Candide at Warwick Arts Centre. Leonard Bernstein’s Candide based on Voltaire’s satirical novel performed by the Student Society Opera Warwick at Warwick Arts Centre from 12 to 13 February 2026. Directed by Millie Jeffries and conducted by Michał Matusz. Preview. Join Candide on a whirlwind, globe-trotting adventure packed with satire, romance and chaos. Guided by the ever-optimistic Pangloss, Candide and his beloved Cunegonde face disaster, danger and absurdity at every turn

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

Nineteenth century true crime! A spooky night is promised at the Anglican Chapel set in the London Road Cemetery this Saturday, 31 January at 7pm.  Presented by Don’t Go Into The Cellar – the theatre company that brings new adaptations of 19 th  century literature’s greatest ghost and horror stories to modern day audiences.   If you dare, you’ll see how Scotland Yard Investigates infamous true-life crimes. During the course of this macabre performance, you’ll encounter many n

Sam Almond will play Romeo. Photo courtesy of Playbox Theatre. Romeo and Juliet at The Dream Factory, Warwick, from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 February 2026. Directed by Mary King. Preview Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy is re-imagined for a new generation. Playbox Theatre opens its 2026 season at The Dream Factory, Warwick with a bold new production of Shakespeare’s ageless love story, Romeo and Juliet. Launching the company’s 40th anniversary year, Founding Director Mary Ki

L-R: Former England captain Lewis Moody, panto star Rob Field and another friend. A former rugby player is swapping scrums for singing and dancing by taking part in Rugby Theatre’s swashbuckling family pantomime Treasure Island, to raise money for his friend, the former England captain Lewis Moody, who was recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Rob Field played over 200 first class games during the 1990s with Leicester Tigers, Coventry, Rugby Lions and the Midlands, a

The Criterion Theatre, nestled in the heart of the Earlsdon community, is set to launch its 2026 season at the end of January, following the completion of its modernised new front of house area. The theatre, located in Berkeley Road South and run entirely by volunteers, has over the last seven months embarked on by far the biggest development project since first welcoming audiences through its doors in 1961. The work has been completed by a mixture of local tradespeople and m

Full casting has been announced for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s forthcoming touring production of Hamlet. The production, originally directed by  Rupert Goold  and directed on tour by  Sophie Drake , visits eight venues in England in 2026 with a new cast, after originally opening in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in 2025. These are: Truro, Bradford, Norwich, Nottingham, Blackpool, Newcastle upon Tyne, York and Canterbury between 24 February – 25 April

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

Dead Ringers. Photo by Steve Ullathorne.  To celebrate its 25th anniversary, BBC Radio 4’s legendary, multi-award-winning topical satire show Dead Ringers is hitting the road with a full UK tour for the first time. Due to phenomenal demand, extra shows have been added from 27 January, including an extra date in London, at the Palladium. Featuring much-loved long-standing cast members Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis Macleod, and Duncan Wisbey, the live show promises a hilarious

White Liars / Black Comedy written by Peter Shaffer at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 13 -21 March 2026.  Directed by Richrd Sandle-Keynes. Preview   This Bear Pit comedy double bill, coming in March brings us:  White Liars We meet Sophie Lemberg, a disillusioned fortune teller who claims aristocratic lineage. She is visited by Tom, a rock singer, and Frank, his manager, who bribe Sophie to manipulate Tom’s romantic choices through staged clairvoyance. But as

The cast of Animal Farm. Photo by Richard Smith Photography. Animal Farm by George Orwell, adapted by Peter Hall with lyrics by Adrian Mitchell and music by Richard Peaslee. At The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa from Wednesday 21 Jan to Saturday 31 Jan 2026. Directed by Mark Crossley. Preview   The Loft Theatre begins its 2026 season with a new staging of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a sharp and timely retelling of the classic political satire. As part of The Loft's ongoing co

Scotland Yard Investigates infamous true-life nineteenth century crimes at the Anglican Chapel on Saturday 31 January at 7pm. Presented by Don't Go Into The Cellar. Preview During the course of this macabre performance, you'll encounter many nefarious individuals from late Victorian London. As Silent Witness - some of it filmed in Coventry - hits our screens in early 2026, we explore 19th century true crime in the setting of the 19th century Anglican Chapel. From the files...

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

A New Musical. Photo courtesy of the RSC. A New Musical  The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. Book and lyrics by Richy Hughes, music and lyrics by Tim Sutton. Adapted from/based on the book by William Kamkioamba and Bryan Mealer and Potboiler Productions film. At the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 10 February to 28 March 2026, and then at Soho Place, London from 25 April to 18 July 2026. Preview William wants to build a windmill. Nobody believes he can – not his father nor

Utility and Toy will be highlighted on the Saturday. Photo by Rob Tysall Pro Photography. Tickets are now on sale for the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, brought to us by The Royal Kennel Club, and taking place at the Birmingham NEC from Thursday 5 March to Sunday 8 March 2026. You may have noticed the ‘Royal’ prefix to the Kennel Club’s name. This is because King Charles recognised The Kennel Club’s 150 years of dedicated service to dogs back in April 2023. In November 20

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,

Holmes and Watson. Photo courtesy of Macready Theatre. The Great Baldini and Peter Clifford present Holmes and Watson and The Curious Case of the Masked Magician, at Macready Theatre, Rugby on Saturday 21 February at 2pm. Preview It’s 1906, the Golden Age of Magic. London’s greatest illusionist, The Masked Magician, vanishes mid-performance. Dead? Kidnapped? In hiding? Baffled, Scotland Yard calls in Sherlock Holmes (with an excitable Watson in tow) to solve the mystery. Holm

Poster image by Holly Gorne. The Herbal Bed by Peter Whelan A Bear Pit Theatre Company production at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 27 - 31 January 2026. Directed by Danny Masewicz. Preview This January, discover a story rooted in Stratford's own history. Set at Hall's Croft, The Herbal Bed tells the true tale of Susanna Hall, daughter of William Shakespeare. whose public reputation was put on trial when she was accused of adultery in1613. What followed was a

At Rugby's Macready Theatre. National Theatre Live Screening of Hamlet by William Shakespeare at Macready Theatre, Rugby, CV22 5EH on Friday 30 January 2026 at 7pm. National Theatre Live together with Macready Theatre presents Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Preview    Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince H

Barry Potter will be welcoming toy collectors today. Photo by Rob Tysall Pro Photography. The Barry Potter Toy Fair takes place today 27 December 2025 at The Birmingham NEC Preview   Whether you’re a serious toy collector, or you’re in a nostalgic mood and want to look back at the toys from your childhood, then the Barry Potter Toy Fair today at the Birmingham NEC is an event you won’t want to miss. Collector Barry has been running his toy fair shows since the early 2000s, br

Image courtesy of The Albany Theatre. Jake Quickenden - WHAM! The Show at The Albany Theatre, Coventry on Saturday 18 April at 7.30pm. Preview After appearances on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Celebrity Masterchef, SAS Who Dares Wins, and of course winning Dancing On Ice, multi-talented Jake Quickenden returns to the stage to showcase his superb vocals and dynamic charisma that originally shot him to fame! Don’t miss WHAM! The Show. Featuring the biggest hits of the 80