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

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CAST ANNOUNCED FOR ALICE IN WONDERLAND, RETURNING TO LONDON THIS SUMMER

Starring Ailsa Erskinem, Kate Malyon, Clare Brice, Honey Gabriel, Sean Garratt, Tom Giles, Skye Hallam, Thomas Hewitt, Grace Hussey-Burd, Daniel Page and Sophie Wilkinson

A brightly coloured print poster style image featuring Hammersmith Bridge and text about the Bitesized Festival as part of the Riversdie 50th anniversary year

RIVERSIDE STUDIOS ANNOUNCES FULL PROGRAMME FOR BITESIZE FESTIVAL VII

Including the second edition of the Bitesize Short Film Festival, The Bitesize Festival Art Exhibition, a One Day Music Festival, culminating in The Bitesize Awards.

SCRUM THEATRE ANNOUNCES SUMMER WORKSHOP PROGRAMME AT RIVERSIDE STUDIOS, MARKING NEW CHAPTER IN ITS RIVERSIDE RESIDENCY

A major summer programme of workshops, masterclasses and intensives bringing leading industry voices such as David Hare and Sonali Bhattacharyya into direct conversation with early-career artists.

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RIVERSIDE STUDIOS AND TED WALLIKER PRESENT RON – A BOLD AND GENRE-DEFYING SOLO SHOW

A bold and genre-defying new solo show written and performed by Ted Walliker, running in Studio 2 at the Hammersmith venue 13 June - 5 July

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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.

A young blond girl looks surprised through a hole with a blue sky behind her. Gold text reads Alice in Wonderland.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND RETURNS TO LONDON THIS SUMMER AT RIVERSIDE STUDIOS AND SOHO THEATRE WALTHAMSTOW

The critically acclaimed production premiered at the Marylebone Theatre in 2025 and played an Easter season at Riverside Studios, returning this July and August.

Actors rehearse a play in a well lit white room

REHEARSAL SHOTS RELEASED FOR HEARTSINK AT RIVERSIDE STUDIOS

Producers are pleased to share rehearsal pictures by Ben Hewis of the brand-new play Heartsink at Riverside Studios from 21 April until 10 May

FULL CAST ANNOUNCEMENT: KATHY KIERA CLARKE STARS WITH ADEN GILLETT, VIKASH BHAI AND MEGAN MARSZAL IN HEARTSINK

Producers today announce the full casting of the brand-new play Heartsink: Aden Gillet, Vikash Bhai and Megan Marszal join previously announced Kathy Kiera Clarke

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APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR BITESIZE FESTIVAL VII AT RIVERSIDE STUDIOS

Bitesize Festival returns bigger than ever with an extra fifth week. Running from 27 July – 30 August, Riverside Studios will once again transform into a vibrant hub for short-form theatre, short film and visual art.

'DERRY GIRLS' STAR KATHY KIERA CLARKE TO STAR IN HEARTSINK

Heartsink is a new bittersweet medical comedy written by former GP Farine Clarke (London Zoo) and directed by Sean Turner (Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England, The Play That Goes Wrong), premiering at Riverside Studios 21 April - 10 May.

RIVERSIDE STUDIOS ANNOUNCES 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

Riverside Studios is thrilled to announce details of the first special events being staged to celebrate the West London venue’s 50th anniversary including appearances from Helen Mirren, Lenny Henry and Gyles Brandreth

UNEQUAL PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS HEARTSINK - A NEW BITTERSWEET MEDICAL COMEDY WRITTEN BY A FORMER GP, DIRECTED BY SEAN TURNER - RIVERSIDE STUDIOS

Unequal Productions presents Heartsink, a new bittersweet comedy written by former GP Farine Clarke, and directed by Sean Turner (Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse for England, The Play That Goes Wrong), which will play at Riverside Studios from 21 April – 10 May, with a press night on Friday 24 April.

RIVERSIDE STUDIOS ANNOUNCES TRY JANUARY PROGRAMME

Try January events at Riverside Studios to include new wellness and maker workshops, theatre, live music, and special cinema events.

