The Blue Morpho Butterfly. Photo courtesy of The Butterfly Farm. Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm is proud to support its sister conservation and breeding project, ‘Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm’ in Belize this Easter. During the holidays from 28 March – 12 April, visitors can experience the breathtaking beauty of hundreds of Blue Morpho butterflies, which have been sourced directly from the project.   Known for their iridescent, shimmering wings, the Blue Morpho is one of t

Hannah McDermott as Peter Pan and Olivia Leaf as Wendy. Photo by Gwyn Davies. Talisman Youth Theatre present Wendy and Peter Pan at the Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth from 12 - 14 March 2026. Written by Ella Hickson. Adapted from the book by J.M.Bar rie. Directed by Ellie Wellicome. Review by Ashley Hayward. The bar has been set very high by the Youth Theatre in recent years but the cast and crew at The Talisman excel once more and do justice to this imaginative adaptation of

Cast of Brainstorm. Photo by Steve Vent. Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion and Brainstorm. Performed at The Priory Theatre, Kenilworth on Saturday 28 February 2026. Review by Charles Essex.   Directors Nicky Main and Bev Avis Dakin made great choices with their selection of two contrasting plays for the latest youth theatre productions. Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion performed by the younger players was a murder mystery in which famous fictional detectives

Hannah McDermott as Peter Pan, Olivia Leaf as Wendy and Matthew Jolliffe as Captain Hook. Photo by Gwyn Davies  Wendy and Peter Pan, presented by the Talisman Youth Theatre, at The Talisman Theatre & Arts Centre, Kenilworth, from 12 – 14 March. Directed by Ellie Wellicome. Preview   The Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre invites audiences on a magical journey to Neverland with its enchanting new production of Wendy and Peter Pan, Ella Hickson’s imaginative adaptation of the be

The Boy at the Back of the Class, the Belgrade Theatre from 25 – 28 February 2026. Based on the novel by Onjali Q.Rauf. Adapted by Nick Ahad. Directed by Monique Touko. Preview   After delighting audiences across the country, the smash-hit, joyful play based on the best-selling novel is back with a celebration of friendship kindness and compassion. There used to be an empty chair at the back of the class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. He’s nine years old (j

Playbox perform The Mysteries this Easter. Photo courtesy of Playbox Theatre.   The Mysteries performed by Playbox Theatre at the Dream Factory, Warwick from 2 – 4 April 2026. Directed by Emily Quash and Mary King. Preview A landmark production reimagined for a new generation. Playbox Theatre continues its 40th Anniversary Season with the powerful return of one of its most iconic large-scale productions, The Mysteries  - restaged at The Dream Factory in Warwick this Easter. O

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Unicorn Theatre announce the cast for  A Midsummer Night’s Dream . A world premiere production, the fresh retelling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy is for everyone aged seven and upwards. It is the first major collaboration between the Unicorn, the UK's leading theatre for young people and the RSC, representing a landmark partnership in children’s theatre between two industry leaders. A Midsummer Night’s Dream  will open at the Unicorn

The beer tent, Warwick Festival 2025. Photo John Wright Photography. The 2025 Warwick Folk Festival brought in just under £1million to the town in terms of additional economic benefit which has been revealed in an ‘Economic Impact Analysis’ report. It has also been revealed that the festival days in 2023, 2024 and 2025 averaged a footfall uplift of +46% in the town centre, compared to the average footfall on the same non-festival days. Data also showed that 2025 had the large

Follow the York Ice Trail. Photo courtesy of Make It York.   York Ice Trail returned this morning with the Enchanted City theme bringing 36 mystical and magical ice sculptures, interactive experiences and photo opportunities leading you across the city. The York Ice Trail is a free event open to all from 10.30am to 4pm over the weekend on 7 and 8 February. Pick up the official trail map from the  Visit York Visitor Information Centre  to tick off all the sculptures and, upon

Tales from Acorn Wood Live. Photo credit Mark Senior. There’s lots going on at Warwick Arts Centre this February Half Term (covering Saturday 14 February to Sunday 22 February 2026). Classic tales, woodland adventures,  revolting science experiments, free workshops, magic and more! Preview Writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler’s beloved stories come to life in  Tales From Acorn Wood Live  (Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 February 2026). Packed full of toe-tapping song

The Glasswing Butterfly. Photo courtesy of Stratford Butterfly Farm. As the half term holiday (14 – 22 February) falls over Valentine’s weekend, Stratford Butterfly Farm is inviting families to enjoy the magical experience of wandering through the tropical rainforest filled with colourful butterflies. With fish-filled pools, waterfalls and lush plants and blooms, the popular family attraction is the perfect place to share a moment of wonder. Being one of the most romantic set

