National Theatre Connections Festival 2026

Recurring

Frankie Goes To Bollywood

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

After a smash-hit UK tour, Frankie Goes To Bollywood returns – bigger, bolder, and bursting with Bollywood glamour. This dazzling musical comedy-drama dives deep into the glitzy, high-pressure world of Indian cinema, where dreams are mass-produced, identities are reshaped, and women are expected to smile and play by the script written for them. At the centre of it all is Frankie, a young British woman with little interest in fame. But her quiet suburban life is turned upside down as she is thrust into a world of dazzling lights, choreographed perfection and media obsession. Frankie must decide: Can she become a star without losing who she really is? What must she give up to succeed in a man’s world – and what is she willing to fight for? With show-stopping choreography, lavish costumes, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Frankie Goes To Bollywood is a bold, uplifting story of ambition, transformation, and the power of telling your own story. Featuring original Bollywood songs by hit composer Harry Anand, this is Rifco Theatre Company’s most ambitious production yet – a celebration of love, identity and courage, packed with joy, drama, and spectacular entertainment. Whether you’re a fan of musicals, Bollywood films, or powerful British stories, this is...

The Sooty Show!

The Old Savoy - The home of The Deco Theatre Abington Square, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 4AE

Izzy Wizzy Let’s get busy – The Sooty Show! Sooty heads into town in a magical new show to delight the whole family! Joining the nations favourite bear will be the legendary Sweep and Soo. Sooty’s guests include favourites Butch, Ramsbottom and Scampi . Completing the crew will be amazing magician Russ Brown and Circus star Michael Jordan. Expect wonderful wizardry, Thrills and spills and of course lots and lots laughs!  Watch out for Sooty’s supercharged water pistol!! A spectacular mix of magic , music and mess- guaranteed giggles for Sooty Fans old and new! Don’t miss it! There’s also a chance to meet Sooty after the show! ” A real treat for the children and a wonderful dose of nostalgia for the parents” – The Stage

Recurring

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Seen by over 22 million people worldwide This sensational multi award-winning West End show first opened in 1989 and has been thrilling audiences around the world ever since. Now it triumphantly returns to Royal & Derngate as part of its 2025/26 UK Tour. Forget feel good, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is FEEL GREAT! Experience the drama, passion and excitement as a multi-talented cast of actor-musicians tell Buddy Holly’s story, from his Texas rockabilly beginnings to international stardom and his legendary final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic death at the age of just 22. Featuring two terrific hours of the greatest songs ever written, including That’ll Be The Day, Rave On, Johnny B. Goode, Oh Boy, La Bamba, Chantilly Lace, Raining In My Heart, Everyday, Shout and many many more, this show is just Peggy Sue–perb! Book now for the most successful Rock & Roll Musical of all time! ‘IT’S BUDDY BRILLIANT’ The Sun

Recurring

National Theatre Connections Festival 2026

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

National Theatre Connections Festival 2026 For the past 31 years The National Theatre Connections Festival has been a celebration of young people, theatre and the importance of access to the arts. Each year the National Theatre commissions a collection of new plays for young people to perform, uniting some of the most exciting UK playwrights of today with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. Royal and Derngate are proud to host the largest and most diverse of the regional Connections festivals in the country, and we are thrilled to be welcoming hundreds of young people to Northampton again in April 2026 for what promises to be an exciting week of new writing packed with young talent. School groups and Youth theatres from across the region will perform in compelling new plays including Cloud Busting by Helen Blakeman, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth by Kirsty Housley, Sycamore Gap by Al Smith, Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh, The Animals by Sean Buckley, Fishville by Afsaneh Gray, and Royal & Derngate’s own Young Company will take part in the festival performing Britney’s Lock by Alexandra Wood Tuesday 21 April Sycamore Gap St Peter’s Catholic School 12pm in The Royal Wildfire Road Halesowen College 2pm in The Underground Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth Kettering Science Academy 5.30pm in The Royal Wednesday 22 April Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth Ousedale 11.30am in The Royal Sycamore Gap Alderbrook School 1pm in Underground...

Recurring

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Seen by over 22 million people worldwide This sensational multi award-winning West End show first opened in 1989 and has been thrilling audiences around the world ever since. Now it triumphantly returns to Royal & Derngate as part of its 2025/26 UK Tour. Forget feel good, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is FEEL GREAT! Experience the drama, passion and excitement as a multi-talented cast of actor-musicians tell Buddy Holly’s story, from his Texas rockabilly beginnings to international stardom and his legendary final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic death at the age of just 22. Featuring two terrific hours of the greatest songs ever written, including That’ll Be The Day, Rave On, Johnny B. Goode, Oh Boy, La Bamba, Chantilly Lace, Raining In My Heart, Everyday, Shout and many many more, this show is just Peggy Sue–perb! Book now for the most successful Rock & Roll Musical of all time! ‘IT’S BUDDY BRILLIANT’ The Sun