RIVERSIDE STUDIOS ANNOUNCES ITS SPRING PROGRAMME FOR THE RIVER ROOM

Riverside Studios’ River Room launches a new weekly schedule with theatre, comedy, live music, and creative events for all.

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Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is excited to launch new discounted tickets for families, making a fun family night out with Basil, Sybil and Manuel more affordable this summer for a limited time only as part of the government's Great British Summer Savings scheme.

The government initiative, which runs until 1 September 2026, temporarily cuts VAT from 20% to 5% on children's and family tickets for theatres, shows and experiences, helping families enjoy more of the moments that matter during the school holidays.

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is proud to be passing this saving directly on to customers, with new discount children’s ticket prices in London from £40.69, and discounted family tickets from £166.

Charing Cross Theatre and The Players Bar today announces a limited season of two one-woman operas, The Seven Deadly Sins and The Human Voice, performed together as a double bill for 10 performances only 11 – 19 September 2026.

Starring Katherine McIndoe, directed by Alejandro Bonatto and with musical direction by Adrian Salinero (The Seven Deadly Sins) and Elspeth Wilkes (The Human Voice), the double bill brings together two extraordinary works exploring female identity, ambition, emotional endurance and self-betrayal.

The Seven Deadly Sins, with music by Kurt Weill and libretto by Bertolt Brecht, is a biting and sharp-edged satire of ambition and self-betrayal, set to a score steeped in Weimar cabaret and 1930s American jazz.

The Human Voice, with music by Francis Poulenc and libretto by Jean Cocteau, is a harrowing one-woman opera, unfolding through a single, unbroken phone call that becomes the last conversation of a love affair.

Production images released for Our Man In Havana at Theatre Royal Windsor ahead of UK Tour.

Our Man in Havana, adapted by Clive Francis from Graham Greene’s novel, follows the hilarious exploits of James Wormold, a British vacuum cleaner salesman in pre-revolutionary Havana, Cuba. Struggling financially to support his spoiled daughter, Wormold is recruited by MI6 agent Hawthorne to be a spy. Lacking any actual spy skills or intentions, Wormold fabricates an entire network of fictional agents and reports, using his imagination and local bar conversations.

📷 Jack Merriman @jackmerrimanphotography

Tickets on sale now for Hackney Empire’s 2026 artist development programme production Threads, directed by award-winning director Stef O'Driscoll, with a creative team bringing together returning ADP alumni and collaborators alongside new artists for 2026.

Created with and performed by a company of over 50 young artists and creatives aged 14–19, Threads is a newly devised production with live, original songs and music, that reflects the voices, questions and creativity of young people today, while continuing Hackney Empire’s long-standing commitments to championing marginalised and global majority creatives, and developing meaningful pathways into the creative industries.

King’s Head Theatre, Islington, has appointed Amber Massie-Blomfield as Interim Executive Director and CEO and James Quaife as Interim Executive Producer.

Massie-Blomfield will oversee the theatre’s executive management, finance, operations and governance during the interim period. She will be in post from July on a part-time basis, alongside her work developing her organisation Fern Culture.

Quaife will focus on artistic and producing leadership, helping to ensure a compelling programme and strong creative relationships within the industry.

Following sold-out concerts at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Keaka Productions LLC and Charing Cross Productions with Eric McCormack, Michael Scott and Second Set LLC are proud to announce that Wild About You will run at the Charing Cross Theatre from 18 January to 10 April 2027.

On the day of his high school graduation party, Billy, a young man feeling at odds with his future before it has even begun, finds a trunk of letters written to him by his late mother, whom he’d been told had abandoned him as a child. The discovery sets Billy and his best friend Scoot on a journey to uncover the truth about his past, and his connection to a woman he never knew, who might just be the key to understanding where he stands in the world.

Full casting and creative team to be announced in due course.

Ahead of tonight’s press night, producers Vicky Graham, Birmingham Hippodrome, and Aria Entertainment are delighted to release the production images for Hot Mess.

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.

After a billion years of bad dates, Earth has finally found the one… Humanity. Sparks fly. Seeds are sown. Ground is broken. But what begins as a passionate love affair between the universe’s most iconic couple quickly descends into a hot mess.

