Theatre eBooks, Scripts & Songbooks

Theatre Learning Resources

Theatre Audio & Music

Theatre Streaming & Video

London Theatre is BACK with Over 75 May Shows!

It's an incredibly special day for London theatre! Hundreds of artists will be taking the stage across the city (and the rest of the UK), once again able to share their stories and talents with eager audiences. 

At Thespie we've been adding listings for all these amazing shows, with more than 75 productions beginning in May and over 200 across the next few months!

For those excited to get back into theatre but not sure where to begin, we're highlighting the range of themes, styles and genres available this month, from intimate solo shows in small venues all the way up to large-scale operas with full casts, chorus and orchestra. 

Take a look at the ideas below and we hope you find something that sparks your interest!

If you like girl power musicals, dancefloor anthems or 'Dragatha Christie'…	

SIX (Begins 21 May)
musical • retelling • feel-good • girl power • high-energy • historical • inspiring

Everybody's Talking About Jamie (Begins 20 May)
LGBTQ • musical • coming-of-age • heart-warming • inspiring • school & university • underdog

Death Drop (Begins 19 May)
drag • mystery • parody • 1990s • camp • high-energy • laugh-out-loud

Magic Mike Live (Begins 21 May)
dance • interactive • screen to stage • spectacle • acrobatic • high-energy • steamy

Here Come the Boys (Begins 25 May)
dance • cheerful • feel-good • high-energy • music

If you're craving the brilliance of the Bard...	

Hamlet (Begins 19 May)
play • retelling • Shakespeare • 1940s • jazz • music

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Begins 19 May)
magic • retelling • Shakespeare • fantasy • romantic

Current, Rising (Begins 21 May)
immersive • opera • Shakespeare • music • virtual reality • visually-striking

Shylock (Begins 21 May)
play • Shakespeare • solo show • faith & spirituality • tragic

The Rape of Lucrece (Begins 28 May)
Shakespeare • solo show • dark • grief • poetry • revenge

If you want to see incredible singers perform show-stopping tunes...	

Monday Night at the Apollo (Begins 24 May)
concert • art & artists • cheerful • music

Les Misérables: Staged Concert (Begins 20 May)
concert • musical • arch-rivals • historical • law & justice • tear-jerker • war & military

Roles We'll Never Play (Begins 22 May)
cabaret • concert • musical • art & artists

Abba Mania (Begins 21 May)
concert • tribute • 1970s • cheerful • high-energy

Intermissions Live (24 May)
concert • art & artists • interview • music

If you love ballet, contemporary choreography, or all-dancing adventures…	

English National Ballet: Reunion (Begins 17 May)
ballet • classical music • dance theatre • jazz

21st Century Choreographers (Begins 18 May)
ballet • classical music • dance • dance theatre

Overflow (Begins 21 May)
contemporary dance • dance • dance theatre • visually-striking

Don't Tell Grandma (Begins 31 May)
dance • kid-friendly • adventure • family • music

The Royal Ballet Class on Stage (Begins 25 May)
ballet • dance • art & artists • behind-the-scenes

If you like Black Mirror, the perils of social media, or celebrity obsession...	

Saving Britney (Begins 18 May)
solo show • heart-breaking • laugh-out-loud • nostalgic

Harm (Begins 17 May)
play • creepy • dark • science & technology • unlikely friends

Millennials (Begins 24 May)
concert • musical • identity • music • pop

Public Domain (Begins 27 May)
musical • true story • dark • dystopian • laugh-out-loud

Herding Cats (Begins 19 May)
awkward • dark • provocative • science & technology • witty • workplace

If you want to see new plays and musicals that are still evolving...	

Proud (Begins 27 May)
LGBTQ • musical • identity

The Man in the Ceiling (Begins 20 May)
musical • ambition • family • friendship • quirky

Thunderstorm (21 May only)
play • ambition • China • dysfunctional family • secrets

TONY! A Tony Blair Rock Opera (27 May only)
musical • rock • 1990s • ambition • Britain • politics • satire

Housefire (Begins 24 May)
musical • animals • environmental • friendship • science & technology

If you want to celebrate Black excellence, investigate systemic injustice or hear honest personal journeys…	

The Death of a Black Man (Begins 28 May)
play • Black history & experience • coming-of-age • culture & heritage • friendship • sports

Single Black Female (19 May only)
play • Black history & experience • witty

Chineke! Orchestra: Fate Now Conquers (Begins 28 May)
classical music • Black history & experience • orchestral

The Gods Are Not to Blame (26 May only)
play • Africa • Colonial era • poetic • royalty & rulers

If you like to expect the unexpected …	

The Mousetrap (Begins 17 May)
mystery • play • thrilling

Two Horsemen (Begins 17 May)
mystery • play • friendship • kindred spirits

AAAAA (FiveA) (Begins 18 May)
experimental • immersive • mystery • creepy

The Dream Machine (Begins 27 May)
improv • interactive • imaginative • laugh-out-loud • magical

Ben Hart: 2-Metre Magic (Begins 25 May)
cabaret • magic • solo show • mind-bending

If you want the magic of Paris, a heartbreaking drama, or a romantic ghost story…	

Amélie The Musical (Begins 20 May)
musical • screen to stage • city life • imaginative • Paris • romantic

