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Northern Theatre News
February 2026 - Week 3
Anthony Cawood
February 14, 2026
February 2026 - Week 3
Welcome to Northern Theatre News!
Valentines weekend, for those celebrating I hope you had a romatic day! For the rest of us… have a read of the newsletter instead!
This week is our usual mix of listings, news, 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!
News roundup
First up, tour news with Billy Elliot returning to this year and hitting Sunderland and Manchester…
Over in Liverpool at The Royal Court, we have Stage Write, a series of readings from graduates of their writing programme. 17th and 24th Feb.
Now for some casting news…
York Theatre Royal today announces Frances Barber will star as Rosa in the world premiere of The Psychic, a new play by writing duo Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman. After the international success of Ghost Stories, the pair bring their latest dark thriller to York Theatre Royal on 6 May 2026, with previews from 29 April 2026, and running until 23 May 2026. |  |
Fancy a wardrobe refresh?
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.
Congrats to Maria Garrick who is our January winner - check your Inbox!
What’s on over the coming weeks
North East
Newcastle’s Theatre Royal has Mamma Mia! 11 - 28 Feb followed by TINA - The Tina Turner Musical 3 - 14 March
Live Theatre in Newcastle has Shuggy Boats 6 - 21 March
Over at Northern Stage we have Zog 19 - 22 Feb, followed by Noughts & Crosses 27 Feb - 7 March and then I, Daniel Blake 20 March - 4 April
Sunderland Empire has Matilda 11 - 28 Feb followed by Woman in Mind 4 - 7 March.
North West
Liverpool Empire has Red Shoes 24 - 28 Feb.
Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse has The Woman in Black 24 - 28 Feb followed by The Memory of Water 25 Feb - 14 March, War of the Worlds 4 - 7 March, and then The Constant Wife 10 - 14 March
Palace Theatre in Manchester has Priscilla Queen of the Desert 19 - 28 Feb followed by Mamma Mia! 3 - 21 March.
Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester has Road 13 Feb - 14 March
Home in Manchester has The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical 11 - 21 Feb
Still in Manchester, Hope Mill Theatre has Kind of Love 24 Feb - 1 March followed by Vignettes 4 - 8 March.
Over to Blackpool and the Grand Theatre has Single White Female 17 - 21 Feb followed by Derren Brown 24 - 28 March.
Over in Chester at The Storyhouse we have Macbeth 6 - 21 March and we have a Q&A with Jamie Sophia Fletcher who has adapted and directed this new version of the classic.
The Lowry, in Salford has the eagerly awaited tour of Operation Mincemeat 16 - 28 Feb plus Pinocchio 17 - 27 Feb and I Do 18 - 22 Feb (immersive theatre in a Hotel!) and then War of the Worlds 25 - 28 Feb.
Shakespeare North Playhouse has Two by Jim Cartwright 6 - 28 March.
Over in Crewe, The Lyceum Theatre has Double Indemnity 17 - 21 Feb
Dukes in Lancaster has War of the Worlds 18 - 21 Feb followed by Private Lives 24 - 28 Feb and Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty 10 - 14 March.
Octagon Bolton has The Memory of Water 29 Jan - 21 Feb followed by Macbeth 4 - 28 March.
Yorkshire & Humberside
Leeds Grand Theatre has Opera North’s The Marriage of Figaro 30 Jan - 21 Feb with some Peter Grimes mixed in for good measure. They’re followed by Sunny Afternoon 24 - 28 Feb and Gentleman Jack, the new Ballet, 7 - 14 March.
Leeds Playhouse has A Midsummer Night’s Dream 14 - 28 Feb followed by Small Island 11 - 28 March
Bradford’s Alhambra has Dear England 17 - 21 Feb followed by Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story 24 - 28 Feb.
Bradford Playhouse has Calendar Girls 11 - 14 March.
York Theatre Royal has Annie 12 - 21 Feb followed by Denis Potter’s Blue Remembered Hills 18 - 28 Feb.
