange in Newbury on September 25 and at South Street Arts Centre in Reading on October 24 and 25.

The show is part Victorian thriller, part contemporary tale of friendship, and rebellion.

It combines 'physical theatre, dark comedy, and gripping storytelling to explore the power of narratives to penetrate the present and forge unexpected connections with the past.'

Set in a modern-day book club, the play takes place over the course of one evening as three women discuss their chosen book, a melodrama set in Victorian London called Luminous.

The discussion gets heated as the women are drawn deeper into the narrative, awakening unexpected memories and connections, and blurring the lines between the book and their reality.

The Luminous was written by Catherine Dyson and is brought to the stage by RedCape Theatre.

The theatre company was founded by Cassie Friend and Rebecca Loukes, who will also star in the show.

The play explores the central theme of community, specifically in the setting of book clubs.

The female characters forge friendships and create a supportive space in which to reveal their own stories to each other.

In doing so, the show highlights the importance of shared experiences in today’s society, and the centrality of communal spaces in enabling these connections.

Writer Catherine Dyson and artistic directors Cassie Friend and Rebecca Loukes said: "The original inspiration for The Luminous was sparked by our fascination with three protests from different eras in which women placed their bodies at the centre: the London Match Girls’ Strike of 1888, the Greenham Common protests in the 1970s and 80s, and the Reclaim the Night movement which began in the 1970s and was revived recently in response to the death of Sarah Everard.

"We thought a book club setting could be an interesting way to explore female friendship, and an exciting portal to access different time periods.

"We are really excited to share this gripping and inventive story with audiences.

"The Luminous is full of light and shade, and powerfully explores themes which are of huge relevance to our society today."

Tickets for the performances - which are recommended for those aged 14 and over - are available from the respective theatre websites.