British Theatre Guide

News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK

Children and young people's theatre

News

When it Breaks it Burns

Building the barricades in Brazil's schools

When it Breaks it Burns tells the true story of the high school occupations of 2015 and 2016 in Brazil.

Putting Zog into Salford

The world première stage adaptation of Zog will come to Salford.

Ramping Up to Manchester

Contact and BAC’s latest production, Ramping Up, will head to Manchester’s The Bread Shed after a run at Battersea Arts Centre.

A Hullabaloo in Wonderland

A Hullabaloo in Wonderland

Children’s theatre The Hullabaloo celebrates Lewis Carroll.

Second Takeover writer-in-residence announced

Teessider Elijah Young is the Customs House Takeover Festival writer-in-residence for 2019.

Matthew Morrell, Harris Beattie and Conner Jordan-Collins in Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots In Dukes

Puss in Boots, Northern Ballet’s latest children’s production, takes to The Dukes stage.

Danielle Bird (Mildred) and Rachel Heaton as Miss Hardbroom in The Worst Witch

Northampton’s The Worst Witch gets West End transfer

The Worst Witch, the Northampton Royal and Derngate production which is touring the UK, is to fly into the West End for a seven-week season.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea at The Dukes

A Tiger For Tea in Lancaster

The Tiger Who Came To Tea visits The Dukes in Lancaster.

Scottish Youth Theatre national artistic programme launched

Scottish Youth Theatre's arts without barriers for young people

Scotland's young creatives and emerging artists are set to benefit from Scottish Youth Theatre's new programme to support and develop local talent.

Izzy Finch (third from left) with rapper Kay Greyson and young people taking part in Takeover 2018

Additional support for the Customs House

The Customs House in South Shields has received new support in both cash and kind.

“Fulfilling dreams”: Derby Theatre

Children to benefit from Derby Theatre performing arts programme

A scheme to open up theatre-making to children aged between 8 and 18 is to be set up at Derby Theatre, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has announced.

Chicken Licken on tour

A musical version of the traditional tale Chicken Licken is to tour the North East.

U.Dance On Screen 2019

Young film makers and choreographers to screen work at BFI Southbank

One Dance UK is searching for young dancers, film makers and choreographers with an interest in creating dance work for film for U.Dance on Screen.

The Wrong Crowd's Kite with cast members Amy Blair and Elisa de Grey

Flying a Kite without words

The Wrong Crowd swoops into Waterside, Sale with Kite, a play without words.

Libraries book in a theatrical adventure

From Monday March 4, 10 of Greater Manchester's libraries will enter the world of Alluriat: an immersive and interactive theatrical adventure for 7- to 11-year-olds.

The Worst Witch

Worst Witch flies in to Lowry

Long before Harry Potter, there was the Worst Witch…

A World Inside a Book: Gruffalos, Dragons and Other Creatures

Gruffalo's founders to visit Z-arts

In celebration of the Gruffalo’s 20th birthday, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler will be visiting Z-arts in Manchester.

Elmhurst Ballet Company in Wayne McGregor's Entity

McGregor appointed Vice President of Elmhurst

Elmhurst Ballet School has announced that its new Vice President will be Wayne McGregor CBE.

The cast of Zog in rehearsal

Zog première for Chester

A world première stage adaptation of Zog is based on the book by Julia Donaldson with illustrations by Axel Scheffler.

NYDC selects seventh new cohort

Run by Sadler’s Wells, the country’s flagship company for young dancers, National Youth Dance Company has selected its seventh intake of members sourced from 26 towns, cities and villages across England.

Big Up! catches them young in Manchester

Big Up! is created by Theatre-Rites and 20 Stories High for children.

balletLORENT - Rumpelstiltskin an Audience Choice Award winner

Fantastic for Families Awards 2019

Outstanding contribution to arts and culture for families has been recognised in the Fantastic for Families Awards.

Crowd in rehearsal

Young actors make main stage debut

More than 30 young actors from award-winning youth theatre programme Young Everyman Playhouse will make their debut on the Playhouse main stage.

A National Student Drama Festival workshop

National Student Drama Festival to be staged in Leicester

Leicester’s Curve is to host the 2019 National Student Drama Festival—an annual festival that gives people aged between 16 and 25 the opportunity to showcase their work and try something new.

Fantastic for Families

Two NE Fantastic for Families winners

A venue and a dance company from the North East have won Fantastic for Families Awards

Edward Harrison will take the title role in Skellig

Skellig to get the family treatment at Nottingham Playhouse

Nottingham Playhouse artistic director Adam Penford will continue his programming of titles aimed at schools and family audiences with the stage adaptation of David Almond’s Skellig.

