Theatre Royal Winchester’s spring summer season

Theatre Royal Winchester’s 2025 Spring Summer season – which runs from April to August – features music, children’s theatre, drama, comedy, improv, community shows, National Theatre Live screenings, classic films, talks, dance and more!

The season kicks off with Playmakers’ youth theatre groups returning to the stage with their annual Youth Takeover (4 April) – this time performing original shows inspired by Shakespeare, and there are more community performances to come – from Hurn Court Opera with La Cenerentola (14 April) – a lively take on Cinderella, to The Maven Awards Night (24 April), celebrating Winchester’s women in business, and the Hotshot Dance Competition (26 – 27 April) welcomes all dance genres and ages.

The University of Winchester’s Musical Theatre students present Music and Lyrics (28 April) – featuring songs from popular musicals – and return with Pippin (16 – 17 May) – the story of a young prince’s search for meaning, while the BA Acting students take on Earthquakes in London (20 – 22 May) about three sisters navigating their lives as their father predicts global catastrophe.

Winchester dance company, Integr8 Dance, presents Far Far Away (29 – 30 May) – about two siblings swept up in fantastical worlds born from their imagination, Integr8 Dance Off 2025 (21 – 22 June, 13 July) sees local schools compete, while A Night with Integr8 Dance (12 July) celebrates the company’s street and contemporary dancers and musical theatre performers.

Embley School (Romsey) returns with their summer production – this time, the musical spectacle, Guys and Dolls (18 – 20 June), while Blue Apple Theatre perform a family-friendly Victorian mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Thief of Antiquity (11 – 12 June) – with live captioning, plus, a watch at home option.

The Hat Fair Community Celebration (4 July) will explore sanctuary and the power of connection through words, music and dance – created with the help of local groups.

Winnall Rock School celebrates 21 years with their Summer Show 2025 (15 July), and the successful local auditionees will take to the stage in RARE Productions’ adaptation of the classic musical, Annie (31 July – 2 August).

Lastly, young people aged 7-12 and 13-18 are invited to take part in A Play in 2 Days (4 – 5 August) to create their very own version of Secret Garden, or A Play in 3 Days (4 – 6 August) to bring to life Sherlock Holmes, while learning to write, act and direct, and explore how stage design, props and costumes can help bring ideas to life – with guidance from theatre professionals.

Summer is a season known for music and the theatre’s programme starts with Irish music from The Fureys (5 April), a celebration of the pop princess, with a Taylor Swift Tribute (10 April, sold out); and the American country singer Glen Campbell with Rhinestone Cowboy (25 April).

The Winchester Chamber Music Festival’s Festival Gala Concert (4 May) features a number of classical compositions, best-selling musician Neil Diamond is honoured in It’s A Beautiful Noise Show (23 May), music greats such as Ella Fitzgerald are remembered in Swinging at the Cotton Club (25 May) – with the Lindy Hop Dance Company, and The Silver Bell (8 June) by New Sussex Opera tells of a tormented artist given a bell that will provide all his heart desires.

The original Britpop band is paid tribute in Oasiz 2025 UK Tour (24 June), while songstress Liza Pulman and pianist Joe Stilgoe come together for A Couple of Swells (26 June), and The George Harrison Project (11 June) returns. The Take That Experience (18 June) is also back.

Finally, there’s country rock classics with The Dr. Hook Songbook (19 July), more Irish music in the ultimate feel-good tribute show, One Night in Dublin (20 July), the music of Phil Collins and Genesis are centre stage in Seriously Collins (25 July), there are rock ‘n’ roll classics in Buddy Holly and the Cricketers (29 July), and the modern rock album, Brothers in Arms, is celebrated in DS: UK… in Tribute to Dire Straits (8 August).

Next, there is plenty of children’s theatre lined up to keep the little ones entertained, beginning with Rude Science Live (6 April), featuring BBC Gastronaut Stefan Gates, whoopee cushions, pee-powered fireworks and more, Louis Pearl, The Amazing Bubble Man (13 April) is back – with more bubbles of all shapes and sizes, and Tall Stories present an adaptation of David McKee’s beloved tales with The Elmer Adventure (15 – 17 April).

The Dinosaur That Pooped a Rock Show (10 May) is based on the best-selling books by McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, while there’s colourful animation, songs, actions and more in Fun for Little Ones, A Tribute to Ms Rachel (24 May).

The Koala Who Could (13 – 15 June) sees friends Koala, Kangaroo and Wombat embracing change, Spy Movie! A Play (25 June) pays tribute to the Bond movies; and The Worst Princess (27 – 29 June) about a feisty princess looking for her happily-ever-after includes puppets and pop anthems.

