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Northern Theatre News
December - Week 5
Anthony Cawood
December 27, 2025
December - Week 5
Welcome to Northern Theatre News!
This will be the last edition of the newsletter before we see in the new year, so from me to you…
Thanks to you all for your support in our first year!
Limited news this week but we do have the usual mix of listings, offers, a bunch of new competitions and more.
I’d love to hear your feedback. So let me know what you’d like to see featured (or not!) in future editions of your newsletter.
Enjoy, and see you in the stalls!
Subscriber giveaway
£50 monthly prize giveaway
Every month we give away a £50 Theatre Token to one of our subscribers, usable at over 250 venues across the UK (including loads in the North). Just stay subscribed and you’ll be in the draw!
November’s winner was mcnultylou - congrats!
What’s on over the coming weeks
North East
Darlington Hippodrome has Goldilocks and the Three Bears starring Brendan Cole, 5 - 31 Dec. Followed by The Woman in Black 6 - 10 Jan - book here.
Northern Stage has The Night Before ChrisMouse for the youngsters 22 Nov - 3 Jan. They also have Beauty & the Beast for the whole family 4 Dec - 3 Jan.
Newcastle’s Theatre Royal has Aladdin 25 Nov - 18 Jan.
Tyne Theatre & Opera House has Cinderella 5 Dec - 4 Jan.
Want your panto at the seaside with a CBBC star? Whitley Bay Playhouse has you covered, with Beauty and the Beast showing 5 Dec - 3 Jan.
Sunderland Empire has their panto, Sleeping Beauty, running 12 Dec - 4 Jan with The Rocky Horror Show coming 19 - 24 Jan.
Over in South Shields we have a seasonal show at The Customs House, Goldilocks and the Three Bears runs 21 Nov - 3 Jan.
Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond has Cinderella as their Christmas show, 2 Dec - 10 Jan. Check out our Theatre Spotlight on this awesome venue!
Over at The Phoenix Theatre in Blyth we have Aladdin 6 - 28 Dec.
Up in Hexham at the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre we have The Great Big Christmas Wrapping Disaster 6 - 31 Dec, which runs concurrently with Red Riding Hood 6 Dec - Jan 3.
Billingham Forum has The Further Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan 1 Dec - 4 Jan.
And over at the Empire Consett, we have Sleeping Beauty 28 Nov - 31 Dec.
The Gala Durham has Jack and the Beanstalk 20 Nov - 31 Dec.
Middlesbrough Theatre have Goldilocks and the Three Bears 5 - 31 Dec.
North West
Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse has The Rock 'n' Roll Panto 2025: Jack and the Beanstalk 15 Nov - 17 Jan and transferring from Hope Mill Theatre is Young Frankenstein 3 Dec - 3 Jan. Inspector Morse - House of Ghosts arrives 13 - 17 Jan.
Liverpool Empire has Matilda 2 Dec - 4 Jan followed by Mary Poppins 14 - 31 Jan.
Still in Liverpool and over at the Royal Court we have The Scouse Christmas Carol 7 Nov - 17 Jan - correction, it has been extended by an extra week, now runs to 24 Jan. They also have Stocking Fillers 28 Nov - 3 Jan, a set of seven 10 minute festive plays.
At The Epstein Theatre we have Cinderella 5 Dec - 4 Jan. And they’ve also just released their new season digital brochure, check it out.
St. Helens Theatre Royal has Dick Whittington 28 Nov - 11 Jan.
In Port Sunlight on the Wirral the Gladstone Theatre has Peter Pan 6 - 31 Dec
Over at The Atkinson in Southport we have Beauty & the Beast 5 - 31 Dec
Opera House Manchester has their panto offering, Robin Hood 6 Dec - 4 Jan.
Palace Theatre in Manchester has TINA - The Tina Turner Musical 25 Nov - 3 Jan, followed by SIX 13 - 17 Jan.
Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester has Singin’ In The Rain 29 Nov - 18 Jan… hot off the press, this has been extended through to 25 Jan!
Home in Manchester has the UK premiere of Freaky Friday 27 Nov - 10 Jan.