A Little Kingdom for St Helens

Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom comes to St Helens Theatre Royal.

Romeo and Juliet

Theatre duo's take on Romeo & Juliet

Theatre makers join forces to present Romeo and Juliet – Mad Blood Stirring, an introduction to the timeless story.

The Gingerbread Man

Keswick grabs them young!

Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake has a programme of events for young theatregoers from February until April.

Octagon Theatre Bolton

Youth takes over in Bolton

The Octagon Theatre is inviting young people in Bolton aged 11 to 25 to present ideas for a takeover day.

British Youth Music Theatre

New music theatre award won by The Dickens Girls

The inaugural British Youth Music Theatre award has been won by Rachel Bellman and Elizabeth Charlesworth for The Dickens Girls, which they based on a true story of fallen women.

Arbuthnot (David John Hopper), Cutlet (Charlie Raine) and Puddles (Dale Jewitt)

A half-term detective story

The Customs House in South Shields presents a detective story with a difference for half-term.

Cooper McDonagh, performing his story Brick

City of Dreams brings Our City Our Story to NewcastleGateshead

City of Dreams brings Our City Our Story to Live Theatre, giving under-25s a platform to tell their own stories and shape the future of the city.

Lottery money for Customs House youth work

The Customs House receives lottery funding for three creative projects with looked-after children in South Tyneside.

Elephant in the room for Lowry

Elmer the Patchwork Elephant celebrates a live stage adaptation at The Lowry.

Stripey Honey...Is Very Yummy!

Menagerie of drama for Lancaster

Tigers, rabbits and bees are on their way to The Dukes in Lancaster.

Grandad's Island

February to June at The Hullabaloo

The Hullabaloo, Darlington’s theatre for children, has announced its season from February to June.

The Cat in the Hat

Hat's off to Playhouse

Dr Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat will open the 2019 season at Liverpool Playhouse.

AniMalcolm on Merseyside

AniMalcolm, based on the children’s book by David Baddiel, will play the Epstein Theatre in Liverpool.

Back in Birmingham: The Snowman

The Snowman returns to Birmingham for 25th birthday

Birmingham REP will be walking in the air when its live show of Raymond Briggs’s book The Snowman returns to the Midlands as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Northern Stage targets families

More shows for children and young people at Northern Stage than ever before.

Captain Cauliflower and Marvin the Mischievous Moose

Entertaining the kids in February and March

New kids’ shows for spring in Gosforth and Byker.

Fantastic for Families Awards

Fantastic for Families Awards

Two NE venues have been shortlisted for Fantastic for Families Awards

Billy Harris and Heather Agyepong

Noughts and Crosses with love at The Lowry

Pilot Theatre presents the première of Sabrina Mahfouz's new adaption of Malorie Blackman’s award-winning novel Noughts and Crosses at The Lowry in Salford.

Rose Marie Christian Raj Swamy and Mehavi Patel in Three Sat Under the Banyan Tree at Polka Theatre in 2018

Banyan Tree to tour

Tara Arts and Polka Theatre will tour Shamser Sinha's Three Sat under the Banyan Tree from January to March 2019.

Twirlywoos sail to Salford

Twirlywoos—as seen on CBeebies—will be brought to life on stage for the first time next year.

Lowry gets New Year Bing

Bing and friends will be extending their first ever UK stage show tour of Bing Live into 2019.

Features

Easter shows for kids across the North East

19 North East theatres are presenting over 30 children’s shows over Easter

The new section

Children's Theatre and the BTG

The BTG has just set up a separate section for Children's and Young Peoples' Theatre. Peter Lathan explains why.

Reviews

Ruth Mary Johnson (The Storyteller)

Chicken Licken - A Tale Jam

Ruth Mary Johnson

Gala Theatre co-production with Ruth Mary Johnson

Arts Centre Washington

13 April 2019

Samuel Knight (Jeremy Fisher), Charlotte Harrington (Peter Rabbit), Joanna Brown (Beatrix Potter), Matthew Whitby (Mr Tod) and Grace Osborn (Jemima Puddle-Duck)

Where Is Peter Rabbit?

Based on the original tales by Beatrix Potter, devised by Roger Glossop, lyri...

Phil McIntyre Entertainment & Frederick Warne & Co Ltd

Theatre Royal Haymarket

5 to 28 April 2019

Fiona Manson as Little Polar Bear and Ivor MacAskill as Big Polar Bear

The Polar Bears Go, Go, Go!

