PARK THEATRE ANNOUNCES WHODUNNIT [UNREHEARSED] 4 - A WILD WEST IMMERSIVE TAKEOVER FOR 2026

WITH RETURNING CELEBRITY GUEST SHERIFFS INCLUDING GILLIAN ANDERSON, EMMA THOMPSON, ADRIAN DUNBAR, JIM BROADBENT, SANDI TOKSVIG, SANJEEV BHASKAR AND HUGH BONNEVILLE – WITH MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

Artistic Director Jez Bond, Executive Director Catherine McKinney, and the whole team at Park Theatre today announce further details of Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4, the next instalment of its hugely popular fundraising comedy spectacular, which returns from 11 May – 27 June 2026 with the most ambitious version yet.

Set in the lawless Wild West town of Graveside, Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4 will see Park Theatre transformed into a fully immersive world – taking over the entire building for the first time, from the street outside to the bars, foyers and both auditoria.

At every performance, a different celebrity will take on the central role of Sheriff – completely unrehearsed! Armed only with an earpiece feeding them lines moments before they speak, each guest must attempt to solve the murder, survive the mayhem and keep the show on track, while the audience watches events spiral in gloriously unpredictable ways. And yes, Sir Ian McKellen returns to lend his voice to the chaos.  

Seven of the headline celebrity guest sheriffs are revealed today – all returning to the show after appearances in the show’s previous iterations: Gillian Anderson, Emma Thompson, Adrian Dunbar, Jim Broadbent, Sandi Toksvig, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Hugh Bonneville, with many more star names to be announced.

Accompanying the celebrity guest sheriffs in the cast will be Toby Baddeley (The Rivals and Twelfth Night with The New Forest Players and Antigone with Vienna’s English Theatre) as ‘Buck Steed’, in the role of ‘Dawn Frencham’ is Caroline Deverill (Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 3 at Park Theatre, Typical Rainbow with Turbine Theatre), playing the part of ‘Jim Ranson’ will be Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson (The Co-op at Park Theatre and English Theatre of Hamburg, Our Little Life at the Black Box Studio, Slovenia, The Merry Wives of Windsor with OVO), Iona Fraser (The Creakers at Southbank Centre and Theatre Royal Plymouth, The Play That Goes Wrong at Duchess Theatre, Dear Evan Hansen at Noel Coward Theatre) will play ‘Verity Hargreaves’, ‘James Early’ will be played by Edward Kaye (Multi-instrumentalist making his London Theatre debut), playing ‘Rev. Virgil’ is Matthew Romain (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre, The Score at Theatre Royal Haymarket, Grapes of Wrath with National Theatre) and in the role of ‘Meg Frencham’ will be Susanna Wolff (Totally Fine at Cambridge Junction, Hope Theatre, Hen & Chickens Theatre and Park Theatre, Everyone’s a Playwright at Alexandra Palance Theatre)

Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4 is a vital fundraiser for Park Theatre, which receives no regular public subsidy. Proceeds from the production directly support the running of the building, the development of new work, and the theatre’s extensive community and education programmes – helping Park Theatre remain an accessible, creative hub for artists and audiences alike.

For 2026, audiences will step straight into Graveside the moment they arrive, with the exterior of the building reimagined as a Wild West streetscape, and both levels of the theatre’s bars dressed with hay bales, whisky barrels and Old West décor. Studio space Park90 becomes The Last Chance Saloon – an exclusive immersive space for cabaret seat and Band A+ ticket holders. Here, audiences will find themed drinks, nibbles, live music, roaming characters and mock gambling, alongside a dedicated cloakroom and bar.

A community chorus will roam the building throughout the evening, playing out scenes, striking up conversations with audience members and occasionally erupting into bar fights. Audiences are encouraged to arrive early, dress up and explore, with a dressing-up box and photo booth adding to the experience. Front-of-house, bar and box office staff will all be in Old West costumes.

When the doors to the Park200 auditorium open, the experience continues with a pre-show welcome from the house band, featuring piano, banjo, fiddle and percussion. Inside, selected seating will be removed to create cabaret-style tables, bringing audiences closer to the action than ever before.

The fourth wall will be constantly broken, with audience members becoming fellow saloon patrons, members of the congregation, courtroom spectators and more. The production features songs throughout, including audience sing-alongs, and two onstage bartender roles – specific tickets that allow audience members to step directly into the world of the show and interact with the guest sheriff.

A fully themed food and drink offer completes the experience, with a selection of Old West-inspired cocktails available to enjoy.

Jez Bond, co-writer & director, and Park Theatre’s Artistic Director said, “Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] has become a vital fundraiser for Park Theatre, helping to keep the building open, accessible and creatively ambitious. For 2026, we wanted to honour that by going all in – turning the entire theatre into a living, breathing Wild West town and inviting audiences to play along. It’s joyful, anarchic theatre with a serious purpose behind it: raising crucial funds while giving people an unforgettable night out. No two performances will ever be the same.”

Further celebrity guest sheriffs will be announced.

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