Recurring

National Theatre Connections Festival 2026

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

National Theatre Connections Festival 2026 For the past 31 years The National Theatre Connections Festival has been a celebration of young people, theatre and the importance of access to the arts. Each year the National Theatre commissions a collection of new plays for young people to perform, uniting some of the most exciting UK playwrights of today with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. Royal and Derngate are proud to host the largest and most diverse of the regional Connections festivals in the country, and we are thrilled to be welcoming hundreds of young people to Northampton again in April 2026 for what promises to be an exciting week of new writing packed with young talent. School groups and Youth theatres from across the region will perform in compelling new plays including Cloud Busting by Helen Blakeman, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth by Kirsty Housley, Sycamore Gap by Al Smith, Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh, The Animals by Sean Buckley, Fishville by Afsaneh Gray, and Royal & Derngate’s own Young Company will take part in the festival performing Britney’s Lock by Alexandra Wood Tuesday 21 April Sycamore Gap St Peter’s Catholic School 12pm in The Royal Wildfire Road Halesowen College 2pm in The Underground Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth Kettering Science Academy 5.30pm in The Royal Wednesday 22 April Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth Ousedale 11.30am in The Royal Sycamore Gap Alderbrook School 1pm in Underground...

Recurring

The Rock Orchestra By Candlelight

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

After entertaining 700,000 guests across the UK, USA and Europe, The Rock Orchestra is back in the UK with a brand new setlist! Prepare for a spellbinding 90- minute spectacle that infuses iconic Rock & Metal anthems with a hauntingly beautiful energy. In ethereal candlelit settings, this band of 14 classical musicians unleash effortlessly enchanting melodies alongside powerful walls of distortion. Witness the unexpected union of Classical music and Metal. The Rock Orchestra is a rotating collective of classical musicians, featuring some of the world’s greatest instrumentalists and vocalists. Performing the music of iconic bands including: Metallica, Guns N Roses, AC/DC, System Of A Down, The Cranberries, My Chemical Romance, Linkin’ Park, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones & more! The Rock Orchestra and its events are not affiliated with the artists and composers listed. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Recurring

National Theatre Connections Festival 2026

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

National Theatre Connections Festival 2026 For the past 31 years The National Theatre Connections Festival has been a celebration of young people, theatre and the importance of access to the arts. Each year the National Theatre commissions a collection of new plays for young people to perform, uniting some of the most exciting UK playwrights of today with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. Royal and Derngate are proud to host the largest and most diverse of the regional Connections festivals in the country, and we are thrilled to be welcoming hundreds of young people to Northampton again in April 2026 for what promises to be an exciting week of new writing packed with young talent. School groups and Youth theatres from across the region will perform in compelling new plays including Cloud Busting by Helen Blakeman, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth by Kirsty Housley, Sycamore Gap by Al Smith, Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh, The Animals by Sean Buckley, Fishville by Afsaneh Gray, and Royal & Derngate’s own Young Company will take part in the festival performing Britney’s Lock by Alexandra Wood Tuesday 21 April Sycamore Gap St Peter’s Catholic School 12pm in The Royal Wildfire Road Halesowen College 2pm in The Underground Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth Kettering Science Academy 5.30pm in The Royal Wednesday 22 April Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth Ousedale 11.30am in The Royal Sycamore Gap Alderbrook School 1pm in Underground...

Preston Hedges Trust and Silhouette: Twelfth Night

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Preston Hedges Academy Trust and Silhouette Youth present their version of Twelfth Night. All the year 5 children have been working on the play and have engaged with Shakespeare through the performing Arts. They have each been given a section of the play and have used the performing arts to bring it to life. They have created dances, original music and have developed their dramatic talents is a safe, secure and creative space. This evening is a testament to the importance the trust places on the performing Arts and Oracy and how they seek to develop every young person within the trust. By working with Silhouette we have been able to give them this opportunity to shine. We hope you enjoy the show and we cant wait to share this incredible story!

The Jeremy Bamber White House Farm Murders Guilty or not Guilty – With Mark Williams – Thomas

The Old Savoy - The home of The Deco Theatre Abington Square, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 4AE

Join award-winning investigative journalist and criminologist Mark Williams-Thomas for a gripping, immersive theatre experience delving into one of the most infamous and debated murder cases in British criminal history: The Jeremy Bamber White House Farm Murders. Nearly forty years after Bamber’s conviction for the 1985 killings at White House Farm—a crime for which he has consistently maintained his innocence—the case continues to provoke fierce discussion, new claims, and ongoing scrutiny. Over the decades, Mark Williams-Thomas has conducted extensive investigative work on the story, including direct communication with Jeremy Bamber himself, examining both the original evidence and the material that has since emerged. In this uniquely interactive live event, you, the audience, take on the role of a jury. Guided by Mark’s expert insight, you will journey through the key moments, evidence, controversies, and unanswered questions that have shaped the case for almost four decades. Has the full truth yet been uncovered? Is the conviction safe? And what should justice look like after 40 years of protestations of innocence? Thought-provoking, forensic, and often deeply emotional, this show invites you to confront one of the UK’s most enduring true-crime mysteries—and cast your own verdict: Guilty… or Not Guilty?

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