A Christmas Carol, on from Friday 22 November until Saturday 4 January, is a thrilling new version by Mike Kenny of Charles Dickens classic and much-loved story perfect for the whole family. Derby Theatre produced A Christmas Carol in 2014 and 2019, with both runs playing to packed houses, so we are incredibly excited to be producing and presenting this timeless tale for audiences once again this year.
Chicken Licken, for ages 3 plus and their families and friends, will see Derby Theatre, Hiccup Theatre and Polka Theatre join forces once again to produce a delightfully cheeky and charming show for young audiences. All performances of Chicken Licken will include integrated BSL, creative captions and integrated audio description, making the show fully accessible for Deaf, blind, partially sighted and hearing audience members.
Playing the central role of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, we are delighted to welcome back Gareth Williams who played the iconic character in the 2019 production, as well as Dennis Skinner MP in the highly acclaimed The Palace of Varieties in 2021 and Danny in last year’s smash-hit Brassed Off. Gareth’s other credits include: The Secret Garden, Comedy of Errors and Macbeth for Chester Performs and the film, Peterloo directed by Mike Leigh.
Joining Gareth will be: Oliver Nazareth Aston (Treasure Island for Barn Theatre, Romeo & Juliet, Little Women and Stig of the Dump for Chester Storyhouse); John Holt Roberts (Robin Hood and The Major Oak, The Wind in the Willows, Kes, Alice in Wonderland and The Gingerbread Man for Derby Theatre and Cinderella for Chester Storyhouse); April Nerissa Hudson (Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood and The Major Oak, The Wind in the Willows, Home Girl, Treasure Island and The Little Mermaid for Derby Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Front Room Productions and Doctors, Man Like Mobeen and Cake for TV); Sam Lightfoot-Loftus (Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Stafford Gatehouse, Wishmas for Secret Cinema and Anything Is Possible If You Think About It Hard Enough for Freckled Things and Ducdame Theatre); Ali Mylon (Coronation Street, Peaky Blinders and Emmerdale for TV; Zen, Drugs ‘n’ Rock ‘n’ Roll for Sheffield Crucible, The Present for Bolton Octagon, Cinderella for The Lamproom and Batteries Not Included for Northern Opera); Oliver Mawdsley (Beauty and The Beast for Stephen Joseph Theatre, Boys from the Blackstuff for Stockroom and Liverpool’s Royal Court, Astley’s Outstanding Adventures and The Snow Queen for New Vic Theatre and The Little Shop of Horrors for the Bolton Octagon, New Wolsey, Theatre by the Lake and Hull Truck Theatre); Claire Lee Shenfield (The Importance of Being Earnest for Mercury Theatre Colchester, Once on national tours for Lambert Jackson and Magical Merlin at the Fortune Theatre in the West End).
The creative team for A Christmas Carol is: Mike Kenny (Writer/Adaptor); Tom Bellerby (Director); Jess Curtis (Set and Costume Designer); Sonum Batra and Eliza Waters (Composers/Musical Directors); Ivan Stott (Sound Designer); Adam Foley (Lighting Designer); and Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG (Casting Director).
A Christmas Carol will also include a young company of local performers, more details to be announced soon.
The cast for Chicken Licken includes: Laura Crow (Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titus Andronicus and Earwig for Time & Again Theatre Company and Clouds for Cheshire Rural Touring Arts); Laura Goulden (Three Billy Goat’s Gruff and Robin Hood and The Major Oak for Derby Theatre, The Gruffalo and The Snail and the Whale for Tall Stories, Much Ado About Nothing for Ramps on the Moon and Stig of the Dump for Chester Storyhouse); Brooklyn Melvin (Alice in Wonderland and The Emperor’s New Clothes for Derby Theatre, Oliver in Oliver Twist for Leeds Playhouse/Ramps on the Moon – nominated for Best Actor in The Stage Debut Awards 2020, Solar Reel short film and Happiness Project for Solar Bear, Waldo’s Circus for Extraordinary Bodies, Sleeping Beauty for CAST, Holding/Holding On and Squeezy Yoghurt short film for National Theatre of Scotland and Listening Party for Buzzcut; Phillipa Russell (Robin Hood and The Major Oak for Derby Theatre, Lilies on the Land for a UK tour, Peter Pan for Lincoln Drill Hall, The Seven Deadly Sins in Norway, Threadbare for Melbourne Fringe Festival and Wish 3 Wishes in Sydney and Melbourne) and Ivan Stott (One Man, Two Guvnors, The Jungle Book, Look Back in Anger and Extra Time for Derby Theatre); Goldilocks and The Three Bears, The Gingerbread Man and Little Red for Derby Theatre and Hiccup Theatre, Three Billy Goat’s Gruff and The Emperor’s New Clothes for Derby Theatre, Hiccup Theatre and Polka Theatre, plus composer and sound designer for numerous Derby Theatre productions, as well as venues across the UK and overseas.
The creative team for Chicken Licken is: Derby Theatre, Hiccup Theatre and Polka Theatre (co-producers); Sarah Brigham (Writer & Director); EJ Raymond (BSL Consultant); Ben Wilson (Audio Description Consultant); Ben Glover (Captions); Rachana Jadhav (Set Designer); Tim Heywood (Costume Designer); Ivan Stott (Sound Designer); Jessica Brigham (Lighting Designer); Stacey McCarthy (Movement Director) and John Barber (Puppet Designer).
A Christmas Carol is a thrilling new version by Mike Kenny of Charles Dickens’ classic and much-loved story. Come and join us during Christmas 2024 for an exciting, magical and vibrant adaptation of Charles Dickens’ treasured novel.
A Christmas Carol is a timeless tale of hope and redemption which follows Ebenezer Scrooge on an eye-opening, yet wondrous, journey through his past, present and future. With a spectacular set, stunning costumes, and an incredible company of actor-musicians, this all-time festive favourite promises a truly magical trip to the theatre for all ages next Christmas.
Chicken Licken is a cherished and charming tale of a little chicken who believes the sky is falling and the world is coming to an end…but soon they realise that a foolish fear is nothing more than a falling acorn…
From the same team that brought you Three Billy Goat’s Gruff, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Little Red, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Gingerbread Man, audiences can expect beautiful puppetry, fantastic storytelling, amazing live music, original songs and lots of laughs!
TICKETS AND HOW TO BOOK
For more information, including accessible performances, and to book for A Christmas Carol and Chicken Licken (all performances will include integrated BSL, creative captions and integrated audio description); you can call the Box Office on 01332 593939, visit www.derbytheatre.co.uk, text 07717 346964 or email DerbyTheatreTickets@derby.ac.uk.