Far From Heaven (Begins 17 May)
musical • play • screen to stage • 1950s • dysfunctional family • identity • romantic • tragic

The Dybbuk (19 May only)
play • faith & spirituality • ghosts • romantic • tragic

Love Letters (Begins 19 May)
play • friendship • heartfelt • romantic • tragic

Love in the Time of Corona (Begins 25 May)
atmospheric • fantasy • ghosts • heartfelt • kindred spirits • poetic • poetry

If you like your theatre loud, interactive and adventurous…	

Noisy Kids: Heroes & Villains (Begins 29 May)
classical music • interactive • kid-friendly • adventure • fantasy • orchestral

Peter Pandemic (Begins 18 May)
fairy tale • page to stage • panto • retelling • adventure • fantasy • medicine & care • slapstick

Flight (Begins 17 May)
immersive • play • puppetry • adventure • family • migration & displacement • visually-striking

You Are Here (Begins 17 May)
musical • 1960s • adventure • family • heart-breaking • science & technology

Doctor Who: Time Fracture (Begins 26 May)
interactive • screen to stage • 1940s • adventure • fantasy • science fiction • war & military

If your idea of a good night out is tongue-in-cheek cabaret…

Looking for Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood (29 May only)
cabaret • tribute • laugh-out-loud • music

Roulston & Young (Begins 22 May)
cabaret • irreverent • music

Topsie Redfern's Crystal Ball (30 May only)
cabaret • drag • LGBTQ • music

Bounder and Cad (Begins 18 May)
cabaret • irreverent • laugh-out-loud • music

The Lashes, in Return of the Lashes Revamped (Begins 23 May)
cabaret • drag • music

Streaming This Weekend: Spectacular Musicals and Heartbreaking Theatre

This weekend stream free theatre including a 40th anniversary performance of Cats, a timeless Italian opera, a fairytale musical spectacular, plus a tragically heartbreaking ballet from the San Francisco Ballet.

Check out our suggestions of theatre to watch from home this week: 

An abandoned cat discovers a new life after stumbling into the world of the Jellicles. The tribe competes annually to determine the Jellicle Choice who would journey to Heaviside Layer and be reborn.

A fantasy feline frolic through the lives of musical housecats, taking you from rooftops to rivers to ballrooms and capturing your imagination along the way.

Romeo & Juliet - Ballet, Filmed Performance

An emotional and poignant tale of young love and loss set to the celebrated Prokofiev score. Shakespeare’s tragic tale of star-crossed lovers comes to life with passionate dancing, spine-tingling swordsmanship, and stunning scenery and costume designs evoking Renaissance Italy.

Frozen, A Musical Spectacular - Musical, Filmed Performance

A Broadway-style stage production set in Frozen's world of Arendelle. 

When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice and curse her home with an infinite winter, her sister Anna teams up with Kristoff, his playful reindeer Sven, and a snowman called Olaf to help save the kingdom of Arendelle.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia - Opera, Filmed Performance

Rossini’s irreverent farce about a feisty young noblewoman with a mind of her own has delighted operagoers for more than two centuries. 

Its setting—rustic Seville—and zany storyline call for a cast of ace performers with dazzling stage presence, sizzling comic timing, and vocal agility to spare, making this the perfect playground for virtuoso singers as well as an ideal viewing experience for audiences of all ages.

Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway star in the film adaptation of the epic musical phenomenon that is a timeless testament to the human spirit.

Discover more than 1500 digital resources on Thespie.

Chichester Festival Theatre Season Welcomes Both Live and At-Home Audiences  

One of the UK’s flagship regional theatres, Chichester Festival Theatre is returning to live performances this summer with a classic musical, followed by four dramas (two of them world premieres!), and a host of other activities to engage audiences in-person and at home.

The theatre will host a wide range of entertainment including an Open Air Weekend and Cabaret in June as well as a production of Pinocchio by the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre later in the year. They are also maintaining their efforts to include those who don't live locally or who wish to watch performances from the comfort of their own home — with digital remaining an essential part of the theatre's offering. 

Artistic Director Daniel Evans and Executive Director Kathy Bourne said: “Our commitment to our local community has remained undimmed over the past year. If anything, this work has grown and deepened and this – alongside our greatly expanded digital presence – will continue."

As part of its commitment to making theatre accessible, the company also offers £5 tickets for young people aged 16-30. 

Beginning in July, the live season includes: 

South Pacific: Classic World War II musical South Pacific will be performed live as well as streamed online for audiences at home throughout the summer.

The Long Song: An adaptation of Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel about the last turbulent days of slavery and the early years of freedom in Jamaica. 

The Flock: A compassionate and funny play about a vicar trying to keep his community and his relationship together 

The Beauty Queen of Leenane: Martin McDonagh’s dark play about a lonely woman and her manipulative mother living an isolated existence in the mountains of Connemara.

Home: A quintet of characters, with their foibles and failings, are not what they seem to be, and nor is their home in David Storey’s 1970 play.  

Discover more than 200 more upcoming live shows as well as digital performances. 

Explore Theatre on Thespie: performances, talks and more, across all platforms

Featured Streaming View all

Thespie NewsView all

London Theatre is BACK with Over 75 May Shows!

Stream

Listen

Read

Learn

Support artists and stay connected

Artist Relief Organisations

Join Thespie For Free