The new theatre and music season at Croydon Clocktower offers top local, national and international entertainment on your doorstep. This season is one of the strongest yet put together with a mind to satisfy the demanding and diverse Croydon audience.

Comedy, jazz, dance, drama and children's theatre all feature in the programme and here we preview some of the highlights. What better way to start the season on Wednesday, September 7, than with the winners of Croydon's Testing 123 contest Size 9?

This five-piece band play energetic, funky music, so watch out Scissor Sisters! Another local outfit Mendicant, a multi-instrumentalist trio, supports Size 9.

On Friday, September 9, Striplight and The David Petrosino Band are on stage. Striplight occupy the stark territory between indie and rock and are making a name for themselves with appearances on XFM and Resonance radio. Making their UK debut at the Clocktower The David Petrosino Band are a threesome that hail from Rome performing a sound that joins rock with pyschedelia.

Always welcome at the Clocktower is Barb Jungr. This time around on September 10 she provides an exciting journey into the talents of Elvis Presley with her Love Me Tender show. The evening features some of the king's most well-known songs, as well as the gospel and Bob Dylan songs he sang.

Attic Theatre Company and Croydon Clocktower unite in a celebration of the lives of the people of Croydon during World War Two. True, local stories are woven together into a vivid piece of theatre, Dancing in the Dark, on September 27.

Defying Hitler is also a drama piece that celebrates the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Europe. Direct from the Royal National Theatre, Theatre Unlimited presents the play on October 25.

Tara Arts presents The Merchant of Venice in the Braithwaite Hall from October 3 to 5. Tara continues its distinctive east-west dialogue between the traditional and contemporary with one of Shakespeare's most powerful and controversial plays. The Merchant of Venice features music performed by regular Tara performer and percussionist V Chandran from south India.

Another Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet, is at the venue on October 13, when Volcano Theatre company include music from West Side Story, Barbie and Ken and Monty Python into the classic plot.

Half Moon's Blowback is another drama highlight coming to the Clocktower. Written by Emily Nightingale this piece features London in the very near future. In a world of divided loyalties and dwindling resources, 20-year-old Paul, his girlfriend Sufia and his younger sister Leah face a tragedy that forces them to make a decision that will change their lives forever. Presented as part of Black History month, Blowback is a play about love, race, despondency, accountability and responsibility at the venue from October 20 to 22.

Pentabus Theatre present Strawberry Fields on October 26, a drama documentary focusing on the news story of last summer when a thousand Ukranians were brought to Herefordshire to work on a farm.

Nothing But The Salt, October 19 and 20, is a story-telling event. The Vayu Naidu Company tell the saga of one man who brought down an empire with a grain of salt. It is presented on October 27, the 75th anniversary of Mahatma Ghandi's salt march to Dandi.

Croydon's Stamping Ground Theatre brings A Quiet Afternoon to the Clocktower on October 29. Mr Yupa has a wealth of football knowledge but he faces a challenge that can leave him toppling off his bar stool. This piece has a rich musical score, original text, choreography and visual imagery to create an afternoon in a pub.

Join Hoipolloi on November 2 as they take an extraordinary story, Floating, and mix live and recorded performance into a funny and irreverent show.

Mind The Gap present Of Mice and Men from November 10 to 12. This new adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel is by Mike Kenny.

Thalidomide! A Musical is written and composed by Mat Fraser and it's at the venue on November 23. Set against the 60s thalidomide drug scandal this production contains strong language and is not suitable for children.

Comedy nights always sell out at the Clocktower. In the new season there's a double bill on September 29 with Anything For A Tenor and Madame Galina: Ballet Star Galactica. The Upfront Comedy Club features Geoff Schumann and Wayne Dibbie' Rollins on September 8.

Geoffey Durham's new one-man show, No Hat, No Rabbit brings magic to town from September 22 to 24. His magic and illusions are amazing witnessed live.

Sue Perkins: Spectacle Wearer of The Year 2006 is back in her home town on September 28 with her one-woman show. Fresh from Edinburgh she will tell you why you just must have a badger in the fridge!

Children are not forgotten at the Clocktower and Jazz Mouse will delight six-year-olds upwards on Saturday, September 24, at 11am and 1.30pm.

All evening live performances are £11 (£7.50 concessions) and start at 8pm. Clock It is a ticket deal where you pay £26 for four different performances if booked at the same time. For more information and to book call the box office on 020 8653 1030.