IN THE WINGS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This is your backstage pass to the latest announcements, press releases, entertainment news, and exclusive features. Dive into behind-the-scenes stories, performer highlights, and venue spotlights—this is where the magic of our shared creative journey unfolds.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Colourful letters with party streamers around them read BIG DREAMS EARLY YEARS THEATRE FESTIVAL

BIG DREAMS, POLKA THEATRE’S EARLY YEARS FESTIVAL, RETURNS

Building on the success of previous years, Big Dreams celebrates the very best in Early Years theatre and creativity. Audiences are invited to enjoy an array of imaginative and playful experiences, including a programme of performances specially created for children aged 0–8 years, alongside interactive installations and opportunities to explore and create together.

Two actor's head shots of global majority young women looking straight to camera.

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR POLKA THEATRE’S THE RAPPING PRINCESS

Anu Akinseye will play the role of ‘Shiloh’ and Grace Venus is ‘Queendom Storyteller’.

SIR LENNY HENRY AND MAZ EVANS BECOME PATRONS OF POLKA THEATRE

The announcement follows both artists’ recent creative collaborations with the venue. Maz Evans’ bestselling book Who Let The Gods Out was adapted into a new musical that has just finished its critically acclaimed run, while Sir Lenny Henry’s Olivier nominated The Boy With Wings received its world premiere at Polka last summer.

Illustrated posters for the shows The Rapping Princess (a girl, mid rap towards us on a blue background) and the Tortoise and The Hare (a hare rides on the back of a tortoise on a green background)

POLKA THEATRE PRESENTS THE PREMIERE OF THE RAPPING PRINCESS OPENING THIS MAY PLUS ACCESSIBLE PRODUCTION OF TORTOISE AND THE HARE

Polka Theatre’s new production of The Rapping Princess follows the inspirational storybook and Tortoise and the Hare is full of puppetry, hare-larious hijinks, fantastic storytelling and original live music.

TWO OLIVIER NOMINATIONS FOR ANRPR CLIENTS POLKA THEATRE

The Boy With Wings and The Firework-Maker’s Daughter were both nominated in the Best Family Show category

PRODUCTION IMAGES RELEASED FOR WHO LET THE GODS OUT - RUNNING IN POLKA’S Y C CHAN THEATRE UNTIL SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2026

Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive Helen Matravers , Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive Lynette Shanbury , and the whole team are pleased to share production images for Who Let The Gods Out – a hilarious brand-new stage musical based on the first adventure in the brilliant ‘Who Let The Gods Out’ series, with book and lyrics by the series’ bestselling author Maz Evans . The show will run in Polka’s Adventure Theatre from Saturday 7 Februar

POLKA THEATRE ANNOUNCES NEW ARTISTS TO TAKE PART IN ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ‘CATAPULT’

Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive Helen Matravers, Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive Lynette Shanbury, and the whole team are pleased to announce the artists chosen for the theatre’s Artist Development programme, Catapult.

REHEARSAL IMAGES RELEASED FOR WHO LET THE GODS OUT RUNNING IN POLKA’S Y C CHAN THEATRE FROM SATURDAY 7 FEBRUARY UNTIL SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2026

Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive Helen Matravers , Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive Lynette Shanbury , and the whole team are pleased to share rehearsal images for Who Let The Gods Out – a hilarious brand-new stage musical based on the first adventure in the brilliant ‘Who Let The Gods Out’ series, with book and lyrics by the series’ bestselling author Maz Evans. The show will run in Polka’s Adventure Theatre from Saturday 4 October un

POLKA THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE PREMIERE STAGE ADAPTATION OF BESTSELLING BOOK "WHO LET THE GODS OUT"

Polka Theatre are pleased to announce the cast and creative team for Who Let The Gods Out – a hilarious brand-new stage musical based on the first adventure in the brilliant ‘Who Let The Gods Out’ series, with book and lyrics by the series’ bestselling author Maz Evans.

POLKA THEATRE ANNOUNCES FURTHER SHOWS TO COMPLETE THEIR SPRING/SUMMER SEASON, PLUS FESTIVE 25/26 PRODUCTIONS

Polka Theatre's 45th year brings diverse theatre and dance, empowering and inspiring children with accessible and sustainable programming.

