ANiMALCOLM, Mad Blood Stirring, Trick, Hotel Paradiso, Glory, Kiss Me Quickstep, In The Willows
ANiMALCOLM – tour starts 16 February
The bestselling children’s book by David Baddiel, AniMalcolm, which enjoyed a successful run at last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, is to tour to 35 UK venues.
This is an energetic musical for young audiences using physical theatre and puppetry to tell the story of Malcolm who, unlike all his family, doesn’t like animals. But on a school trip like no other, Malcolm begins to understand animals more deeply than anyone.
AniMalcolm is directed by Julia Black and Adam Fletcher-Forde and movement direction by Shona Morris. Musical direction is by David Perkins.
It is presented by Story Pocket Theatre.
The show visits McMillan Theatre Somerset, Wycombe Swan High Wycombe, Broadway Letchworth Garden City, Lighthouse Poole, Cornerstone Didcot, The Atkinson Southport, Middlesbrough Theatre, Stamford Corn Exchange, Epstein Theatre Liverpool, Lowther Pavilion, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Artsdepot North Finchley, EM Forster Tonbridge, Connaught Theatre Worthing, Falkirk Town Hall, Square Chapel Halifax, G Live Guildford, Millfield Theatre Edmonton, Evesham Arts Centre, Bridge House Theatre Warwick, The Hawth Crawley, Theatre Royal Brighton, Hertford Theatre, Carriageworks Theatre Leeds, Theatre Royal Winchester, Watford Palace Theatre, Stantonbury Theatre, Farnham Maltings, Nottingham Playhouse, Darlington Hippodrome, MAC Birmingham, The Albany Theatre Coventry, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Anvil Arts Basingstoke and The Radlett Centre.
Romeo And Juliet – Mad Blood Stirring – tour starts 16 February
Romeo and Juliet – Mad Blood Stirring is a new adaptation of Shakespeare's tale of star crossed lovers for children in school years 5 to 8.
Written by Nick Walker, the story is narrated by the Friar speaking in modern English.
The production is presented by Contender Charlie and China Plate and is accompanied by material for use in schools.
Paul Warwick and Ben Walden direct a cast comprising Jack Brett, Chay February, Nathan Medina, Adam Newington and Anna Soden.
Music and composition is by Ella Grace and fight direction is by Claire Llewellyn
Romeo and Juliet – Mad Blood Stirring is commissioned by Warwick Arts Centre, Z-Arts, Oxford Playhouse and The Core at Corby Cube and plays The Core at Corby Core, Z-Arts Manchester, Warwick Arts Centre, New Theatre Royal Portsmouth and Oxford Playhouse.
The Trick – tour starts 19 February
In this work, writer and performer Eve Leigh presents a magic show about getting older and coming to terms with loss.
Ghosts, goldfish, mediums, and sleight-of-hand collide in this unpredictable show directed by Roy Alexander Weise.
The Trick is presented by HighTide and Loose Tongue in association with Bush Theatre.
The tour visits Bush Theatre London, North Wall Arts Centre, Salisbury Playhouse, Marina Theatre Lowestoft, Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall, Watford Palace Theatre, Birmingham Rep, Square Chapel Halifax and York Theatre Royal.
Hotel Paradiso – tour starts 20 February
In narrative-driven circus show Hotel Paradiso, the staff of a rundown hotel try to save it from repossession by the dastardly banker and his sidekick.
The cast of six acrobats, clowns and jugglers provide aerial skills, floor acrobatics and juggling, clowning and physical comedy.
This family show comes from Lost in Translation Circus and is directed by Massimiliano Rossetti and Annabel Carberry. Music is by composer and multi-instrumentalist Roger Eno.
Hotel Paradiso visits Nuffield Theatre Lancaster University, Harlow Playhouse, Jacksons Lane Theatre London, New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Bristol Circomedia and Lincoln Drill Hall.
Glory – tour starts 21 February
Writer and broadcaster Nick Ahad's play Glory looks at identity and race in multicultural Britain through a story of wrestling, a sport currently having a resurgence in the UK.
This state-of-the-nation play is set in a down at heel gym in the north of England, where faded star Jim ‘Glorious’ Glory clashes with amateur wrestlers Dan, Ben and Sami.
In the cast are Josh Hart, Jamie Smelt, Ali Azhar and Joshua Lyster.
A co-production by The Dukes Theatre Lancaster and Red Ladder Theatre Company in association with Tamasha, Glory is directed by Red Ladder’s artistic director Rod Dixon.
The show opens at The Dukes Theatre Lancaster then tours to theatres and non-traditional venues starting at Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough, then Grove Hall Wakefield, Belle Isle Working Men’s Club Leeds, Unity Theatre Liverpool, The Albany Theatre Deptford London, Cast Doncaster, The Cluntergate Centre Wakefield, Jump Club Barnsley, Hull Truck Theatre Hull, Theatre Clwyd Mold, Albion Electric Warehouse Leeds and Belgrade Theatre Coventry.
Kiss Me Quickstep – tour starts 22 February
Kiss Me Quickstep takes the lid off the world of competitive dancing, showing what it takes to become a champion.
It is written by Amanda Whittington for a team that includes a community chorus of eight ballroom dancers on stage with the professional cast made up of David Birch, Michelle Bishop, Adrian Klein, Joshua Lay, Abigail Middleton, Garry Robson, and Vicki Lee Taylor.
Kiss Me Quickstep is directed by Kirstie Davis, with choreography by Lucie Pankhurst. It is presented in traverse with intimate staging.
Kiss Me Quickstep opens in Hornchurch then visits Wolsey Theatre Ipswich and Theatr Clwyd Mold.
In The Willows – tour starts 22 February
New musical In The Willows is a modern stage adaptation of the classic story by Kenneth Grahame.
Olivier Award-winning Clive Rowe plays Mr Badger. His stage credits include Me and My Girl, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, The Light Princess and Kiss Me Kate as well as many pantos at London's Hackney Empire.
Harry Jardine whose credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Octagon, Shakespeare in Love and Les Misérables plays Toad.
The X Factor finalist Australian Seann Miley Moore plays Duck, Deaf street dancer Chris Fonseca plays Otter and Let It Shine performer Matt Knight plays Chief Weasel.
Also in the cast are Victoria Boyce, Abiola Efunshile, Treasure Iyamu, Matt Knight, Zara Macintosh and Katherine Picar.
The cast will include local young performers selected through free dance workshops and auditions.
In The Willows is written and directed by Poppy Burton-Morgan. Street dance choreography is by Rhimes Lecointe incorporating British Sign Language and there will also be audio description available for all performances. The show has music by both Pippa Cleary and Keiran Merrick. It is presented by Metta Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre.
In The Willows opens at Northcott Theatre Exeter then visits New Theatre Royal Portsmouth, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Theatre by the Lake Keswick, Oxford Playhouse, York Theatre Royal, Malvern Forum, The Grand Theatre Blackpool, New Wimbledon Theatre, Queens Theatre Hornchurch and Bristol Old Vic.