John Leader as The BFG backstage at the RSC. Photographer credit: Simon Hadley. Jaw-dropping giants, oversized snozzcumbers, iridescent dream jars and frobscottle fit for the Queen of Enger-land herself; these are just some of the incredible items currently to be found backstage at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in The BFG, a new co-production from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Chichester Festival Theatre, the Roald Dahl Story Company, Singapore Repertory Theatre and Es

Steve Bradnam as Nanny the Dame, Simon Burne as Longjohns Silver, Victoria Gillias as Jim Hawkins. Photo by Martin Pulley. Treasure Island at Rugby Theatre from 23 January to 1 February. Directed  by Emma Bright. Script by Michael Read. Preview    Ahoy me hearties! Set sail on a swashbuckling adventure with Rugby Theatre's family panto Treasure Island. With pirates, parrots and plenty of audience participation (oh yes there is!), join cabin boy Jim Hawkins and a cast of la

Playbox celebrate their 40th Anniversary Season. Photo courtesy of Playbox Theatre. Playbox Theatre celebrate their 40th Anniversary Season — A Year of Unmissable, Live-Only Events at The Dream Factory in Warwick. Playbox Theatre — long recognised as one of Europe’s most adventurous and imaginative theatres for young people — launches its 40th Anniversary Season with a bold promise: every production will be a one-off theatrical event that can only be experienced live. What be

Anansi The Spider. Photo by Helen Murray. Anansi The Spider, Presented by the Birmingham REP and Unicorn Theatre, at The Door, Birmingham Rep until 11 January 2026. Suitable for 4 – 8 years and their families. Created by Justin Audibert, Directed by Robin Belfield. Preview.   The greatest tales ever spun… Sit under the canopy of the banyan tree and experience the laugh-out-loud West African and Caribbean tales of the infamous Anansi! People say that in a time long, long ago,

The cast of Robinson Crusoe. Photo by Robert Warner. Robinson Crusoe by Stephen Duckham at The Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre, from Saturday 20 December 2025 to Saturday 3 January 2026. Review by Ashley Hayward. As I set out to watch the Talisman’s annual panto I was intrigued as at how a novel written over 300 years ago about a castaway who spent many years on a remote tropical island could be adapted for Christmas family entertainment. However, I can now reveal that those

Goldilocks and the Four Bears community pantomime presented by The Henley in Arden Drama Society (HADS) at Henley Memorial Hall from 18 – 21 December 2025.  Directed by Laurence Marshall. Review by Ashley Hayward This was my first visit to the annual Henley in Arden pantomime and on arrival you could tell from the warm welcoming atmosphere that it was eagerly awaited by the local community. It was a complete sell out and HADS had even laid on an additional performance to meet

Matt Rousseau and Elysia Sully. Photo by FuzFilmz. Cinderella, performed by Tread the Boards at The Attic Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. Running from 14 December 2025 until 4 January 2026. Written by John-Robert Partridge. Directed by Andy Woolley. Review by Charles Essex. A humorously painted backdrop of Cinderella’s kitchen is almost the only prop in this familiar pantomime. Being devoid of furniture, director Andy Woolley was able to use the Attic’s relatively small stage a

Jo Banbury, Robert Bateman, Rose Bird and ensemble. Photo by James Calver. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, performed at The Priory Theatre, Kenilworth, from Wednesday 17 December 2025 until 4 January 2026. Director: Mike Brooks. Review by Charles Essex. The Priory’s version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears was a novel take on a well known story.  The plot was that a circus owned by Dame Sadie (Paul Sully) was in financial difficulties and being threatened by Baroness Winkl

Jon Kerr and Abigail Drennan. Photo by FuzFilmz. Sleeping Beauty performed by Tread the Boards at The Cidermill Theatre, Chipping Camden, from 13 December to 31 December 2025. Written and directed by John-Robert Partridge. Review by Charles Essex   Tread the Boards theatre company once again showed the depth of their talent running two pantomimes concurrently over Christmas, both written and directed by John-Robert Partridge (JP).  Cinderella is being performed at their base

Fantastic line up coming to Warwick Arts Centre in 2026. Warwick Arts Centre has announced its expansive Spring/Summer 2026 season line-up which includes Mo Gilligan, Ruby Wax, Vitamin String Quartet, Haircut 100, Zog, Hamza Yassin and many more... Preview   Amongst those heading to the popular Coventry arts space are such familiar faces as Mo Gilligan (7 Feb 2026), I'm A Celebrity... disruptor Ruby Wax (21 Jun 2026), No Such Thing As A Fish co-host Dan Schreiber (15 Mar 2026