Local productions taking the main stage in new Northampton theatre season
We've been hearing more from the Royal & Derngate
Details have been released of the 2025 / 26 season at Royal & Derngate Northampton. Artistic Director Jesse Jones has announced four productions that will be part of the new Made in Northampton season produced by the venue.
The productions tell stories of hope in the face of adversity, and the legacy we leave behind, all four plays examine issues affecting people who have been marginalised in society.
Hugh Whitemore’s acclaimed play Breaking the Code tells the story of Alan Turing’s career as a visionary mathematician and codebreaker, and how society’s attitude towards his sexuality changed the course of his life. That'll open next September here before going on tour.
In spring 2026, the world premiere of a new play Top G’s Like Me by Northampton's own Samson Hawkins will see the Derngate auditorium transformed into Northampton’s Radlands skatepark in which a group of young adults battle with the world.
The comedy will ask big questions of the online space and how it influences young minds.
Meanwhile, Jane Upton’s new play (the) Woman explores how women can keep hold of their own identities and maintain the status quo after becoming mothers.
There's also Tambo and Jones which is an "Afro-futuristic lecture", with all these shows produced by the venue.
Jesse says he's really proud of what the shows will bring:
"They're a really exciting dynamic collection of shows examining the barriers facing so many people in lots of different ways."