Lastly, there’s interactive fun (songs, dancing, party games and integrated Makaton), a free party hat and a meet and greet with Spot’s Birthday Party (22 – 24 July), brand-new life-size dinosaurs in Dinosaur Adventure Live: The Big Jurassic Storm (26 July), comedy sketches in Horrible Histories: Gorgeous Georgians & Vile Victorians (9 August), and a trip into the mountains goes awry in Fireman Sam Live: The Great Camping Adventure (10 August).

Drama audiences of all ages will be captivated by Michael Morpurgo’s Farm Boy (8 – 9 April) – the sequel to War Horse, about a grandpa who tells his grandson stories about what life was like when he was a boy, Rumpus Theatre Company return with The Comedy of Terrors (29 April) – a madcap comedy of multiple mistaken identity, and the award-winning Dyad Productions are also back, this time with one-man show, That Knave, Raleigh (30 April) about one of Britain’s most famous men – explorer and dandy, Sir Walter Raleigh.

There’s comedic theatre from Shoddy Theatre with A Shoddy Detective and The Art of Deception (6 – 7 June) – a slapstick whodunnit featuring four actors playing multiple characters, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (16 July) by the highly energetic, Oddsocks.

Plus, drama returns on the big screen with two more National Theatre Live screenings – Dr. Strangelove (23 April) – an adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy satire, with seven-time BAFTA Award-winner Steve Coogan, and Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire (5 June) – starring Gillian Anderson and by the visionary director, Benedict Andrews.

This season the theatre will also start screening classic films, beginning with Singin’ in the Rain (6 May), Dirty Dancing (4 June) and Some Like It Hot (17 July).

Finally, this year’s Kendal Mountain Tour (7 May) presents a series of award-winning films featuring breath-taking landscapes and sharing stories of feats of courage and human resilience – with guest speaker, expedition doctor, Will Duffin – who specialises in delivering healthcare in wild and remote locations.

A number of stand-up comedians also take to the stage, including Rich Hall (11 April, sold out) with Chin Music featuring idle, sharp, improvisational comedy, and Lou Sanders (13 April) – who will do all her own jokes. Harry Hill (22 April, sold out) delves into his back catalogue of jokes and offers new insights into hot topics including the demise of the SCART lead, and Winchester Comedy Festival’s Summer Gala 2025 (14 June) has well-known faces.

There are a number of talks from ex-MP and wordsmith, Gyles Brandreth (11 May, sold out), opera star, Sir Willard White (24 May) – who will reminisce about his life on stage and screen, and sing songs that are important to him, with the Kymaera Duo (guitarists), David Olusoga (3 Jun) with a brand-new talk exploring how and why some historical events and people are forgotten, retired Liberal Democrats leader, Vince Cable (27 June), and award-winning political journalist, broadcaster and author, John Sergeant (10 July).

Finally, for anyone looking for something a little different, there is plenty of clever improv and tempting circus. The Showstoppers’ Kids Show and Showstoppers! The Improvised Musical (12 April) welcome audience suggestions, with the Olivier Award-winning improvisers transforming them, from scratch, into musical adventures – and anything goes!

Murder She Didn’t Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery (8 – 9 May) is performed by Edinburgh Fringe favourites, Degrees of Error, who ask the audience to help create their very own Agatha Christie-inspired classic, while the award-winning Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel (31 May – 1 June, sold out) is inspired by audience ideas, with period costumes, live musical accompaniment, and famous faces from TV and radio.

Hat Fair headliners, dance-circus company, Motionhouse, return to the stage with Hidden (2 – 3 May) – with gravity-defying choreography, emotive soundscape, and shape-shifting set, while the cast of Forbidden Nights (7 August) are back with more ‘jaw-dropping’ sexy circus!

Plus, audiences are invited to learn more about leaving a gift in their will, courtesy of The Stories We Leave Behind: Remembering a Charity in Your Will (7 April) – an event that forms part of Legacy Action Week (7 – 13 April) – developed by a group of Winchester-based charities to celebrate the difference a gift in a will makes to the work they do.

As part of Unwritten – an artist development programme devised by Play to the Crowd, the charity that runs the theatre – a number of writer director partnerships will present monologues and duologues at a Scratch Night (13 June) – in a bid to win mentoring and perform their final work at the Showcase (29 August).

There will be a Season Insights event and In Crowd Coffee events (30 April, 6 May, 5 August) for exclusive Play to the Crowd Members, and finally, all are welcome to take part in the theatre’s new quiz nights (26 May, 23 June, 28 July) – with the themes: Theatre, Movies, and Geeks and Nerds culture, and more in the autumn.

For more information and to book tickets, or to join waiting lists for sold out shows, please visit: theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk, call the Box Office on 01962 840 440, or visit them in person on Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8SB.