An original pop musical about love, hope, and the ultimate break up. Playing The Other Palace until 6 September 2026.

https://lnkd.in/e95T_3Pb
📷 Pamela Raith

King's Head Theatre announces its 2026 Autumn Season; with three new shows on sale.

Using the lens of technology, politics, and sexuality, this season asks a timely question: who are we behind our public face? Some of the biggest stories are told in the smallest rooms - and this autumn, each of these stories is about the distance between the public face and the private truth.

Opening the season is the London premiere of the award-winning South Korean musical You & It (Thursday 20 August – Saturday 26 September) by Seoeun O and QLee.

Following it is the return of the box-office record-breaking The Gang of Three, back at King’s Head Theatre for a strictly limited run (Thursday 1 to Sunday 11 October) before it launches a UK tour.

Finally, a critically acclaimed dynamic double bill of ’s tell me straight and aggy (Thursday 15 October – Saturday 14 November) transfers to King’s Head Theatre, following smash-hit runs at the Park Theatre.

Rounding off the autumn season is the previously announced pantomime, Dick Whittington (Saturday 21 November – Sunday 3 January 2027).

FIRST LOOK: Rehearsal images for The Smile of Her, the acclaimed autobiographical play by Academy, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award winner Christine Lahti have been released. The production plays a strictly limited engagement at the Marylebone Theatre from Friday 10 July to Saturday 29 August 2026.

They also announce the young actresses who will be playing the role of “Girl” alongside Lahti. They are Jesamine-Bleu Gibbs, previously seen in Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre and The Sound of Music at Chichester Festival Theatre, alongside Isabella Ford who is making her professional stage debut in the show, following advertising work including Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo) and theatre training with Spirit Young Performers Company. The two young actresses will be sharing the role across the 7-week run of performances.

Directed by Mêlisa Annis, the production marks Lahti’s first UK stage appearance and the first London presentation of the deeply personal solo work she wrote and performs herself.

📷 Mark Senior

Woolwich Works has announced the return of Brassworks, its annual celebration of brass music, street performance and community involvement, on Saturday 5 September 2026. Taking place as a flagship event in the venue's fifth anniversary year, the free festival will once again bring together some of the most renowned names in brass, the local community and music enthusiasts for a day of diverse live music and fun.

See the website for full line-up.

Producers of Hot Mess announce series of post-show events curated by Pollinate, exploring musical theatre, climate and cultural change.

Ahead of London Climate Action Week next week, producers Vicky Graham, Birmingham Hippodrome, and Aria Entertainment are delighted to announce a new series of post-show panel events and a workshop for multi-award-winning 5-star new musical Hot Mess, curated by Pollinate, a new organisation developing musical theatre focused on climate and nature.

Songwriting for Climate Recovery – Friday 26 June
Staging Climate Themed Shows – Tuesday 7 July
Love Songs for the Planet – Saturday 18 July
Better With Time: Building an Equal and Habitable UK – Tuesday 28 July

Hot Mess runs at The Other Palace until 6 September 2026.

Production images released for Million Dollar Quartet at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester until 22 August.

On the night of December 4th 1956, four men walked into a recording studio in Memphis and made musical history. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley were brought together by pure chance for a jam session which would go on to shape the trajectory of rock ‘n’ roll music across the world.

Production photos by Alex Tabrizi, featuring Darren Day, Connor Payne, Christopher Erasmus, Joe Bence, Jenay Naima and the rest of the cast.

Cast announced for Alice In Wonderland, returning to London this summer, at both Riverside Studios and Soho Theatre Walthamstow.

The production will feature Ailsa Erskinem, Kate Malyon, Clare Brice, Honey Gabriel, Sean Garratt, Tom Giles, Skye Hallam, Thomas Hewitt, Grace Hussey-Burd, Daniel Page and Sophie Wilkinson.

Adapted by Penny Farrow and directed and designed by Nate Bertone, with co-direction and movement by Eva Sampson, this "delightfully imaginative retelling" (Broadway World) brings Lewis Carroll's much-loved classic to life with lighting by Jack Weir, sound by Ella Wahlström, and puppets designed by Chris Barlow and Nate Bertone with puppetry direction by Katriona Brown.

