Royal & Derngate announces further Made in Northampton productions

Royal & Derngate’s Artistic Director Jesse Jones has announced the remaining programme for its 2024 Made in Northampton season which sees co-productions this autumn with Paines Plough and the Rose Theatre, both presenting new work, and a world premiere production of Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s much-loved classic The Jolly Christmas Postman.

A weeklong festival of new work from regional artists, GenFest, complements the theatre’s ongoing Generate artist development programme, along with its work with children and young people. The theatre also continues to present a range of the very best touring shows.

Following the emergency closure of the building due to the discovery of RAAC and the ensuing works to make things safe again, with the building now reopened, Jones is delighted to reveal a rich and diverse programme of work that demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to supporting local artists as well as offering a broad and exciting range of work in both of the spaces.

The Made in Northampton programming strand will see co-producing partnerships with new writing giant Paines Plough, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a new production called My Mother’s Funeral: The Show. Further details will be announced when this show goes on sale in May.

Alongside this Royal & Derngate will partner with the Rose Theatre in Kingston, Bristol Old Vic and Malvern Theatres on a new stage adaptation of Never Let Me Go, which takes to the Royal stage from Wednesday 16 to Saturday 26 October. Kazuo Ishiguro’s international best‑selling novel arrives on stage in this world premiere of Suzanne Heathcote’s gripping new adaptation.

What if you discovered your whole reason for being was not about your life but about making someone else’s possible? Your dreams, your desires, your love for another, all of them irrelevant in a world that values only what you give, without question or condition, to someone you’ve never met and will never know.

Memory and reality collide in this stunning new staging that challenges us to think about what it means to be human. What it means to have hope and heart - to love and to lose.

At Christmas, the theatre is proud to present Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s family favourite The Jolly Christmas Postman in a festive production for audiences of all ages, taking to the Royal stage from Saturday 7 to Sunday 29 December.

Join the Jolly Postman on a frosty, fairytale adventure in this brand-new stage adaptation from Royal & Derngate.

This award-winning story for all the family sees the Jolly Postman cycling through the snow to deliver parcels and letters to familiar friends as they prepare for Christmas celebrations. There are visits to Red Riding Hood, Humpty Dumpty, the Gingerbread Man, and not forgetting the big, bad wolf! As the snow continues to fall, who will help the Jolly Postman get home in time for Christmas?

Live music, original songs and a sprinkling of theatre magic bring this favourite festive classic to life for all ages to enjoy. The Jolly Christmas Postman is presented by arrangement with Penguin Books Ltd, a Penguin Random House UK company.

Jesse Jones, Artistic Director said: “As I enter the final weeks of rehearsal for Moby Dick, it is exciting to look ahead to our co-productions with Paines Plough and the Rose Theatre, who we will collaborate with to stage new and vital productions for our Northampton audiences. I am also delighted that we will be bringing Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s beautiful seasonal classic The Jolly Christmas Postman to life for younger audiences.”

Royal & Derngate presents alongside its produced work an array of the very best touring work in the UK. Holly Gladwell, Deputy CEO (Programming and Producing), who has co-curated the full season with Jones, said: “What makes Royal & Derngate particularly special is being able to create seasons of work that platform our own original Made In Northampton work, while also bringing some of the best touring shows and companies to our Northampton audiences. We’re particularly excited this season to be able to welcome West End hits such as Bonnie and Clyde, the brilliant Birmingham Royal Ballet’s BRB2, and a new musical Our Little Hour celebrating local hero Walter Tull.”

The visiting programme ranges from blockbuster musicals like Sister Act and Dear Evan Hansen, as well as internationally renowned companies like the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Touring theatrical favourites like Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of) feature with comedy favourites like Sarah Millican and Ben Elton and there are musical treats from the likes of Beverley Knight and Jools Holland.

Royal & Derngate is also committed to a programme of work supporting both local artists and community and education groups for whom artistic provision is so vital in these challenging times. This is epitomised in the Generate programme the centrepiece of which is GenFest, a weeklong festival of brand new work by artists from the region.

Jesse Jones, Artistic Director added: “Since my arrival at Royal & Derngate eight months ago, I’ve enjoyed the time spent with artists in helping to think about the role we can play in their development and I look forward to building on these programmes even further in the seasons ahead.”

The Made in Northampton season is sponsored locally by Michael Jones Jeweller.

Never Let Me Go and The Jolly Christmas Postman are on priority sale to members from 10am on Tuesday 19 March and on general sale from 10am on Thursday 21 March. For more information or to book, visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call Box Office on 01604 624811.