The Grand Opera House in York has the Sold Out Prima Facie, and then Barnum 24 - 28 Feb followed by Death on the Nile 3 - 7 March.
Hull New Theatre has Friends! The Musical Parody 2 - 7 March.
Hull Truck Theatre has Macbeth 5 - 28 Feb followed by The Grand Babylon Hotel 10 - 13 March.
Over in Sheffield at the Lyceum we has The Tiger Who Came To Tea 19 - 21 Feb followed by Single White Female 24 - 28 Feb and Legally Blonde 3 - 7 March.
The Playhouse has Perfect Show for Rachel 18 - 21 Feb followed by Living 14 March - 4 Apr.
The Crucible has The Ladies Football Club 28 Feb - 28 March
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 a new offer where your first month is subscription is just £1.
Also with a Jan offer we have The Theatre Channel at just £1.99 a month for 6 months! (Before it reverts to £5.99 a month)
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
StoryhouseAll images are credit The Storyhouse unless stated otherwise.  Art Deco exterior  Incredible stage  Art Deco features persist.  Reimagined interior  Storyhouse, Chester by Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons  Stage again  New Studio space just down the road  Garrett theatre  Cosy library | Walking into Storyhouse, you immediately feel the buzz of the creative community it houses. To paraphrase the M&S advert, this is not just a theatre. It’s also a library, a cinema, a café, and a cultural hub that has breathed new life into this ancient city (almost 2,000 years old!). Here you can thumb through a book in the morning, watch a film in the afternoon, and then spend your evening taking in a show. Storyhouse began life as Chester’s Art Deco Odeon cinema, which opened in 1936 and entertained generations until, like many, it closed in 2007. For nearly a decade after, the city had no major theatre or cinema of its own. But the passionate local community and the city council refused to let the old picture house fester. They launched an ambitious £37 million project to transform it into a modern multi-arts centre. When the venue finally re-opened its doors in May 2017, it was the biggest cultural development in Chester in over 50 years. Fittingly, a year later Queen Elizabeth II visited Chester to officially open Storyhouse, marking a new chapter in the city’s cultural narrative. The new design blends the old with the new, as the original 1930s cinema foyer and façade now lead into a bright contemporary extension that houses a state-of-the-art performance hall. Uniquely, the main theatre can transform from an 800-seat traditional auditorium into a more intimate 500-seat thrust stage, allowing Storyhouse to host blockbuster touring musicals one month and local in-house productions the next. You can see this transformation on YouTube. There is also a 150-seat studio theatre for fringe shows and community performances, and tucked away is a cosy boutique cinema showing films of all sizes and genres. What really sets Storyhouse apart is how it opens its doors to the community all day long. The complex doubles as Chester’s main public library, with bookshelves winding through lounges and cafés instead of being confined to a quiet room. The atmosphere is always welcoming and lively even when no stage show is on. A dedicated children’s library by the entrance often echoes with storytime sessions, and nearly 150 local groups use Storyhouse’s spaces for everything from drama clubs to support meetings. True to its inclusive mission, Storyhouse goes the extra mile to make arts accessible. It hosts an annual Kaleidoscope Festival that celebrates neurodiversity and the talents of people with disabilities. The venue also offers regular relaxed and autism-friendly film screenings, ensuring everyone feels welcome. From gender-neutral toilets to a busy volunteer programme, every aspect of Storyhouse is centred on community, and belonging. Storyhouse has even become a launchpad for new productions, hosting the world premiere of the musical The Time Traveller’s Wife in 2022 and debuting the family musical The Parent Agency in early 2025 to great acclaim before a UK tour. Storyhouse is everything we love about northern theatre. It is a beautiful venue rooted in local history yet proudly innovative and inclusive. Whether you are watching a play, grabbing a coffee among the bookshelves or joining a community workshop, you can feel the magic of this place touch your soul. |
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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