Polka Theatre announces Kalee Talvitie-Brown appointed as new chair of the board.

Kalee is a former strategy partner at PwC where she held a number of senior leadership roles. Her work focused on advising boards of private and public sector organisations as well as charities. Kalee brings deep expertise in strategy, transformation, and people leadership. For 8 years she was a Trustee at the PwC Foundation, which is focused on promoting social inclusion and sustainable development in the UK. She was also Vice President of the Management Consultancies Association. Kalee has lived and worked in multiple countries, including Finland, Russia, Belgium and the US, before settling in Wimbledon with her family. All four of her children have enjoyed theatre at Polka, and she enjoys the theatre herself and is a Patron at the Royal Academy of Arts and the V&A.

Italia Conti, one of the UK’s longest-established performing arts institutions, has announced an evolution of its senior leadership structure as the organisation continues its 115th anniversary year celebrations and enters a new phase of development.

Bradley Hawkins will move from his current position of Co-Principal to become Principal of Italia Conti, with Hayley Newton-Jarvis moving from her dual role as CEO and Principal to focus solely on her position as Chief Executive Officer. The revised structure is designed to further strengthen the organisation’s strategic leadership as Italia Conti continues to expand its higher education provision, industry partnerships and long-term vision for performer training.

Daniel Krikler will star as Wladyslaw Szpilman in the new musical stage adaptation of Szpilman’s internationally acclaimed memoir The Pianist, the inspiration behind Roman Polanski’s Academy Award-winning film.

Written and directed by Thom Southerland (Titanic the Musical), The Pianist will run at Park Theatre, London, from 15 October to 28 November 2026, with a national press night on Thursday 22 October. Before its London opening, the production will play a limited run at Mayflower Studios, Southampton, from 9 to 12 September 2026.

Zog returns to Cadogan Hall in 2026 with a Royal afternoon tea – in partnership with the Rubens at the Palace

Freckle Productions is delighted to introduce their partnership with The Rubens at the Palace, part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, to celebrate the return of Zog to Cadogan Hall in August 2026. Running from 2 – 23 August 2026, Zog arrives in London for the summer holidays, following a major UK and Ireland tour, marking the sixth year that Freckle Productions have presented a summer residency at the iconic venue.

Taking part in Kids Week 2026, the production will work with the Society of London Theatre’s initiative that allows children to attend participating shows for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult.

Rehearsal images released for Million Dollar Quartet at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester.

Photos of the rehearsal room featuring Darren Day, Connor Payne, Christopher Erasmus, Joe Bence, Jenay Naima and cast and creatives.

📷 Alex Tabrizi

Polka Theatre announces shows and workshops for the whole family over the summer holidays.

Arthur will headline this Summer on Polka’s main stage, the Y C Chan Theatre, in a co-production between Polka Theatre and The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath, created by Bucket Club. From Saturday 20 June – Sunday 9 August, join the adventure in a magical new play with original songs, based on Arthurian legend and the quest for a better world, recommended for ages 6-12 years.

Flock Theatre Makers’, There’s a Tiger in the Garden will be this Summer’s Adventure Theatre show, running from Wednesday 8 July - Sunday 9 August, following sold-out, highly acclaimed tours. Using puppetry, imaginative design and music, Lizzy Stewart’s Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winning book is brought to life for children aged 3 – 7 Years.

The producers of SIX are delighted to announce that the West End production has extended its reign at the Vaudeville Theatre, with tickets now on sale for performances until Sunday 28 November 2027.

The announcement follows a remarkable period of continued international success for the home-grown British musical, which began life as a student production at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and has since become a global phenomenon.

Woolwich Works has announced an uplifting summer programme of community events, family entertainment, music, dance, craft and culture, offering audiences of all ages the chance to connect through shared experience in one of South East London’s most distinctive cultural and entertainment spaces.

Throughout the summer months, the Royal Arsenal venue will host a wide-ranging programme that brings together free regular events, participatory workshops, family shows, music-making, community celebrations and relaxed social gatherings — from singing groups and stitch nights to quizzes, karaoke and interactive theatre for younger audiences.

