Children and young people's theatre

News

Step Around Town from the Royal Academy of Dance

Step Around Town brings dance into London schools

3 March 2025

This spring, a series of performances will take place in schools across Greater London.

Challenges of adolescence: Bernadette and Other Teenage Folk Tales

Folk tales come to life in Stoke collaboration

18 February 2025

Bernadette and Other Teenage Folk Tales will have five performances in Stoke-on-Trent.

In rehearsal: Hamlet: The Rest is Silence

Shakespeare celebrated by students and community in Nottingham

6 February 2025

Young people from across Nottingham will take to the Theatre Royal stage with their own adaptation of Macbeth.

National Youth Dance tours internationally

5 February 2025

National Youth Dance Company will tour new work by Boy Blue, culminating in first ever international date in Berlin.

RAD Children's Scholarship Scheme centenary

5 February 2025

Royal Academy of Dance celebrates 100 years since the establishment of its Children's Scholarship Scheme, with a testimony from Wayne Sleep.

Second Hand Dance spring tour

5 February 2025

Second Hand Dance's Sticky Dance, an immersive show for young children and their families, will tour to New York, Sadler's Wells East and across the UK.

Hip hop dance to take over RAD HQ

24 January 2025

On 1 February, the Royal Academy of Dance will host Battle: Break-It-Down, a hip-hop event produced by RAD’s Step into Dance programme.

Joss Arnott invites you to Meet the Hatter

21 January 2025

For the company’s 15th anniversary, Joss Arnott Dance will tour a new production for ages 5+: Meet the Hatter.

Layla Mehay–Bennett and Heidi Goldsmith in The Snowflake

Snowflake to tour West Midlands libraries

16 January 2025

Birmingham Rep, Polka and Little Angel's The Snowflake will tour 18 libraries across Birmingham and the West Midlands, January and February 2025.

Return of Smethwick Puppet Festival during half term

14 January 2025

Leading UK puppetry theatre companies will perform at the Smethwick Puppetry Festival during schools’ half-term in February.

Nottingham Playhouse needs creatives for festive show

9 January 2025

Nottingham Playhouse is looking for a director, writer and composer for its 2025 festive show for young children The Little Mermaid.

Matilda auditions in Manchester

7 January 2025

Auditions for the role of Matilda and her classmates for the tour of the RSC musical will be held in Manchester in February and March 2025.

Sadler’s Wells new youth festival

19 November 2024

Sadler’s Wells is launching a new annual festival showcasing dance created with young people in partnership with One Dance UK.

The cast and crew of Pirates Love Underpants

Curve announces Pirates Love Underpants cast

14 November 2024

Leicester’s Curve has revealed the cast for the stage adaptation of the picture book Pirates Love Underpants at Christmas 2024.

Full casting for Hey! Christmas Tree at Chichester

10 November 2024

Created especially for Chichester Festival Theatre by Michael Murpurgo, Hey Christmas Tree is a festive story about "the importance of finding friendship and somewhere to call home."

Learn about careers in theatre at the Exchange

5 November 2024

Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre's work experience event is for young people aged 14–19 during Careers in Theatre Week in January 2025.

Elmhurst Ballet School open day

23 October 2024

Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham will open its doors to welcome prospective future dancers to its annual open day.

National Youth Theatre partner with Microsoft to use AI creatively

12 October 2024

The partnership will deliver a new national programme of workshops to use generative AI "to make innovative creative content."

Sam Woods (Tommy the Cat), Lois Brook (Dick Whittington), Iain Lauchlan (Sarah the Cook), Craig Hollingsworth (Idle Jack) and Andy Hockley (King Rat)

Lauchlan cooks up Dick Whittington for the Belgrade

10 October 2024

Iain Lauchlan and Andy Hockley, winners of the Best Sisters award for Cinderella at the Belgrade Theatre in 2023, are to reunite at the Coventry venue for Dick Whittington.

Shakespeare for children aged seven to 13: The Tempest

First encounters for communities with RSC’s Tempest

9 October 2024

The Royal Shakespeare Company will tour the country with an 80-minute version of The Tempest in 2025.

“Funny and full of heart”: The Ugly Duckling

Locals cast in Nottingham’s Ugly Duckling

27 September 2024

Two Nottinghamshire actors have been cast in Nottingham Playhouse’s Christmas 2024 show for younger children, The Ugly Duckling.

Kate Prince and Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe

ZooNation masterclasses and auditions

20 September 2024

ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company is to begin auditions and masterclasses to search for the next generation of dance talent.

Features

Catching Them Young

13 December 2024

The Christmas holidays can be an ideal time to introduce youngsters to theatre.

Reviews

Callum Spivack as the Prince and Andrew Love as the Pilot

The Little Prince

Music by Rachel Portman, libretto by Nicholas Wright

Pacific Opera Victoria

Royal Theatre

19–25 February 2025

Floella Benjamin’s Coming to England

Floella Benjamin, adapted for the stage by David Wood

Nicoll Entertainment, MAST Mayflower Studio, Southampton

The Lowry, Salford

5–9 February 2025

Miracle on 34th Street

Book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson based on the story by Valentine Da...

HOME Manchester

6–31 December 2024

Pirates Love Underpants

Based on the book by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, adapted by Brad Fitt

Curve Theatre

Curve Theatre, Leicester

2 December 2024–5 January 2025

Father Christmas

Adapted from the Raymond Briggs book

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Pins and Needles

The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth

28 November–28 December 2024

The Adventures of Red Riding Hood

Patrick J O’Reilly

The Mac, Belfast

27 November 2024–1 January 2025

Ballet Shoes

Noel Streatfeild, adapted by Kendall Feaver

National Theatre

National Theatre (Olivier Theatre)

23 November 2024–1 February 2025

Samantha Yetunde as Tatty Wigtoes and Troy Richards as Pumpkin Fizzletwist

Finding Santa

Sean Taylor

Little Angel Theatre

Midlands Arts Centre

20 November–29 December 2024

Pinocchio

Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Simon Reade

Watermill Theatre Company

Watermill Theatre, Newbury

15 November 2024–5 January 2025

The Red Shoes

Nancy Harris after Hans Christian Andersen

Royal Shakespeare Company

Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

7 November 2024–19 January 2025