Still in Manchester, Hope Mill Theatre has their adult-panto offering of Jack Off The Beanstalk - not for the youngsters! 4 - 30 Dec.
Contact Theatre in Manchester has their seasonal offering of Rumpelstiltskin 11 - 31 Dec, the press I’ve seen says it is set in a real castle!
Shakespeare North Playhouse has Cinderella 25 Nov - 10 Jan.
Over at the Floral Pavilion they have Sleeping Beauty 6 Dec - 4 Jan.
Over to Blackpool and the Grand Theatre has their panto, Beauty and the Beast 5 Dec - 4 Jan.
Still in Blackpool and The Winter Gardens has SIX 22 Dec - 4 Jan.
Just down (or is it up?) the coast in Lytham St Annes, the Lowther Pavilion has Peter Pan 1 Dec - 4 Jan.
The Lowry, in Salford has a super busy festive period with The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe 3 Dec - 11 Jan… then Unfortunate - The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch 5 Dec - 11 Jan… AND finally The Enormous Crocodile - The Musical 10 Dec - 4 Jan. Then they have the amazing adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird 13 - 24 Jan - check out our review from Leeds dates.
Blackburn Empire has Snow White running 22 Nov - 4 Jan.
Storyhouse in Chester has their Christmas show - Beauty and the Beast 5 Dec - 4 Jan. Check out our review!
Over in Crewe The Lyceum Theatre has Jack and the Beanstalk 12 Dec - 4 Jan.
At the Stockport Plaza we have Aladdin 5 Dec - 4 Jan.
Octagon Bolton has A Christmas Carol 13 Nov - 10 Jan.
At The Met in Bury we have The Pied Piper of Hamelin 6 - 28 Dec.
And in Middleton at the Middleton Arena we have Aladdin 25 Nov - 29 Dec.
Theatre by the Lake in Keswick has The Wizard of Oz 14 Nov - 11 Jan. They’ve also just announced their Spring - Summer Season.
Yorkshire & Humberside
Leeds Grand Theatre has Northern Ballet’s amazing production of The Nutcracker 18 Dec - 4 Jan followed by Fawlty Towers: The Play 6 - 10 Jan.
Still in Leeds and City Varieties has Aladdin: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto 28 Nov - 11 Jan. Check out our review!
Leeds Playhouse have their amazing production of A Christmas Carol 20 Nov - 17 Jan, check out our review, with Stick Man running 6 Dec - 4 Jan.
Still in Leeds at the Carriageworks Theatre, they have Sleeping Beauty 21 Nov - 4 Jan.
Bradford’s Alhambra has Snow White 6 Dec - 18 Jan. Check out our review!
Cast in Doncaster has Cinderella 28 Nov - 4 Jan.
Doncaster Little Theatre has Rapunzel 6 - 31 Dec.
Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield has Beauty and the Beast 1 Dec - 4 Jan.
Victoria Theatre in Halifax also has Beauty and the Beast 13 Dec - 4 Jan. Check out our review and get yourself over there to see the show!
Wakefield Theatre Royal has Jack and the Beanstalk as their panto, running 25 Nov - 4 Jan, they have also announced their Spring Season
Over in Scarborough at Stephen Joseph Theatre we have Sleeping Beauty 29 Nov - 31 Dec.
Still on the east coast, Bridlington Spa has Dick Whittington 12 Dec - 4 Jan.
York Theatre Royal has their hugely popular panto Sleeping Beauty 2 Dec - 4 Jan, followed by The Woman in Black 13 - 17 Jan.
The Grand Opera House in York has their panto Cinderella 6 Dec - 4 Jan followed by The Woman in Black 13 - 17 Jan.
Harrogate Theatre has Jack and the Beanstalk 26 Nov - 18 Jan.
Hull Truck Theatre has Oliver Twist 28 Nov - 4 Jan and The Little Mermaid 11 Dec - 4 Jan. They’ve also just released their new season brochure.
Hull New Theatre has Beauty and the Beast 10 - 31 Dec it’s sure to make you chuckle (see what I did there!).