Riverside Studios announces full programme for Bitesize Festival VII. 27 July – 30 August 2026.

As Riverside Studios celebrates its 50th anniversary, the iconic arts centre today announces the full programme for Bitesize Festival VII, its annual festival championing the next generation of artists. Running from 27 July – 30 August 2026, this special edition marks five years of Bitesize Festival with its biggest programme to date: five weeks of theatre, comedy, cabaret, dance, spoken word, live music, visual art and short film, featuring more than 50 performances, events and screenings across the venue.

Programme includes the second edition of the Bitesize Short Film Festival (21 – 23 August), the Bitesize Festival Art Exhibition (6 July – 31 August), a One Day Music Festival (15 August), culminating in The Bitesize Awards (30 August).

First Look! Production images released for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Watermill Theatre, running until 13 September.

Delve into the hearts and imaginations of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, his children Jeremy and Jemima, and Truly Scrumptious as they set off on an audacious adventure in a car with a big personality.

Photos by Pamela Raith

Extra performances added for Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4 at Park Theatre following phenomenal demand. Two final performances added on Sunday 28 June at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Plus, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Dockery, Romesh Ranganathan, Angela Griffin and Milton Jones join final roster of celebrity guest sheriffs.

Rehearsal images of Hot Mess released starring Danielle Steers as Earth and Morgan Gregory as Humanity.

Producers Vicky Graham, Birmingham Hippodrome, and Aria Entertainment are delighted to release rehearsal images by Pamela Raith for the return of multi-award-winning 5-star new musical Hot Mess, running for a strictly limited season at The Other Palace from 13 June to 6 September 2026.

Hot Mess is a high-energy original romcom that reimagines the climate crisis as a turbulent love story between Earth and Humanity.

SIX, the global musical phenomenon, releases its first song in Spanish ahead of its premiere in Madrid, Spain, this September.

Ex-Wives / SIX is officially available on all digital platforms now. A Spanish-language mash-up of two of the musical’s biggest anthems, these two key songs that capture the energy, humor, and irreverent attitude of this production created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.

Recorded by the new Spanish cast of SIX The Musical, the single serves as a first taste of the sound that the Queendom will bring to Spain ahead of its premiere at the Teatro Gran Vía in Madrid this September.

Belgrade Theatre Coventry announces details of 2026 autumn/winter season
including new co-production with Leeds Playhouse Sirens; The National Theatre’s The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice;
and co-production with Paines Plough and Traverse Theatre, After Party.

Artistic Director Corey Campbell and Interim CEO Emma Flatley said“We’re incredibly proud to be bringing such a wide-ranging and ambitious programme to our audiences over the coming months, from bold new co-productions and powerful new writing to major touring drama, live music, comedy and family entertainment. This season reflects our continued commitment to telling stories that resonate with our communities, championing new voices and creating unforgettable shared experiences on our stages. We’re especially excited to be included in the National Theatre’s Nationwide programme and to be working with partners including Leeds Playhouse and Paines Plough, while also continuing to develop and premiere new work made here in Coventry. We look forward to welcoming audiences to the Belgrade Theatre for another exciting season.”

Onsale to gold+ members now
Onsale to members and members+: Friday 29 May
General onsale: Friday 5 June

As The Watermill Theatre gears up for its summer musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the team announce that the production will be dedicated to Chris Boulton, the Chief Executive of Greenham Trust who passed away earlier this year, and celebrates the wealth of local support that is powering this epic summer adventure.

During Chris’ time at Greenham Trust, he supported the theatre both professionally and personally. This included large-scale outdoor performances for hundreds of community participants; a fully accessible strand of the Watermill’s outreach provision helping everyone to engage with the arts, and Careers through the Arts (in partnership with the Corn Exchange) which encourages and enables young people to develop life-long, transferrable skills through the creative arts. Following Greenham Trust’s support of Jesus Christ Superstar last year, Chris supported the Watermill to secure a grant in support of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, enabling the theatre to offer 6 local primary schools a series of bespoke workshops and contributing to a production which features 26 local children along with 16 actors, five of whom are embarking on their first major professional production since graduating.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang runs from 26 May to 13 September.

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