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Northern Theatre News
February 2026 - Week 4
Anthony Cawood
February 20, 2026
February 2026 - Week 4
Welcome to Northern Theatre News!
Slightly early edition this week as I was at Leeds Playhouse for a new take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream - check out our review.
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, news of a special night at Theatre Royal Wakefield which is soon to celebrate the 40th anniversay of its resurrection!
Over in Leeds, at the John Lewis store, there’s a new display of some of the amazing show costumes from TINA: The Tina Turner Musical which hits Leeds Grand Theatre 17 March - 4 April.
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!
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 Kate Ireland 26 - 28 Feb and Tim Key 5 -7 March
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 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.
Dukes in Lancaster has Private Lives 24 - 28 Feb and Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty 10 - 14 March.
Octagon Bolton has Macbeth 4 - 28 March.
Yorkshire & Humberside
Leeds Grand Theatre has Sunny Afternoon 24 - 28 Feb and Gentleman Jack, the brand new Ballet, 7 - 14 March.
Leeds Playhouse has A Midsummer Night’s Dream 14 - 28 Feb, check out our review, followed by Small Island 11 - 28 March
Bradford’s Alhambra has Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story 24 - 28 Feb.
Bradford Playhouse has Calendar Girls 11 - 14 March.
York Theatre Royal has 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 have Single White Female 24 - 28 Feb and Legally Blonde 3 - 7 March.
The Playhouse has 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.
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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