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Riverside Studios announces further events as part of their 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

The whole team at Riverside Studios is thrilled to announce details of more special events being staged to celebrate the West London venue’s 50th anniversary:

- An Evening With TFI Friday (29 May)
- Robert Lindsay In Conversation (31 May)
- An Evening With Top Of The Pops (5 June)

This anniversary season takes inspiration from the past in the form of special performances and creative partnerships, while welcoming back some of the key figures who have helped shape the iconic venue’s rich history.

Alice In Wonderland returns to London this summer at Riverside Studios and Soho Theatre Walthamstow

Tumble down the rabbit hole this summer into the fantastical world of Wonderland, where up is down and nonsense reigns supreme.

The critically acclaimed production of Alice in Wonderland will return to London this summer, following its UK premiere at the Marylebone Theatre in 2025 and its recent Easter season at Riverside Studios this spring. The production will return to Riverside Studios 16 July - 2 August, before moving to Soho Theatre Walthamstow from 5 - 16 August, as part of the venue’s Summer Slam season.

Rehearsal images released for Double Double at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester.

Starring Faye Brookes and Daniel Brocklebank, this revival of Double Double celebrates 40 years of the show.

Weeks before his 37th birthday, Philippa’s husband Richard dies – the birthday that the terms of his inheritance required him to be alive and married. In the throes of grief, Philippa hatches a plan: find someone she can pass off as Richard and split the £2million windfall.

Double Double is at Barn Theatre, Cirencester, 28 April – 30 May

📷 Alex Tabrizi

Big Dreams, Polka Theatre’s early years festival, returns 18-20 September 2026.

Building on the success of previous years, Big Dreams 2026 will once again celebrate the very best in Early Years theatre and creativity. Audiences are invited to enjoy an array of imaginative and playful experiences, including a programme of performances specially created for children aged 0–8 years, alongside interactive installations and opportunities to explore and create together.

Shows include MC Grammar, The Tale of the Loneliest Whale, Multicolore, Hopeful Monsters, Family Rave, Nick Sharratt’s Once Upon a Drawalong, Hurly Burly’s After Party, and Dancing with Colours from Mind The Gap.

Fantasia Orchestra marks tenth anniversary with BBC Proms return interpreting a diverse repertoire from Dvořák and Vaughan Williams to Meredith Monk, Coltrane and Radiohead.

Fantasia Orchestra returns to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in its landmark tenth anniversary year. Founded in 2016 by conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, Fantasia has gained a reputation as one of the country’s most distinctive and forward-thinking orchestral ensembles, known for its collaborative spirit and boundary-crossing programming. The Proms performances mark a significant milestone in Fantasia’s evolution over the past decade, from a self-starting collective of young musicians to one of the UK’s fastest-rising orchestras, now performing on its most prominent stages.

Two performances are scheduled at the Royal Albert Hall: a Relaxed Prom on Sunday 9 August and a Late Night Prom on Tuesday 11 August.

Huge Congratulations to the @watermilltheatre for winning Best Regional Production at the @stallstostage Awards last night for their production of Jesus Christ Superstar last year. A well deserved accolade for a brilliant show.

Production shots released for The Price.

Arthur Miller’s searing family drama comes to the Marylebone Theatre in a powerful new production directed by Olivier Award-nominated Jonathan Munby.

Double Olivier Award-winner Henry Goodman (Yes, Prime Minister, Fiddler On The Roof, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) stars as Gregory Solomon and is joined by Faye Castelow (Leopoldstadt, After the Dance, The Witch of Edmonton) as Esther Franz, Elliot Cowan (A Little Life, Da Vinci’s Demons, Peaky Blinders) as Victor Franz and John Hopkins (Dr Strangelove, The 39 Steps, Poldark, Midsomer Murders) as Walter Franz.

On the eve of selling their late father’s possessions, two estranged brothers meet in a cluttered New York attic for the first time in years. What begins as a simple transaction becomes a fierce emotional reckoning, as decades of resentment, sacrifice and buried truth erupt into the open.

By turns darkly funny and devastatingly human, The Price is one of Miller’s most intimate and explosive dramas: a gripping portrait of family where memory, regret and emotional inheritance collide.

It was a win for TWO Sleeping Beautys this weekend as ANRPR clients @belgradetheatre and @artstheatrecambridge won at The Pantomime Awards 2026 (oh yes they did!).

