NEWS: TRP ANNOUNCES NEW SEASON IN THE DRUM
- Neill Kovacic-Clarke
- 3 hours ago
- 7 min read
THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH UNVEILS ECLECTIC NEW SEASON OF UP-CLOSE PRODUCTIONS IN THE DRUM
Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) has today announced an upcoming diverse line-up of shows on its smaller stage, The Drum, with productions including opera, drama, dance and children’s shows. Designed to surprise and delight audiences of all ages, the new season brings together powerful storytelling, striking movement and playful productions in a setting where audiences can experience performance up close.
Prices start from just £12 with concessions available, including student rates. To see the full spring season Drum line-up, visit https://theatreroyal.com/the-drum-spring-season-2026/
Tuesday 10th February 2026
Perrier Comedy and Fringe First winner Will Adamsdale presents a new autobiographical show about escape, creativity and technology.
Once upon a time, a washed up London writer and technophobe went off-grid in a confused lockdown relocation… only to find that the grass ain’t always greener.
The blank page stretched out like the endless fields. His only hope? His greatest enemy – technology!
AI, AI, Oh… tells the story of bots, writer’s block and getting away from it all.
(12+)
Thursday 12th – Friday 13th February 2026
World-class dance, live music by Sean Pett, and sculptural LED design collide in PCK Dance’s INTO THE LIGHT — a groundbreaking cross-art experience from one of the UK’s most acclaimed contemporary dance companies.
Recently nominated for Best Independent Company and Emerging Choreographers at the National Dance Awards, co-founders James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight have created a performance that fuses the emotional power of movement, the immediacy of live sound, and the visual impact of light into one seamless, cinematic event.
Throughout the evening, composer Sean Pett performs live on piano, synthesiser and digital controllers — mixing sound in real time on stage to create an immersive world of rhythm, energy and emotion that constantly shifts and evolves with the dancers.
The evening features two contrasting works, united by their bold physicality and striking design; Vessel and In The Absence.
With its fusion of world-class dance, live music, and cutting-edge visual design, INTO THE LIGHT is a powerful, multi-sensory experience that redefines the boundaries of contemporary performance.
Ticket-holders for the show, can also attend a free contemporary dance class led by choreographers James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight. The sessions – on 12th and 13th February - will incorporate ballet footwork, movement phrases and jump exercises, offering a rare insight into the company’s physical language and training process. Spaces are limited to 10 per session and can be booked by calling the Box Office.
Thursday 19th – Saturday 21st February 2026
Toby Thompson’s adaptation of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel, as philosophical as its original, invites its audience to sense infinite possibility and recognise everything that is beautiful in the world. Performed by Toby Thompson, who brings this enchanting tale to life with his signature style.
Embark on a whimsical journey with the Little Prince as he wanders the universe in search of the true meaning of friendship.
Enter a world of endless sunsets, where people are like flowers, and grown-ups are, well, pretty peculiar. They think serious things are silly and silly things are serious. They’ve forgotten how to look with the heart.
Join The Little Prince on a great adventure to make friends, learn things, and notice the most important things in life.
(7+)
Monday 23rd - Tuesday 24th February 2026
A decade ago, a two-foot-tall puppet took on the world—and he’s still fighting.
After touring 20+ countries and delighting thousands of audiences, Meet Fred returns to the UK for its 10th anniversary tour. This darkly hilarious, critically acclaimed production follows Fred, a cloth puppet just trying to live an ordinary life—get a job, find love, be part of society. But with his Puppetry Living Allowance under threat, Fred’s world spirals out of control. How do you hold on to independence when the system is pulling the strings?
With biting wit, razor-sharp political satire, and moments of unexpected tenderness, Meet Fred is an unmissable comedy that has resonated with audiences across the globe. Created by award-winning inclusive theatre company Hijinx, the show features a stellar cast of performers with and without learning disabilities and/or autism, whose lived experiences bring depth and authenticity to Fred’s struggle.
Celebrating 10 years of making audiences laugh, gasp, and rethink the world around them, Meet Fred is as urgent and relevant today as ever.
(14+)
Thursday 26th – Saturday 28th February 2026
Life Before You, a fierce and unflinching new play by Eva Hudson, lays bare the fault lines between mothers and daughters. Addressing women’s healthcare, class, survival, and the erasure of aging women, it asks: what do we pass on, and how do we escape the lives written for us?
Originally seed-funded by a bursary from Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory, Life Before You was developed in Bristol by writer Eva Hudson and director Roisin McCay-Hines. Inspired by their shared experiences of navigating womanhood, class and identity with the specific context of having Northern Irish mothers who moved to England to raise their children. Following a sold-out work-in-progress run at the Alma Theatre in 2023, the production received strong programming interest, leading to this UK tour with a newly developed script and expanded creative team.