Down in Barnsley at the Lamproom we have Snow White 6 Dec - 3 Jan.
Barnsley Civic has Sleeping Beauty 6 - 28 Dec.
Rotherham Civic Theatre has Snow White 27 Nov - 4 Jan.
Over in Sheffield at the Lyceum we have their panto Aladdin 5 Dec - 4 Jan followed by Nutcracker in Havana 7 - 10 Jan and The Rocky Horror Show 12 - 17 Jan.
At The Crucible we have A Christmas Carol 29 Nov - 10 Jan.
Northern Theatre News reviews
When we’re lucky enough to be invited to press nights we add the review to the very next newsletter! Here are the shows we’ve seen recently.
Ticket offers not to miss!
Not so much of a ticket offer this time, but an offer to get an additional theatre fix from home with Marquee TV. They have a ton of theatre, opera, concerts and ballet, and they are running an offer where your first three months subscription is just 99p per month.
Disclaimer: I subscribed to this offer myself, but I make no money from recommending it ;-(
Theatre competitions
They’re not all northern, but when they’re not they do involve a hotel stay too, good luck! All are free to enter and run by 3rd parties (not me!), and I will keep them in each newsletter whilst the entry date is still valid.
Theatre spotlight
Leeds PlayhouseAll images are credit Leeds Playhouse or Northern Theatre News.        | Leeds Playhouse is one of those buildings that feels like it is leaning out to say hello with the new entrance on St Peter’s Street. This is a theatre that has reinvented itself more than once and is still busy flinging its doors open to anyone who fancies a cracking story or three. The roots go way back. In the early twentieth century, the Leeds Playgoers Society was set up so local audiences could see contemporary drama, not just safe crowd-pleasers. Fast forward to 1970 and the first Leeds Playhouse opened in a purpose built theatre on a site loaned by the University of Leeds. It was meant to be temporary—a starter home for a proper civic theatre—but it set the tone: new writing, big ideas, and a strong sense that this was theatre made for Leeds folk, not shipped in from somewhere else. By the late eighties, the city decided it was time for something bigger. A new purpose-built home rose at Quarry Hill and opened in 1990 under the name West Yorkshire Playhouse. Inside were two main spaces: The Quarry, a big wrap-around auditorium, and The Courtyard, a more intimate three-tier theatre. From the start, the building buzzed. Main house dramas, musicals that felt every bit as polished as anything down south, plus a constant stream of youth theatre, workshops, and community projects. On a busy day, the foyer feels more like a small village than a lobby. In 2018 the theatre took its original name back and became Leeds Playhouse again. The change came with a major refurbishment. A new entrance now faces the city, the foyer feels brighter and easier to navigate, and a third performance space appeared: the Bramall Rock Void, tucked into the undercroft. It is one of those spaces where you feel very close to the work, perfect for brave new writing and more experimental pieces. What really makes Leeds Playhouse stand out, though, is how seriously it takes access and community. It was an early pioneer of relaxed performances and dementia-friendly shows and has built a national reputation for that work. It is also officially a Theatre of Sanctuary, working closely with refugees and people seeking asylum in the city. Add in projects with older people, young creatives, and all sorts of local groups, and you get a building that feels genuinely lived in and loved. Today you can rock up for a big touring musical in the Quarry, a sharp new play in the Courtyard, or something bold and intimate in the Bramall Rock Void. Or you can just drop in for a coffee, watch the world go by, and soak up the buzz. Leeds Playhouse still feels like a theatre that belongs to its city and its people in the best possible way. It has been knocked about a bit over the decades, but it always gets back up and keeps the lights on.* |
Theatre index
I’ve collated an index of all the northern venues I could find, it’s broken down by region so you can find the ones nearest you.
Do let me know if I’ve missed any.
Courses & training
I’ve had a few reader requests to add theatre related courses/training to the newsletter, so when/if I find any I’ll feature them here.
If you know of any more just let me know and I’ll include them
That’s it for this week
I’d love to know what you think about this newsletter, what we could do to make it better, and what else you’d like to see.
Thanks for reading and subscribing, and please spread the news.
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