Theatre Royal Plymouth Is Back With A Bang

After months of closure Theatre Royal Plymouth will welcome back audiences from today (Thursday 27 May) with the live stage world premiere of long-standing partner Rambert’s Draw From Within created by Wim Vandekeybus. The south west’s principal home for performing arts is celebrating the start of its recovery with a packed programme of live theatre set to enthral audiences through to 2022.

Adrian Vinken, CEO of Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “Today is an important occasion for TRP as we welcome back our audiences and begin our road to recovery.  The only reason we exist is to provide theatre opportunities for the people of Plymouth and the south west so, after an incredibly difficult year, it’s a fantastic relief to be raising the curtain once again on our stages.

After the experience of our brief but very popular Christmas run, we’re confident about reopening our doors and keeping our patrons safe so they can forge wonderful new memories. Our survival wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of our many local supporters and funding from Arts Council England, the Governments Culture Recovery Fund and Plymouth City Council.  We are most grateful to them all”

As part of TRP’s reopening, Stuff & Nonsense will also present a revival of The Gingerbread Man for May half-term family audiences live in The Drum from 29 – 31 May. As part of Plymouth's Mayflower 400 commemorations, Some Call It Home will be on The Lyric Stage from 04 – 05 June, a provocative multimedia music drama that brings to the stage conflicting perspectives of our uneasy relationship with the land – our home, our planet. Plus Le Navet Bete presents a season of silliness in a month-long residency across The Lyric and The Drum from 9 June with three productions including the Mayflower400 commission 400: A Comedy.

Further upcoming shows includes the opening of Hairspray on 24 June prior to a UK tour, which, subject to government guidance, could be the venue’s first full capacity production.

The programme also includes the welcome return of longstanding partners Birmingham Royal Ballet, Welsh National Opera and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. Tickets are available for all productions on the TRP website or by phone with no in-person bookings currently being taken TRP have also recently announced their new Summer Lab Season of shows from local artists. Sufrajitsu by Jade Campbell, Gold Crest? by Claire Calverley and Nhair by Conny Hancock will be staged this July as the theatre reopen their creative space for developing and showcasing exciting new talent.

Earlier this month TRP shared their creative plans for 2021 with a new production NHS The Musical by Nick Stimson and Jimmy Jewell, and a new co-production MUM by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm with Francesca Moody Productions and Soho Theatre, in association with Popcorn Group. Further new commissions are in the pipeline from writers Bea Roberts, Laura Horton, Marietta Kirkbride and Luke Barnes, and in a new partnership with leading family theatre makers Stuff & Nonsense, year-round engagement activity for Plymouth audiences and a co-produced Christmas show for families that will premiere in The Drum in 2022.

After 14 months of forced closure and restrictions Theatre Royal Plymouth’s year of recovery and transition begins today as they warmly welcome audiences back once again to the heart of Plymouth.