BEST COSTUMES:
James MacIver – Sleeping Beauty, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry (Belgrade Theatre and Imagine Theatre)

BEST PANTOMIME: (550 TO 950 SEATS)
Sleeping Beauty, The Arts Theatre Cambridge (In-House)

Huge congrats to both!

Theatre Royal Windsor announces All-Star Casting For The Marquise

The all-star cast features Juliet Aubrey, Simon Shepherd, Tristan Gemmill, Albie Marber, Eva O’Hara, Martin Carroll, Barnaby Tobias, Lee Peck, Holly Smith, James Smalley and Amy Utting.

When a widowed Count tries to marry off his daughter to the son of his best friend, it seems like a perfectly sensible plan. But with both young lovers secretly pining for others, their entangled affections cause chaos.

Originating in Windsor and touring the UK in 2026 from 27 May

Casting Announcement: Darren Day will be playing the role of ‘Sam Phillips’ in the Barn Theatre’s Million Dollar Quartet which returns for an extended run this summer between 15 June and 22 August.

Darren Day first gained recognition after winning Opportunity Knocks in 1988, before achieving major West End success as ‘Joseph’ in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the London Palladium. The role cemented his reputation as a leading musical theatre performer. His stage career includes Les Misérables, Grease, The Rocky Horror Show, Chicago, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, We Will Rock You, Carousel, Beauty and the Beast, White Christmas, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Million Dollar Quartet will be directed by Jonathan O’Boyle with a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux.

Additional cast and creative team will be announced soon.

Full casting announced for Polka Theatre’s The Rapping Princess.

Anu Akinseye will play the role of ‘Shiloh’ and Grace Venus is ‘Queendom Storyteller’.

This world premiere musical adaptation of the book by Hannah Lee & Allen Fatimaharan will play Polka’s Adventure Theatre, 16 May – 21 June 2026.

Watermill Theatre announces world premiere of Murder Before Evensong.

When a shocking murder shatters Champton’s quiet routines, the calm surface of village life begins to crack as suspicion spreads and long-buried secrets rise to the surface.

This stage adaptation of Reverend Richard Coles’ bestselling mystery novel plays from 25 September – 14 November.

Don’t miss this thrilling world premiere – where every pew holds a secret, and anyone could be guilty of murder.

Full cast announced for the world premiere of Dark Of The Moon, coming to Charing Cross Theatre from 18 May.

Joining the already announced duo of Glenn Adamson and Lauren Jones are Sue Appleby, Josie Benson, Jordan Broatch, Martin Callaghan, Sophia Duncan, David-Michael Johnson, Thomas-Lee Kidd, Al Knott, Kiah Lindsay, Gemma Maclean, Wills Mercado, Samuel Murray, Gary Turner, Appolilly Szwarc, Will Foggin, Vieve Hamilton and Nick Wyschna.

DARK OF THE MOON is a supernatural tale of powerful witchcraft, small-town prejudices and the power of love.

Nanny of the Maroons - the epic story of a warrior queen.

Tickets go on sale today for the world premiere of Nanny of the Maroons a major new co-production from Belgrade Theatre, Hackney Empire and tiata fahodzi, running in Coventry at the Belgrade Theatre from 18 June - 3 July 2027 before playing at Hackney Empire from 7 - 11 July 2027.

Nanny of the Maroons tells the incredible true story of a legendary 18th century freedom fighter. High in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, Queen Nanny prepares to lead her people in a war against British colonial forces. A brilliant military strategist and revered spiritual leader, she has outwitted her enemies at every turn with such cunning, they claim she has the powers of a witch. As long as her people remain enslaved, her war rages on. This is the epic story of a Woman, a Warrior, a Queen, who led the fight for freedom and became a Jamaican national hero.

Written by Belgrade Theatre Artistic Director Corey Campbell and Lucia Haynes, and directed by Campbell and Justine Themen, with music and lyrics by Corah Fowles.

Hot Mess: A New Musical returns to London for a strictly limited season at The Other Palace this summer.

The multi award-winning new musical opens on 13 June 2026, following the sell-out Edinburgh Fringe premiere and subsequent Southwark Playhouse transfer.

Created by the award-winning duo behind 42 Balloons, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, Hot Mess is a high-energy original romcom that reimagines the climate crisis as a turbulent love story between Earth and Humanity.

