Sheffield Theatres announces new shows for 2024

Sheffield Theatres announces new shows for their 2024 season including The Crucible and Wish You Weren’t Here.

Arthur Miller’s timeless masterpiece The Crucible will be staged in the iconic Crucible Theatre, running from 2-30 March 2024. The revival will be directed by Associate Artistic Director Anthony Lau.

Wish You Weren’t Here, a co-production by Sheffield Theatres and Theatre Centre, will run from 24 January to 10 February 2024 in the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse. This new play by Katie Redford, directed by Theatre Centre Artistic Director Rob Watt (Human Nurture, Birds and Bees), is about growing up, single parenthood and finding your way in the world as women.

Lines, is a new play that looks through the bars of post-colonial life as told through stories in diverging yet parallel worlds. It asks what connects five prisons over five decades in Uganda, Palestine, and the UK?. Co-produced by Sheffield Theatres and Roots Mbili Theatre, it is created by Junaid Sarieddeen, John Rwothomack, Fidaa Zidan and Alexandra Aron with additional writing by Asiimwe Deborah Kawe. Lines will run from 27 Feb – 9 March 2024 in the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse.

Robert Hastie, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, said:

“‘With this new season of shows, we are delighted to share with audiences bold new work in the Playhouse, and a timeless classic on our Crucible stage.

The Playhouse continues to offer our audiences thrilling new writing and theatrical adventures. Headlining our spring season are a mother and daughter trip to the seaside and a journey into the lives of prisoners around the world.

It’s always a joy to welcome back Theatre Centre who make brilliant work for younger audiences, as we co-produce a third production with them in their 70th anniversary year. Wish You Weren’t Here by Katie Redford tells the story of a teenage girl and her mother on a hilarious holiday in Scarborough, including highs, lows, and uncomfortable truths, and plays in both the Playhouse and in schools around the city.

Lines is an international collaboration developed by Sheffield-based Roots Mbili, and we are proud to support this trailblazing company as they build on the success of John Rwothomack’s devastating Far Gone. Lines interweaves stories post-colonial life through the bars of five prisons across the globe.

Then, Anthony Lau, our Associate Artistic Director, directs Arthur Miller’s classic The Crucible. Miller’s greatest play and the Crucible theatre are made for each other, and not just for the obvious reason that they share a name.

Miller’s epic story of the Salem witch trials gathers us together in the public forum of the theatre to bear witness to the consequences of allowing fear and dishonesty to govern our society. Staged by the team that made Sheffield Theatres fizz with their dazzlingly creative takes on Anna Karenina and The Good Person of Szechwan, this promises to be unmissable.”

Tom Bird, Chief Executive of Sheffield Theatres, said:

“Sheffield Theatres continues to thrive -we’re delighted that our summer production of Miss Saigon was attended by over 35,000 people, and that over 30% of audience members were new to our theatres. Our autumn productions, The Hypochondriac and We Could All Be Perfect, are opening this month and will delight and inspire in equal measure. Elsewhere, Life of Pi has begun its national tour; Accidental Death of an Anarchist enjoyed a barnstorming end to its limited run in the West End; and we can’t wait for Standing at the Sky’s Edge to kick off its own West End run in February. Meanwhile, our extraordinary Learning and Participation work continues in schools and community settings right across the city, and our Talent Development programme nurtures Sheffield’s creatives of the future.”

“We’re looking forward to a bumper family Christmas, with our pantomime Beauty and the Beast in the Lyceum, and White Christmas in the Crucible – followed by the spring season of brand-new shows announced today.”

In addition to new shows in 2024, Sheffield Theatres have a broad range of productions across their three venues. In the Playhouse We Could All Be Perfect is commissioned, developed and produced by Sheffield Theatres. This new play by Doncaster writer Hannah Morley and directed by Ruby Clarke is a furious and funny exploration of whether teenage girls will save the world and asks if they should have to. Until Saturday 14 October 2023.

In the Crucible, Roger McGough’s celebrated adaptation of Molière’s The Hypochondriac is produced by Sheffield Theatres and staged by director Sarah Tipple. This witty satire proves that laughter really is the best form of medicine. Saturday 30 September – Saturday 21 October 2023

This festive season Sheffield Theatres will present a new production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas staged on the iconic Crucible stage and directed by Paul Foster (Talent, Kiss Me, Kate and Annie Get Your Gun). This classic feel-good musical for all the family features the songs Blue Skies, Sisters and the festive favourite White Christmas. Saturday 9 December 2023 – Saturday 13 January 2024

Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre continues to host some of the UK’s best touring plays, musicals and dance. In December, Sheffield Theatres and Evolution Pantomimes will stage the family pantomime Beauty and the Beast. Panto legend Damian Williams returns for his 16th year and stars alongside Duncan James (Blue) as Danton and Jennie Dale (CBeebies’ Swashbuckle) as Fairy. Friday 8 December 2023 – Sunday 7 January 2024.

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Main photo: Sheffield 2024 season