Debra Hall Creative

Sweeney Todd wins Best Musical Production at UK Theatre Awards 2026 The Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The Rep) reports that its recent production of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street directed by The Rep’s Artistic Director, Joe Murphy, has won the award for Best Musical Production at the UK Theatre Awards. Sondheim’s darkly, comic musical ran at The Rep in July/August 2026. To read or revisit the review by critic, Debra Hall (published early in the run) click here

Centrefront Actors Greg Haiste (Touchstone) and Gareth Snook (Audrey) in The RSC production of As You Like It at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre Oct 2026. Photography Marc Brenner REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ As You Like It by William Shakespeare Directed by Daniel Evans Overview When the Dukedom of two brothers results in exile for one, rules and lines become blurred for their close-bonded daughter

Rehearsals underway for Tomb With a View a CADS Theatre Club Production Performances this October in West Bromwich Preview Tomb With a View written by Norman Robbins Directed by Saskia Simone Overview The Tomb family gather together in the family home following the death of Septimus. Written by the late playwright Norman Robbins this comedy is wickedly humorous. Tomb With a View is a mocking of the traditional

Pictured Jessica Mabel in Point Scoring Title: Point-Scoring Written and performed by Jessica Mabel This one act play is an empathic comedy highlighting the preposterous process that potential claimants have to go through when making a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application. The PIP assessment operates on point scoring results gathered by an assessor(s)/interviewer(s) on the basis of personal information provided from a completed Q/A form in the first instance, foll

cast of Wilko: Love and Death and Rock 'n' Roll Wilko: Love and Death and Rock 'n' Roll ⭐⭐⭐ Writer: Jonathan Maitland Director: Dugald Bruce-Lockhart Writer, Jonathan Maitland uses the three aspects of the play's title, being a take on the famous Ian Drury and the Blockheads number: sex n' drugs [...]; to arrive at a fair and honest portrayal of the late music artist, Wilko Johnson. Love: Wilko Johnson's first love was poetic verse, English Language and Literature, only to be

Textile Art in the form of a tapestry river map part of River Tours: The Avon a touring theatre production by Stan's Cafe West Midlands PREVIEW River Tours: The Avon Writer and Associate Director Craig Stephens This is the latest touring theatre production from Birmingham based theatre company Stan's Cafe with great rivers of the world as a theme. What has been devised is documentary style, storytelling experience, where a 3m long textile map of Warwickshire's River Avon (als

Pictured Tess Edmonds (Juliet) and Sean Day (Romeo) in Romeo & Juliet A Chatsworth Players touring production July 2026 Illustration by Debra Hall Stage Review Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare Directed by Lindsay Jackson ⭐⭐⭐ it is what it is explains away the experience of attending an amateur theatre performing Shakespeare outdoors. Throw caution to the wind and delight in both the positives

The cast of Little Shop of Horrors at Derby Theatre, June 2026. Photograph by Pamela Raith ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Little Shop of Horrors Book Writer and lyrics Howard Ashman Music scores and songs Alan Menken Director Sarah Brigham Orchestrator and Musical Supervisor Matthew Malone Amena El-Kindy (Audrey) and Kristian Cunningham (Seymour) in Little Shop of Horrors at Derby Theatre Photograph Pamela Raith Overview It looks like the future is bleak for Mr Mushnik and his flagging little flowe

In Rehearsal: reading Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen Photograph by Richard Hall Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen version by Patrick Marber Directed by Tim Connolly Hedda has just returned from her honeymoon to a life that already feels too fixed and mundane. As complex relationships from her past resurface and unravel, Hedda is confronted with her life choices

Stage Review Poor writer - Katriona O'Sullivan Adaptor - Sonya Kelly Director - Roisin McBrinn Overview A true story from the memoir of Katriona O'Sullivan. A bright little girl, born into a hard up family with parents that had addictions. Her Irish father had moved to Coventry, in or around the late 60s early 70s, met the mother and so stayed. He was dealing drugs from the house sometimes. He was a chain smoker, a cheat and a compulsive liar and was in and out of prison for

Actor Alfred Enoch in Henry V a RSC Production 2026 Photography Johan Persson Henry V ⭐⭐⭐⭐ by William Shakespeare Directed by Tamara Harvey Background Shakespeare's history play, Henry V theatrically drip feeds a tale from the middle ages; one which tells of strong bonds existing between England's nobility and the common people. Based on factual events and on real people including members of the English and French royal families for example, and those attached to court lif

PREVIEW A Grain of Sand Writer and Director Elias Matar Coming soon to the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry is A Grain of Sand ; a monodrama about war through a child's eyes. Sarah Agha plays the role of eleven year old, Renad, from Gaza. This play blends the real-life testimonies of children with the mythical story of Anqaa: a symbolic, phoenix-like creature from Arab folklore. Told by Renad as she goes in search of family (and of Anqaa); equipped only with the echoes of her gran

Scene from Meet Fred a Hijinx theatre production in association with Blind Summit Theatre at Derby Theatre March 2026 Photograph by Jorge Lizalde Meet Fred ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Director Ben Pettitt-Wade (puppet consultant for Blind Summit) Puppetry Dramaturgs (of Blind Summit) : Tom Espiners & Guila Innocenti A Hijinx theatre production in association wit

Actors Joanne Howarth and Laura Penneycard in Glitch at Derby Theatre A Rabble Theatre production - Photograph Tony Bartholomew Glitch ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Written by Zannah Kearns Directed by Gareth Taylor Background Glitch is a stage play that tells of the plight of hundreds of subpostmasters wrongfully accused and held accountable for financial shortfalls within their sm

Actor Wendi Peters as Florence Foster Jenkins in GLORIOUS! at Derby Theatre 2026 Photograph by Chris Davis GLORIOUS! ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writer: Peter Quilter Director: Kirk Jameson About Florence Foster Jenkins Based on the true story of New York socialite, Florence Foster Jenkins (1868 - 1944). Florence became known as the Coloratura Soprano singer who sang high notes glorious

A new play Crown of Blood by Oladipo Agboluage Directed by Mojisola Kareem Photograph by Robling Photography Crown of Blood ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Written by Oladipo Agboluaje Directed by Mojisola Kareem A perfectly structured, pulsating, production From humble beginnings, General Aderemi proves to be a worthy leader and so is promoted to Field Marshall after being paramo

Pictured are partners of the Shine Programme, Leicester Leicester’s award winning Curve theatre and the Randal Foundation, in partnership with Sunrise Wellbeing and De Montfort University are creating a new framework for arts-based mental health and wellbeing support that will be implemented by arts organisations and educational institutions. Shine , a three-year project will support mental health and wellbeing of young people in Leicester through drama-based initiatives. Aim

Pictured left to right actors Bruce Chattan, John Burton, Chris Walker, Adam Mort, James Morley. The cast of The Signalman A Middle Ground Touring Production 2025/2026 at Derby Theatre January 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Directed by Katy Maclaughlin of KTCo (Kristian Thomas Collective) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Written and Adapted for stage by Simon Stephens Directed by Katy Maclaughlin Kicking off with the first reviewing assignment of 2026 and reviewer enjoyed this fab little community theatre group and t

cast members of Starter For Ten a new musical at The Rep, Birmingham - October 2025. Photography Pamela Raith ⭐⭐⭐ Starter For Ten Director and writer Charlie Parham Lyrics Emma Hall Introduction Based on two written works by author, David Nicholls: the novel Starter For Te