The Watermill Theatre announces casting for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The cast for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will feature Christian Edwards as Caractacus Potts and Lydia Louise making her professional debut in the role of Truly Scrumptious. Grandpa Potts will be played by Mark Curry and Susannah van den Berg will play The Childcatcher.

In the role of Baron Bomburst will be Samuel Morgan-Grahame; Mairi Ikegami will play Baroness Bomburst; Sam Pay will be Boris/Lord Scrumptious; in the role of Goran/Onstage MD will be Alexander Zane, The Toymaker/Onstage Deputy MD will be played by Reuben Greeph and Theo Diedrick will play Coggins. The ensemble cast will be Tasha Chu, Sameer Dhanjee, Georgie Hales, Javai James, Maya Khatri Chhetri and Josh Rosewood.

The role of Jeremy will be shared by Francis Adams, Bodhi Allnutt, Elijah Bailey and Lucas Froud and the role of Jemima will be shared by Auora Breslin, Juyoung Chang, Sophie George and Aila McLeish.

World premiere of the Pianist announced - A new musical stage adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman’s landmark memoir, featuring his original music, to open in London this autumn

The inspiration behind Roman Polanski’s Academy Award-winning film, The Painist will run at Park Theatre 15 October to 28 November 2026.

Written and directed by Thom Southerland (Titanic the Musical), this landmark new production brings one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable true stories to the stage, featuring Szpilman’s own music with new lyrics and freshly orchestrated by Simon Lee, Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s long time Musical Director – to the stage for the very first time.

Glenn Adamson and Lauren Jones to lead the world premiere of Dark Of The Moon, a new musical coming to Charing Cross Theatre from 18 May.

Glenn Adamson is best known for playing Strat in Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell in the West End and in the UK, US and Australian tours, as well as the filmed version and was ranked No. 4 in What’s On Stage’s Most-Trending Theatre Actors of 2025. His other theatre credits include Closer to Heaven (Turbine Theatre), Bat Boy (London Palladium), We Will Rock You (London Coliseum), American Idiot (UK & New Zealand Tour).

Lauren Jones is more recently known for playing ‘Wednesday’ in the recent UK Tour of The Addams Family, but first came to the spotlight as ‘Trish’ and alternate ‘Bonnie’ in Bonnie & Clyde (The Arts; The Garrick & UK tour) and is featured on the West End Cast Recording in both roles. She has since continued to gain notoriety in her role as “I” in Rebecca (Charing Cross Theatre) for which she gained an Offie Award Nomination for Best Leading Actress, Scissorhandz (Southwark Playhouse Elephant) and A Christmas Carol(The Old Vic).

Rehearsal shots released for Arthur Miller’s ‘The Price’ coming to the Marylebone Theatre from 17 April.

On the eve of selling their late father’s possessions, two estranged brothers meet in a cluttered New York attic for the first time in years. What begins as a simple transaction becomes a fierce emotional reckoning, as decades of resentment, sacrifice and buried truth erupt into the open. By turns darkly funny and devastatingly human, The Price is one of Miller’s most intimate and explosive dramas: a gripping portrait of family where memory, regret and emotional inheritance collide.

Actors Henry Goodman, Faye Castelow, Elliot Cowan and John Hopkins and director Jonathan Munby were photographed in rehearsal by Mark Senior.

Happy World Theatre Day everyone!

How will you be celebrating?

Rehearsal images Images by Pamela Raith have been released for Victoria: A Queen Unbound at The Watermill Theatre.

Osborne House 1901. As Victoria faces the final days of her reign, she clings to her diaries, the carefully kept record of a life defined by love, duty and profound loss. Into this certainty comes her younger self, forcing the older Victoria to confront memories she’s chosen to bury and truths she’s chosen to forget.

A world premiere, from Daisy Goodwin, the creator of the novel and ITV drama, Victoria, this new play offers a fresh perspective on one of history’s greatest monarchs.

Yentl and Bentl a special event welcoming the LGBTQ+ community with a Q&A hosted by Ralph Bogard at Marylebone Theatre.

On 1 April, audiences can attend a special one-off queer night of Yentl at the Marylebone Theatre, celebrating all things LGBTQ+ in theatre, with an exclusive queer-focused post-show Q&A with the cast and director/writer Gary Abrahams hosted by the fabulous Ralph Bogard. The Q&A discussion is entitled “Understanding Queer Shame and our relationship to spirituality and religious orthodoxy”, and will go further into depth on the show’s queer themes.

