What’s On
Spring 2026Art
11th - 14th March 2026
Black Brook Theatre company presents…
Art
Serge has bought a modern painting for a huge sum of money. Marc hates it and cannot believe that a friend of his could possibly want such a work. Yvan attempts, unsuccessfully, to placate both sides. If your friendship is based on tacit mutual agreement what happens when one person does something completely different and unexpected?
Written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton
Headgate Theatre, 12-14 Chapel Street, Colchester
What’s On
Summer 2026THe Big Bad Wolf
12th July 2026
Come on a musical journey of plotting and scheming with folklore’s most notorious villain - the Big Bad Wolf. Living in exile in the Deep Dark Wood, he parties and plays rock music every night with his cronies, far away from the goody-goody townspeople of Fairytaleville.
But whatever happened to Little Red Riding Hood? Did the Three Little Pigs go on to have a successful music career? And is the Wolf really as bad as he seems?
THe 39 Steps
23rd - 25th July 2026
4 Actors. 139 Characters. One Wild Ride.
Hold on to your hats! Hitchcock’s spy thriller “The 39 Steps” gets a hilarious twist in this fast-paced, madcap stage adaptation—brought to life by just four incredibly versatile actors playing over 100 roles!
Expect train chases, plane crashes, handcuffs, romance, and nonstop laughs as our fearless foursome transforms a suspense-filled mystery into a whirlwind of physical comedy and theatrical genius. With lightning-fast costume changes, clever stagecraft, and boundless energy, this show is a love letter to old-school spy films and the magic of live theatre.
Thrills, chills, and side-splitting comedy—don’t miss the most entertaining spy story ever told (by four people)!
THe Jungle Book
26th July 2026
The Jungle Book follows Mowgli, a human boy raised by wolves in the Indian jungle after being orphaned.
Mentored by Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, he learns the "Law of the Jungle" and faces threats from the tiger Shere Khan. While struggling with his identity between the animal and human worlds, Mowgli utilizes his human intelligence to overcome dangers.
Comedy of Errors
30th July - 1st August 2026
Get ready for a fast, funny, and fiercely inventive take on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors — reimagined for a cast of just six powerhouse performers!
Mistaken identities multiply, doors slam, tempers flare, and chaos reigns as this whirlwind farce unfolds at breakneck speed. With actors doubling roles, lightning-fast costume changes, and bold physical comedy, this intimate production delivers maximum laughs in minimum time. Whether you’re a Shakespeare lover or a first-time fan, this energetic, accessible staging proves that big comedy doesn’t need a big cast — just brilliant performers and impeccable timing.
Come for the confusion. Stay for the comedy. Leave delighted.
Kitty
7th - 9th August 2026
You are invited to step into the eighteenth century, where strength was not considered a virtue for a woman… it was a necessity.
As the seasons turn in rural Essex, so too must Kitty’s life. The world she has always known is shifting beneath her. She seeks to make her own way, but withheld truths and the conventions of the age that conspire against her.
Through an unexpected invitation she is swept into the glittering heart of London society. There she becomes the keeper of a secret, which leads her into a deception of her own, but secrets, however carefully guarded, demand their reckoning.
Through intimate storytelling, shifting landscapes, and the ever-present tension between duty and desire, you will be drawn into Kitty’s moral dilemmas, her quiet rebellions, and ultimately the decision she must make…what is she willing to risk for freedom?
Based on the novel, Kitty Canham, by Nicola Matthews.
Midsummer Night’s Dream
12th August 2026
A classic Shakespearean comedy where four Athenian lovers—Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius—escape to a magical forest, only for the fairy Puck to cause chaotic love-triangle mishaps with a love potion. Meanwhile, Titania, the Fairy Queen, falls in love with the donkey-headed Bottom.
Our Country’s Good
14th August 2026
A ship, sailing 15,000 miles to Australia, is crammed with Britain’s convicts – a punishment for their crimes. After a life-threatening voyage they arrive in 1788. But keeping the colony disciplined is a brutal job, and cruelty is rife. To keep the convicts in line and attempt to ‘civilise’ this often desperate, violent, poverty stricken group, a young ambitious lieutenant, Ralph Clark, decides they should perform a play.
With a mostly illiterate cast, rising mistrust amongst the ranks, and the leading actor facing the gallows, tis is a one of a kind theatre production…
Twelfth Night
22nd August 2026
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them!”
Get in a fight. Cross-dress. Throw on some yellow stockings. Love can make you do the funniest things…!
The critically-acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company present their own brand of Shakespearean mayhem in the Bard’s comedy of fools, duels and dual identities.
Family-friendly fun with live music and audience participation.
THe (Almost) Complete history of Britain
28th August 2026
Mud, blood and stiff upper-lips!
Join the critically-acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company on a breathless race through the centuries in this delightfully inventive show that tells the entire story of Britain in under 2 hours.
Have you ever wanted to see the life of Henry VIII told as a romantic comedy or the tale of the Spanish Armada reimagined as a light operetta? Probably not. But that won’t stop The Pantaloons retelling great moments from the country’s past in a variety of surprising genres!
Featuring live music, audience interaction and wild historical inaccuracy.
