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 until Sunday 9 November with a press performance on Friday 13 February at 6pm.

Selected performances on Wednesday 18 February and Thursday 19 February also feature an exclusive Q&A with Maz Evans directly after the 2:30 pm performance.

Elliot needs to save the world – and save his mum. Enter some epic Greek Gods with a few tricks up their togas…

Elliot Hooper’s life is highly suboptimal. His mum isn’t very well, his posh neighbour is trying to steal his home and he has ever so slightly unleashed an evil death daemon into the world… Luckily (according to her), the constellation Virgo has crash landed in his dungheap and with the help of a legendary family of ancient Greek Gods, Elliot is on a quest to save THE world. But can he save HIS world too…?

The cast for Who Let The Gods Out will be Andy Owens (The Nutcracker, Creation Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Creation Theatre) as ‘Elliot’, Nadia Wyn Abouayen (A Christmas Carol, The Sherman Theatre; Medusa’s First Kiss, The Little Angel Theatre) as ‘Virgo’, Harriet O’Grady (Robin Hood, The Egg; Storehouse, Sage & Jester) as ‘Patricia Porshley Plum/Josie/The Queen’, Jazz Evans (Percy Jackson the Musical, The Other Palace; Claus the Musical, The Dick Deadeye) as ‘Zeus/Thanatos, and Stephan Boyce (Richard II, The Bridge Theatre; Hound of the Baskervilles, The Lost Estate) as ‘Hermes’.

The book and lyrics for the show are written by Maz Evans (Over My Dead Body – CWA Gold Dagger shortlist and Capital Crime Fingerprint Award winner, Carnegie Medal nominee, Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Year) and with music by Luke Bateman (‘Oi Frog!’ West End & UK Tours; ‘The Fabulist Fox Sister’, USA & UK), the show is directed by Ria Perry (‘Rosie and Hugh’s Great Big Adventure’), with Katie Lias (‘Dweeb-A-Mania’, Polka Theatre; ‘Burnt at the Stake’, Globe Theatre) as Set and Costume Designer. Alongside them are Martin Wiggins (Modern Art Oxford; Jeremy Deller’s Acid Brass) as Sound Designer and Nic Farman (The Book Thief, UK Tour; Broken Wings, Charing Cross Theatre) as Lighting Designer.

Polka Artistic Director Helen Matravers said: “Premiering Who Let The Gods Out at Polka is such an honour and joy. The book is SO loved by children across the country, and Maz and Luke have created something truly magical by turning this heartfelt, hilarious adventure-book into a musical. The story takes magical twists and turns, but keeps at its core the strength of family and love. It will wow audiences and get them out of their seats dancing along and laughing. The cast are incredible and under Ria Parry’s direction the show will shine so brightly. We can’t wait to stage it - it’s going to be epic!”

Maz Evans is a bestselling, award-winning author – she just doesn’t do either terribly often. Her 18 books have travelled to 26 countries and her debut adult novel, Over My Dead Body was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and won the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award for her self-narrated audiobook. Her work for children has garnered over 50 nominations, including the Carnegie Medal and Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Year. Maz narrates the audiobooks for all her series and has previously had shows produced at the Union Theatre, London, The Actor’s Church, Covent Garden and the Southend Palace Theatre.

Polka Theatre is one of just a handful of dedicated children’s venues in the UK. Re-opening in 2021 after a major renovation, Polka continues to present a year-round programme of shows produced by Polka and from visiting companies. Polka also offers a full programme of creative learning activities for ages 0–12, with over 20,000 children taking part in the last year. Polka enjoys flexible rehearsal and workshop spaces along with two performance spaces: the Main Theatre has a 300-seat capacity, and the Adventure Theatre can seat up to 90 depending on the show format.

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 with step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop.