Exeter Northcott Theatre launches spectacular Spring/Summer 2024 season
Exeter Northcott announced today over 100 exciting new events at its Northcott and city centre Barnfield theatres from January until June 2024, including:
- Musical extravaganzas: smash-hit parody Unfortunateand Windrush celebration RUSH: A Joyous Jamaican Journey.
- Laughs for all: must-see comedies The Time Machineand The Importance of Being... Earnest? and stand-up from Georgie Carroll and Romesh Ranganathan.
- Social justice spotlights: Women’s History Month brings powerful stories Protest and WANTED
- Family entertainment: Belongings, a moving journey of self-discovery, and monster mayhem in Dragons and Mythical Beasts.
- Insightful talks from Ben Fogle and Simon Reeve.
- Exclusive dance offers: big savings for a boundary-pushing season of dance.
Season highlights
Thought-provoking theatre and new takes on timeless tales
Exeter Northcott launches its new theatre season with Chris Thorpe’s (Talking About the Fire) compelling nuclear disarmament drama A Family Business (1 – 2 Feb, Barnfield). Legendary Welsh storyteller Shôn Dale-Jones (The Wonderful World of Hugh Hughes) then searches for human connection in dark comedy Cracking (9 – 10 Feb, Barnfield), and ThickSkin (How Not To Drown) challenge consumer culture in Peak Stuff(27 – 28 Feb, Northcott).
During Women’s History Month in March, three schoolgirls stand up to social norms and inspire change in Hannah Lavery’s (Lament for Sheku Bayoh) Protest (11 Mar, Barnfield). Then, Gazebo Theatre weave together history, heart and humour to explore the extraordinary stories of five trailblazing women in WANTED! (19 - 20 Mar, Northcott).
March also brings Miracle Theatre's comical Cornish whodunnit, Hells Bells (21 – 22 Mar, Northcott), while April audiences can unravel Agatha Christie's iconic murder mystery The Mousetrap (15 – 20 Apr, Northcott) during its 70th-anniversary UK tour.
Exeter Northcott also hosts a laughter-packed line-up of classic stories with modern twists. Original Theatre (Murder in the Dark) reimagine H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine (5 – 8 Feb, Northcott) with chaos, wit, and a sprinkle of Cher. Say It Again, Sorry? (Easel Peasel) tease Wildean charm with play-within-a-play The Importance of Being... Earnest? (14 – 16 Mar, Northcott). New Old Friends (Crimes on Centre Court) spellbind audiences with Houdini's Greatest Escape (14 – 16 May, Northcott), a side-splitting thriller in the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps.
Moving on to musicals, critically acclaimed Little Mermaid parody Unfortunate (4 – 8 Jun, Northcott) surfaces at the Northcott in summer. The wickedly fresh spin on the ‘real story’ beneath the waves stars Shawna Hamic (Orange is the New Black, Netflix) as Ursula and River Medway (RuPaul's Drag Race UK, BBC) as Ariel.
John Simmit’s (Upfront Comedy) musical Windrush celebration RUSH: A Joyous Jamaican Journey (15 Jun, Northcott) rounds out Exeter Northcott’s new theatre season.
Homegrown talents at the Barnfield
The Barnfield Theatre continues to elevate South West artists, enabling them to showcase new and vital works.
Devon’s Stowaway Theatre pay homage to Britain’s first female crime syndicate in roaring 20s musical crime caper 40 Elephants (22 – 24 Feb, Barnfield). Stowaway developed this production during its participation in Exeter Northcott’s Futures programme last year.
Later, Scratchworks (The Grimm Sisters) return to the Barnfield with locally inspired witch-comedy Hags: A Magical Extravaganza (17 – 18 May, Barnfield). The South West theatre company unearth stories of the last three women accused of witchcraft in the UK, put on trial in Exeter over 300 years ago, through live magic and music.
Fun for all ages
Families are treated to everything from a celebration of a legendary children's TV icon to mind-blowing monster puppetry.
Sooty celebrates a lifetime of magic, mischief, and mayhem inThe Sooty Show 75th Birthday Spectacular (12 Feb, Northcott).
All ages can find the perfect pet in Rod Campbell’s Dear Zoo(1 – 2 Apr, Northcott) and discover the joy of play in Tangled Feet (Butterflies) and Rowan Tree’s Belongings (3 – 4 Apr, Northcott).
Approaching summer, a musical stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book (10 – 12 May, Northcott) and epic half-term encounters with earth-shattering puppets in Olivier Award-nominated Dragons and Mythical Beasts (28 – 30 May, Northcott).
Dance odyssey
Audiences can embark on a rhythmic adventure with Exeter Northcott's multibuy ticket offer for dance events: book tickets for two eligible events and enjoy a 10% discount. Adding more events increases this discount.
Exeter Northcott opens its new dance season withMotionhouse’s digital magic-infused Nobody (5 – 6 Mar, Northcott). Then, Graziano Di Prima charts his journey from Sicilian vineyards to Strictly Come Dancing stardom in Believe(9 Mar, Northcott) and Ockham’s Razor transforms Thomas Hardy's Tess (11 – 12 Mar, Northcott) into a feminist circus spectacle.
In May, Dani Harris-Walters sketches a reflective coming-of-age story through hip-hop dance in Happy Father’s Day (8 May, Northcott). Shechter II explore the tensions of English identity in From England with Love (11 – 12 May, Northcott). Ballet Cymru stage a daring adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo a Juliet (25 – 26 May, Northcott), and KVN Dance Company magically reimagine Coppelia (29 May, Northcott).
Closing Exeter Northcott’s new dance season, Rendez-Vous Dance tell the untold story of a 1930s Parisian lesbian cabaret with flirtation and flair in The Monocle (26 Jun, Northcott).
For more information on Exeter Northcott’s dance multibuy offer, eligible events and groupings, please visitwww.exeternorthcott.co.uk
Also coming up this season:
English Touring Opera return to the Northcott with radical and inventive re-interpretations of Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut (23 – 25 May, Northcott) and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress (24 May, Northcott).
Hilarious nights out await Exeter stand-up comedy fans fromAdam Rowe (20 January, Barnfield), Romesh Ranganathan(23 Jan, Great Hall), Babatunde Aléshé (28 Jan, Northcott), Gail Porter (3 Feb, Northcott), Janey Godley (9 Feb, Northcott), Frankie Boyle (10 Feb, Great Hall), Jimeoin (14 Feb, Northcott), Miles Jupp (21 Feb, Northcott), Melanie Bracewell (22 Feb, Barnfield), Troy Hawke (23 Feb, Northcott), Count Arthur Strong (25 Feb, Northcott), Scott Bennett (28 Feb, Barnfield), Tom Allen (8 Mar, Great Hall), Dom Joly (8 Mar, Northcott), Joe Wells (9 Mar, Barnfield), Tim Vine (23 Mar, Northcott), Lloyd Griffith (30 Mar, Northcott), Georgie Carroll (5 May, Northcott), Rachel Parris (18 May) and Michelle Brasier (31 May, Northcott).
Exeter Northcott is also turning back time with a celebratory live music journey through the decades with The Magic of Motown(13 Jan, Northcott), A Century of Swing (27 Jan, Barnfield),Guitar Heroes (31 Jan, Northcott), The Marvin Gaye Songbook (16 Feb, Northcott), 90s Live (24 Feb, Northcott), Nashville at Heart (27 Feb, Barnfield), Fastlove (6 Apr, Northcott), Dracula in Space (19 Apr, Barnfield), Sweet Caroline (27 Apr, Northcott), The Magic of the Bee Gees (17 May, Northcott) andGet It On (1 Jun, Northcott).
Plus, engaging talks from Antiques Roadshow’s Charlie Ross, Charles Hanson, Christina Trevanion and Philip Serrell (30 Jan, Northcott), free solo climber Pete Whittaker (14 Feb, Barnfield), TV survivalist Ben Fogle (12 Mar, Great Hall), Post Office scandal journalist Nick Wallis (20 Apr, Barnfield), adventurer Simon Reeve (26 Apr, Great Hall) and astronomerAdrian West with his stratospherically successful The Night Sky Show (28 Apr, Northcott).
Tickets for all these events and more are now on sale atwww.exeternorthcott.co.uk or 01392 72 63 63.
Full list of events at Exeter Northcott Theatre:
January
Sat 13 The Magic of Motown
Thu 18 - Sat 20 EUTCo: Alice
Wed 24 - Sat 27 Footlights: Singin’ in the Rain
Sun 28 Babatunde Aléshé: Babahood
Tue 30 Antiques and a Little Bit of Nonsense
Wed 31 The Story of Guitar Heroes
February
Fri 2 The Comedy Store Players
Sat 3 Gail Porter: Hung, Drawn and Portered
Mon 5 - Thu 8 The Time Machine (audio described performance – Thu 8)
Fri 9 Janey Godley: The Not Dead Yet Tour
Sun 11 ICCA Quarterfinal
Mon 12 The Sooty Show
Wed 14 Jimeoin: The Craic!
Fri 16 The Marvin Gaye Songbook
Wed 21 Miles Jupp: On I Bang
Fri 23 Troy Hawke: The Greeters Guild
Sat 24 90s Live!
Sun 25 Count Arthur Strong
Tue 27 - Wed 28 Peak Stuff
March
Fri 1 Sophie McCartney
Tue 5 - Wed 6 Motionhouse: Nobody
Fri 8 Dom Joly: Conspiracy Tourist
Sat 9 Graziano Di Prima: Believe
Mon 11 - Tue 12 Ockham’s Razor: Tess
Thu 14 - Sat 16 The Importance of Being… Earnest?
Tue 19 - Wed 20 WANTED!
Thu 21 - Fri 22 Hell’s Bells
Sat 23 Tim Vine: Breeeep!
Mon 25 - Tue 26 Feel Me (captioned performances)
Wed 27 - Thu 28 Stewart Lee: Basic Lee
Sat 30 Lloyd Griffith: Baroque and Roll
April
Mon 1 - Tue 2 Dear Zoo
Wed 3 - Thu 4 Belongings (relaxed performance – Thu 4)
Sat 6 Fastlove
Mon 8 - Sat 13 EMS: Carousel
Mon 15 - Sat 20 The Mousetrap (British Sign Language interpreted performance – Sat 20)
Thu 25 The Horne Section’s Hit Show
Sat 27 Sweet Caroline
Sun 28 The Night Sky Show
May
Wed 1 - Sat 4 Stage by Stage: The Little Mermaid
Sun 5 Nurse Georgie Carrol: Sista Flo 2.0
Wed 8 Dani Harris-Walters: Happy Father’s Day
Fri 10 - Sun 12 Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book
Tue 14 - Thu 16 Houdini’s Greatest Escape (audio described performance – Thu 16)
Fri 17 The Magic of the Bee Gees
Sat 18 Rachel Parris: Poise
Thu 23 ETO: Puccini’s Manon Lascaut
Fri 24 ETO: Stravinsky: The Rake’s
Sat 25 ETO: Puccini’s Manon Lascaut
Tue 28 - Thu 30 Dragons & Mythical Beasts (audio described and BSL-interpreted performances – Wed 29)
Fri 31 Michelle Brasier: Reform
June
Sat 1 Get It On!
Tue 4 - Sat 8 Unfortunate (BSL-interpreted performance – Sat 8)
Tue 11 - Wed 12 Shechter II: From England with Love
Sat 15 RUSH – A Joyous Jamaican Journey
Mon 17 Punt & Dennis
Wed 19 - Sat 22 The Tragedy of Madame Bovary
Mon 24 - Tue 25 Ballet Cymru: Romeo a Juliet
Wed 26 Rendez-Vous Dance: The Monocle
Sat 29 KVN Dance Company: Coppelia
Sun 30 Theatretrain: Around the World
Full list of events at the Barnfield Theatre:
January
Sat 20 Adam Rowe: What’s Wrong with Me?
Fri 26 The Comedy Store
Sat 27 A Century of Swing
February
Thu 1 - Fri 2 A Family Business
Fri 9 - Sat 10 Cracking
Wed 14 Pete Whittaker: Fine Lines
Thu 15 - Sat 17 Shotgun: Carrie the Musical
Thu 22 Melanie Bracewell: Forget Me Not
Thu 22 - Sat 24 40 Elephants
Tue 27 Nashville at Heart
Wed 28 Scott Bennett: Great Scott!
March
Fri 1 - Sat 2 Kangaroo Court: Shotgunned
Wed 6 - Thu 7 Maynard School: Spamalot
Fri 8 An Actor Convalescing in Devon
Sat 9 Joe Wells: King of the Autistics
Mon 11 Protest
Sat 16 Encompass: Rhythms of Us
Sun 17 UpClose Theatre: ART
Sat 23 Anthos Arts: The Macbeths
April
Wed 10 - Sat 13 Exeter Gang Show
Fri 19 Dracula in Space
Sat 20 Post Office Scandal: The Inside Story
Fri 26 The Comedy Store
Tue 30 Here to There Theatre: Hedda
May
Wed 1 - Sat 4 Here to There Theatre: Hedda
Thu 9 Jackie Fabulous
Fri 10 Simply Barbra
Wed 15 - Thu 16 Polly: The Heartbreak Opera
Fri 17 - Sat 18 Hags: A Magical Extravaganza
Tue 21 - Wed 22 The Passion of Living Spit
Thu 23 Six Chick Flicks
June
Fri 14 South Devon Players
Sat 15 The Dad’s Army Radio Show
Tue 25 - Sat 29 ELTC: And Then There Were None
August
Fri 30 - Sat 31 Northcott Young Company: Pizza Wars
Full list of events at the Exeter Great Hall:
January
Tue 23 - Wed 24 Romesh Ranganathan: The Warm-Ups
February
Sat 10 Frankie Boyle: Lap of Shame
March
Fri 8 Tom Allen: Completely
Tue 12 Ben Fogle: Wild
April
Fri 26 Simon Reeve: To the Ends of the Earth
For more information visit www.exeternorthcott.co.uk