Ivor MacAskill & Fiona Manson

Unicorn in association with The Polar Bears

Unicorn Theatre (Weston Theatre)

26 March to 28 April 2019

Danielle Bird as Mildred and Rachel Heaton as Miss Hardbroom in The Worst Witch

The Worst Witch

Jill Murphy adapted by Emma Reeves

Royal and Derngate, Kenny Wax Family Entertainment, Novel Theatre and Nica Burns

The Lowry, Salford

26 to 27 March 2019

Riad Richie as Riad and Nigel Barrett as Nigel

The Show in Which Hopefully Nothing Happens

Created by Jetse Batelaan (originally devised with cast members Martin Hofstr...

Theater Artemis

Unicorn Theatre (Clore Theatre)

21 March to 28 April 2019

Joolta (Purvi Parmar) foreground; Mettazayne (Jennifer Kay) background

Alluriat

Story: David Freedman; Choreography: Debbie Bandara; Music: Samuel Morris

Forest Tribe Dance Theatre

Bolton Central Library

21 March 2019

Madagascar The Musical

Madagascar the Musical

Book by Kevin Del Aguila; music and lyrics by George Noriega and Joel Someillan

Selladoor Family and Hartshorn-Hook Productions

New Victoria Theatre, Woking

12 to 16 March 2019

Aisha Toussaint

The Winter’s Tale

William Shakespeare, In a new version for young audiences by Justin Audibert

National Theatre

Dorfman Theatre (National Theatre)

6 to 21 February 2019

Kevin Egan, Mole Wetherell and Leen Dewilde

It's Hot, It's Not

Devised by Mole Wetherell, Kevin Egan, Tim Ingram, Leen Dewilde & Alex Covel

Reckless Sleepers

Unicorn Theatre (Clore Theatre)

2 February to 10 March 2019

Billy Harris (Callum) and Heather Agyepong (Sephy)

Noughts and Crosses

Malorie Blackman, adapted by Sabrina Mahfouz

Pilot Theatre, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Derby Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester and York Theatre Royal

Derby Theatre

1 to 16 February 2019

Rayxia Ojo as Icarus' Sister, Arinder Sadhra as Icarus' Mother, Marshall Defender Nyanhete as Icarus and Selva Rasalingham as Daedalus

Icarus

Katrin Lange, translated by Purni Morell

Unicorn Theatre

Unicorn Theatre (Weston Theatre)

26 January to 10 March 2019

Le Gateau Chocolat

Duckie

Le Gateau Chocolat, Flick Ferdinando, Tommy Bradson

Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre

20 to 31 December 2018

Wrinkle and Cotton

White

Andy Manley

Catherine Wheels Theatre Company

HOME Manchester

13 to 23 December 2018

Sleepyhead

Michael Fowkes

Little Angel Theatre

Royal Exchange Theatre Studio

13 to 30 December 2018

Charlie Bateman as Prince as Molly Byrne as Ella

Cinderella: A Fairytale

Devised by Sally Cookson, Adam Peck and the original company

The Jack Studio Theatre

The Jack Studio Theatre

12 December 2018 to 5 January 2019

Kadialy Kouyate (Musician), Deanne Jones (Stage Manager), Oli 'Solocypher' Polidore Perrins and Katherine Vernez Gray

Hippity Hop

Tim Webb with rap lyrics by BREIS

Oily Cart

Arts Depot

11 to 31 December 2018

The Elves and the Shoemakers

Mike Kenny, based on the short story by the Brothers Grimm

York Theatre Royal

York Theatre Royal

11 December 2018 to 5 January 2019

Luna

Sarah Argent

Theatre Hullabaloo

The Exchange, North Shields

1 December 2018

The cast of Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel

The Brothers Grimm, adapted by Mike Kenny

Derby Theatre

Derby Theatre

30 November 2018 to 5 January 2019

Stanley Hodgson (Froggs) and Laura Lonsdale (Mum)

Once upon a Christmas

Susan Mulholland

Gala Theatre production

Gala Theatre, Durham

29 November to 30 December 2018

Jessica Hayles as Arrietty

The Borrowers

Mary Norton, adapted for stage by Bea Roberts

Tobacco Factory Theatres

Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol

29 November 2018 to 20 January 2019

Baby Bear (Teddy), Daddy Bear (Bob Nicholson) and Mammy Bear (Hannah Goudie-Hunter)

The Three Bears at Christmas

Hannah Goudie-Hunter, Bob Nicholson & Brad McCormick

Kitchen Zoo

Northern Stage, Newcastle

27 November 2018 to 5 January 2019