Thursday 5th – Friday 6th March 2026
‘I want them to see it. To throw it in their faces in all its big, camp, messy glory.’
In the wake of their boyfriend Leo’s unexpected death, Edie – a drag queen from Bristol – travels down to Cornwall to meet the family they never knew of. Expecting small-town homophobia, Edie instead finds a community they didn’t expect. As Edie’s arrival awakens new emotions and old tensions, drag begins to trickle through this seaside town and truths begin to pour out.
How do you piece together a person who didn’t have time to find those pieces themself?
Smalltown Boy by Brenda Callis is a heartbreakingly joyful play about grief, community, and growing up queer in a rural town, explored through the explosive storytelling medium of drag.
Tuesday 10th March 2026
Experience the energy and creativity of the South West’s vibrant dance scene as Richard Chappell Dance returns to Theatre Royal Plymouth with BLOOM, a powerful evening of dance by Devon and Plymouth based artists.
At the heart of the evening is Challacombe Chronicled, celebrating Dartmoor’s natural beauty and rich history through captivating movement by Richard Chappell Dance, powerful original poetry by Saili Katebe, and live folk music by Ben Moss, collaborator with renowned musician Grace Petrie.
As part of the company’s Supporting Acts Initiative, Divija Melally presents The Skeleton is White. Drawing on her background in contemporary and South Asian classical dance, Melally explores how the present modern world affects our relationships to each other and our environment. Completing the programme is Plymouth’s Rhythm City Dance with a new work by artistic director and choreographer Kadus Smith.
(12+)
Tuesday 17th – Wednesday 18th March 2026
Good Chance presents A Grain of Sand حبّة رمل
Renad, a young Gazan girl, embarks on a dangerous journey. Carrying only the echoes of her grandmother’s tales and the spark of her own imagination, she searches for her family and the ‘Anqaa’ – the mythical Palestinian Phoenix.
A Grain of Sand is a one-woman show that takes an intimate look at war through the eyes of a child, blending Palestinian folklore with real-life testimonies from children in contemporary Gaza. Renad’s story is one of resilience, hope and the right of children to be children.
(14+)
Gianni Schicchi (or Where There’s A Wil)
Saturday 21st March 2026
Presented by OperaUpClose, co-produced with Mayflower Southampton.
Puccini’s classic in a new English version by Hannah Kumari, re-orchestrated by Vahan Salorian.
Featuring some of the most famous music in opera and inspired by wildly popular modern-day ‘whodunnits’ such as The White Lotus and Knives Out, Gianni Schicchi (or Where There’s A Will) brings Puccini roaring into the 21st Century.
A stellar cast bring this brilliantly subversive and satirical take on Puccini’s family farce to the stage, with a newly commissioned spoken-word overture, under the “sharp and intelligent” direction of 2025 Sky Arts Award winner PJ Harris.
Thursday 26th – Saturday 28th March 2026
Pam Stubbs has been sub-postmistress of Barkham Post Office for over twenty years, respected and loved by the community.
But when unexplained discrepancies start appearing in her accounts, Pam soon finds herself at the heart of the biggest miscarriage of justice in English legal history.
Glitch is an inspirational true story, based on the experiences of Pam and her colleagues. The play was created with sub-postmistresses and masters affected by the events, key members of the legal process and commissioned by the University of Reading.
RABBLE Theatre tells local stories of national significance. Company credits include Top 5 UK show (Telegraph), Top 20 UK Show (Guardian), OffComm Recommendation (Off West End Awards), Regional production of the Year (Spy in the Stalls) and Best Arts, Theatre & Culture Winner (Muddy Stilettoes).
Tuesday 31st March – Saturday 18th April 2026
Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company is bringing its re-potted version of the famous children’s story, The Enormous Turnip to TRP this Easter. Following its sell-out shows of The Gingerbread Man, The Adventures of The Little Red Hen and The Three Little Pigs, this unswervingly energetic company returns with a brilliant adaptation featuring wonderful puppetry and live music.
Living in their tiny shed squeezed in amongst the garden tools, Mr and Mrs Chickweed’s amazing prize-winning vegetables have taken over everything! Before they retire, they can’t resist planting one last seed, try for one more champion vegetable and one more trophy!
But no one knew that a vegetable could grow bigger than the cat, bigger than the dog, bigger than you and me put together! It’s gigantic, it’s blocking out the light and it’s still growing!
Help save the day as we pull The Enormous Turnip out of the ground before it takes over the planet!
Stuff and Nonsense makes inspiring shows for families and has delighted over a quarter of a million people this decade alone. They unite creativity and imagination, so that children and adults can learn together and inspire each other. Their shows are co-created with children and incredible artists.
With something for every age and interest, this season offers the perfect opportunity to discover exceptional performance in an intimate setting. To read more about the shows and to book, visit https://theatreroyal.com/the-drum-spring-season-2026/
All details in this article are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.
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