Six The Musical (UK Studio Cast Recording) goes Platinum.

The producers of SIX are pleased to announce that the SIX the Musical (Studio Cast Recording) has been certified Platinum, with a limited-edition platinum vinyl pressing scheduled for release in Autumn 2026. Pre-order is available here: www.sixthemusical.com/london/music.

The certification was marked on Tuesday 24 March 2026 at a gala performance at the Vaudeville Theatre, celebrating the arrival of the new West End Queens.

Following the performance, the show’s writers, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, were presented with Platinum discs on stage by Matt Hemley, Editor of The Stage, joined by members of the current company. The presentation also recognised the contribution of the album’s creative team, including producer Sam Featherstone, orchestrator Tom Curran and musical supervisor Joe Beighton.

First recorded in 2018, the SIX Studio Cast Album features Renée Lamb (Catherine of Aragon), Christina Modestou (Anne Boleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Genesis Lynea (Anna of Cleves), Aimie Atkinson (Catherine Howard), and Izuka Hoyle (Catherine Parr).

Full cast announcement: Kathy Kiera Clarke stars with Aden Gillett, Vikash Bhai and Megan Marszal in Heartsink at Riverside Studios from 21 April.

Aden Gillet (The House of Elliott, BBC; The Doctor’s Dilemma, National Theatre, A Christmas Carol, RSC) will play ‘Dr Jeffrey Longford’. He is joined by Vikash Bhai (Limbo, by Ben Sharrock – BAFTA Scotland nomination; Girl Taken, Paramount+) as ‘Dr Roofi’, and Megan Marszal (Helloween, Amazon Prime; I Love You Michael, From Nadine, Riverside Studios) as ‘Suzie’. They join the previously announced Kathy Kiera Clarke (Derry Girls, Hat Trick Productions; Portia Coughlan, Almeida Theatre) as ‘Cara’.

Written by former GP Farine Clarke (London Zoo) Heartsink is a new bittersweet medical comedy directed by Sean Turner (Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England, The Play That Goes Wrong).

Production images released for Ottilie at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester

See a selection of production images of Jolene O'Hara in the title role. Photos by Alex Tabrizi.

The godmother of British blues began life in a terrace in Northern Ireland, a little girl who felt like an outsider. When the blues music drifted across from the American GIs up the road, Ottilie became obsessed: she’d found her tribe.

Sir Lenny Henry and Maz Evans become patrons of Polka Theatre

The announcement follows both artists’ recent creative collaborations with the venue. Maz Evans’ bestselling book Who Let The Gods Out was adapted into a new musical that has just finished its critically acclaimed run, while Sir Lenny Henry’s Olivier nominated The Boy With Wings received its world premiere at Polka last summer.

From Gordon Ramsay to Basil Fawlty: acclaimed chef takes charge of London’s most chaotic restaurant.

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is delighted to announce that acclaimed chef Jonathan Bradley has joined the team as the new Head Chef at the President Hotel in London, ushering in a refined new chapter for the show’s much-loved three-course dining experience.

The newly revamped set menu includes:
- Tomato soup with basil oil (VE)
- Roast chicken with gravy, carrot purée, savoy cabbage, baby carrot and dauphinoise potato
- Sweet potato and courgette timbale (VE)
- Lemon and berries cheesecake with chantilly cream and fruits of the forest compote

Coronation Street stars Daniel Brocklebank and Faye Brookes to star in Double Double at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester.

In the role of Duncan will be Daniel Brocklebank, who played Billy Mayhew in ITV1’s Coronation Street from 2014 until 2026. He is also the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in the multi award-winning Shakespeare in Love (Miramax). His theatre credits include As You Like It, Titus Andronicus, The Tamer Tamed and Lord of the Flies (Royal Shakespeare Company); The Importance of Being Earnest (Rose Theatre Kingston) and A Doll’s House (The Lowry).

Starring alongside Daniel will be Faye Brookes in the role of “Philippa”. Faye is best known for her role as Kate Connor in ITV1’s Coronation Street, for which she won a National Television Award. Her previous theatre credits include Chicago (UK and National Tour); Constellations (The Barn Theatre); Strictly Ballroom (UK and National Tour); and Shrek (UK and National Tour).

This revival of Double Double celebrates 40 years of the show, after its acclaimed debut at the Fortune Theatre in 1986.

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