Park Theatre announces five extra shows into 2026

Park Theatre has announced five new shows.

2026 will kick off with two revivals and the world premiere of the winner of the Papatango New Writing Prize.

In addition, Troupe theatre will return following The Forsyte Saga with Noël Coward’s The Rat Trap a century after its premiere.

New additions for summer include Lee Mattinson’s Steel (11 to 14 June), as part of its national tour presented by Theatre by the Lake. Set on the wet West Cumbrian coast, it follows friends James and Kamran when one of them discovers he is heir to a single mile of the British railway system.

Maureen Lipman and Friends: Poetry and Jazz (11 May) features a line-up including Jeremy Robson and Pauline Prior-Pitt, Jacqui Dankworth, Charlie Wood, Art Themen and Thelma Ruby alongside special guests. The evening will support Park Theatre’s initiatives, including three programmes for those living with dementia and their carers, and also their access performances, ensuring there is at least one access performance for every run in the venue.

The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heighs will follow, marking the inaugural partnering between Park Theatre and Papatango Theatre Company on the Papatango New Writing Prize. Find out more here.

In the New Year, Athol Fugard’s The Train Driver will be staged from 14 January to 7 February 2026. The revival celebrates his work after his passing earlier in the year. 

The Rat Trap will follow from 28 January to 14 March and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Noël Coward piece.

Artistic director Jez Bond said: “I’m pleased to announce four plays and a fundraiser – with both spaces boasting a piece of new writing and a revival to enthral our audiences. We’re pleased to be working with two producers new to us, to begin a partnership with Papatango and to welcome back Troupe Productions (following their success with The Forsythe Saga). As we enter our thirteenth year, and arts funding seems more challenging than ever, we’re honoured by the continued support of our fabulous friends of stage and screen; and are delighted to welcome back Maureen Lipman and friends for a fundraising evening of poetry and jazz.”