POLKA THEATRE ANNOUNCES CASTING FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVE SHOWS PETER PAN AND ANTARCTICA

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PLUS FESTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR ALL THE FAMILY

PETER PAN - A MAGICAL FAMILY MUSICAL ADVENTURE, WITH ORGINAL SONGS PERFORMED LIVE AND ACAPELLA BY AWARD WINNING VOCALISTS, BEATBOXERS, AND RAPPERS

SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2026 – SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 2027

ANTARCTICA - THE OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING LITTLE BULB RETURN TO POLKA FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY OF CLOWNING AND SNOWY SURPRISES

FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2026 - SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2027

IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE. 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT POLKATHEATRE.COM

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 casting for their two festive shows Peter Pan and Antarctica, alongside a variety of events and workshops, running from mid-November 2026.

Polka’s Y C Chan Theatre will transform into Neverland from Saturday 14 November 2026 – Sunday 24 January 2027 with Polka Theatre’s big festive production of Peter Pan, based on the original by J.M. Barrie. This remixed musical version of Peter Pan, recommended for ages 5-12 years, follows Peter and Wendy on their quest to never grow up. Adapted for stage with music by Conrad Murray (Deep Azure, Shakespeare's Globe; Pied Piper and Polka’s Romeo & Juliet), and directed by Ria Parry and Conrad Murray, comes a magical family musical adventure, with all original songs and sounds performed live and acapella by a company of award-winning vocalists, beatboxers, and rappers.

Join Peter and Wendy on an awfully big adventure in a quest to never grow up. Joined by the mischievous Lost Boys and feisty fairy Tink, can they work together to defeat the formidable Captain James Hook, who’s determined to take Peter’s sword and rule over Neverland once and for all? 

Find your courage, choose your happy thought, and learn what it means to grow up – or not!

The cast of Peter Pan is Celeste Denyer (Oliver!, Drury Lane theatre; Pied Piper A Hip-Hop Musical, UK Tour) as ‘Pan’, rODIUM and Beats & Elements’ Conrad Murray (Romeo & Juliet, Polka Theatre; Frankenstein: How To Make a Monster, UK Tour) as ‘Hook’, Aziza Brown (Frankenstein: How To Make a Monster, UK Tour; Pied Piper A Hip-Hop Musical, UK Tour) as ‘Tink’, Khai Shaw (Deep Azure, Shakespeare’s Globe; Much Ado About Nothing, RSC) as ‘Smee’ & The Lost Boys, Alex Hackett AKA ABH (Dracapella, Park Theatre; Pied Piper A Hip-Hop Musical, UK Tour) as The Lost Boys, Nadine Rose Johnson (Deep Azure, Shakespeare’s Globe; Romeo & Juliet, Polka Theatre) as ‘Wendy’.

The creative team for Peter Pan includes Adapter, Composer and Director / Performer Conrad Murray, Director Ria Parry (Who Let the Gods Out, Polka Theatre), Set and Costume Designer Liam Bunster (Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Ghosts, Polka Theatre; A Playlist for the Revolution, Bush Theatre), Lighting Designer Simisola Majekodunmi (A Taste of Honey, Royal Exchange Theatre) and Choreographer and Fight Director Stephan Boyce. 

Polka’s Artistic Director Helen Matravers said, “I am so proud of this festive line-up at Polka, working with some of the most talented artists, beatboxers, designers and makers from across the UK. It is so hard to stand out amongst the theatre crowd over the festive period with an offer that feels both magical and which pushes creative boundaries, but Peter Pan does just that. With Ria Parry and Conrad Murray co-directing, we are creating a Neverland like no other, and I know that children are going to love this new take on such a classic tale. It has every familiar beat of J.M. Barrie’s story, but takes a bold and wonderful leap into a style of storytelling which will capture the biggest imaginations of the youngest audiences. I know this show will open doors to children who have previously thought theatre isn’t a world for them, and that’s precisely why work like this needs to take centre stage. Inspiring children with theatre’s empowering live world at this young age feels more vital to the industry than ever before

Peter Pan is presented by arrangement with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Concord Theatricals Ltd on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

From Friday 27 November 2026 - Sunday 17 January 2027, Polka’s Adventure Theatre will become a magical wind-whipped world of snow in Antarctica, a Little Bulb production (The Nutcracker), originally produced with Bristol Old Vic. Recommended for ages 3-7, explore across Antarctica to discover some of the most wondrous creatures on Earth including slip-sliding penguins, cheeky albatrosses and mysterious creatures of the deep, in an unforgettable journey full of clowning, puppets and plenty of snowy surprises. 

The snowy world of Antarctica is brought to life by the talented cast of Grace Venus (The Rapping Princess, Polka Theatre; Stalled: The Musical, King’s Head Theatre), Joe Boylan (The Trick, Royal Court Theatre; The Empire is Collapsing, New Diorama Theatre), and Judy Barrington-Smuts (Wet Picnic, Ragroof Theatre).

Antarctica is Written and Devised by Little Bulb, Directed by Alexander Scott with Set and Costume Design from Verity Sadler.

The season is presented alongside a wide range of Creative Learning classes, workshops and activities at the venue: wrap up warm and step into a magical frozen world in Winter Wonderland Adventure, a sensory storytelling workshop on Tuesday 15 December, or  get into the festive spirit with a Festive Family Sing-Along! on Saturday 19 December. Inspired by Peter Pan, Musical Theatre Remixed lets children’s imagination run wild, recreating a classic story with their own creative twist on Monday 21 December. MiniJam’s Ibiza-style immersive interactive workshop MiniJam House Party will get everyone moving and grooving to some festive tune mixes on Thursday 17 December. 

Matravers continues: "Polka is so much more than just a theatre, at Christmas time especially. Our unique building, family workshops and free open invitation to all children make us one of the most magical places to spend a day and see a brilliant show. We’re a warm space and safe haven for families, ensuring our theatre has the widest, most open, most accessible and welcoming doors possible. The entertaining magic made on the stages is the cherry on top.”

Polka Theatre opened its doors in 1979 as the UK’s first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. It is one of just a handful of dedicated children’s venues in the UK, presenting a year-round programme of shows produced by Polka and from visiting companies. Last year over 125,000 people visited Polka’s venue in Wimbledon, with a further 45,000 reached through touring shows, in-school projects and community programmes.  Polka’s sector-leading artist programmes includes the biennial Polka Playwriting Award and Catapult artist development scheme. Polka’s facilities include flexible rehearsal and workshop spaces along with two performance spaces: the Y C Chan Theatre has a 300-seat capacity, and the Adventure Theatre can seat up to 90. 

Polka also offers a full programme of Creative Learning activities. Last year over 27,000 children and young people took part in these Creative Learning activities, and Polka worked with 210 schools, including distributing over 9,000 free tickets to schools through their Curtain Up! Scheme, with a further 10,000 free tickets committed to distribute this academic year. 

Polka is a community hub and vital resource, open 6 days per week, 50 weeks per year at a challenging time to be a sustainable public venue. It offers step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop.