
Back to All News
The Roald Dahl Story Company announces series of new theatre productions, developed and produced by its in-house theatre division
Entertainment
25 May 2023
GlobalUnited Kingdom (Great Britain)
Link copied to clipboard
The Roald Dahl Story Company today announced three exciting new theatre productions:
A new musical for young audiences of The Enormous Crocodile, co-produced with Leeds Playhouse and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
A new theatrical reading of Roald Dahl's The Magic Finger presented for online release for schools and families, co-produced with the Unicorn Theatre.
A spectacular large-scale circus, which is currently in development, inspired by Roald Dahl's stories and featuring a range of beloved characters.
The productions have been created and developed by the Roald Dahl Story Company's in-house theatre division. Led by Artistic Director Jenny Worton and Executive Producer Anna Schmitz, the theatre division was set up in 2018 to create and produce innovative productions inspired by Roald Dahl stories in collaboration with world-class artists and leading theatre producers.
These productions join a major new musical of The Witches, co-produced with the National Theatre, which was announced last month, to form a growing slate of new theatre adapted from Roald Dahl's work. Alongside these shows the Roald Dahl Story Company currently has a further four productions under commission and development.
Executive Producer Anna Schmitz and Artistic Director Jenny Worton said:
We couldn't be more excited to be able to reveal these new productions, which demonstrate our ambitions in making new work. Far beyond simply putting the book on stage', we want to create original pieces of theatre, which both capture the timeless appeal, characters and spirit of Roald Dahl stories and speak powerfully to today's audiences. From puppetry to musicals, free digital productions to large-scale events we're working across theatrical forms and collaborating with extraordinary artists and producers to create shows that will illuminate the original stories in a new way, inspiring the next generation of theatregoers.
Talking about The Enormous Crocodile and The Magic Finger they added,
With The Enormous Crocodile we wanted to make a show that speaks to four-year-olds, delights their older siblings and treats their parents to some brilliant music. The music is like Dahl's stories in its capacity to capture audiences of all generations. It is at once dark, funny and compulsively moreish!
We are passionately committed to reaching new audiences with our work and are delighted that the online storytelling production of The Magic Finger will ensure that young people from all backgrounds can enjoy a theatricalised reading of this story in their classroom for the first time.
Further detail on the forthcoming Roald Dahl theatre shows:
THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE
A co-production with Leeds Playhouse and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
For my lunch today I would like a nice juicy little child!
The ENORMOUS crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only the other jungle creatures can foil his secret plans and clever tricks, but they're going to have to find a large amount of courage to stop this greedy brute.
This new musical version of Roald Dahl's snappy picture book, about a large hungry crocodile searching for a child to devour, puts global contemporary music and puppetry at the heart of the production.
It will be brought to life with a playful, eclectic score by composer Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab (who performs under the band name Sinkane) and a rib-tickling book and lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra (Arabian Nights, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh; The Long Song, Chichester Festival Theatre and Channel 4's Ackley Bridge), and additional music and lyrics from Tom Brady (The Butterfly Lion, Chichester Festival Theatre; Musical Supervisor & Arranger for Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre).
Directed by Emily Lim (Brainstorm, Company Three / National Theatre; Pericles, National Theatre), the production will feature a menagerie of mischievous puppets by one of the UK's leading puppetry directors and designers Toby Oli , (Spirited Away, Imperial Theatre Tokyo; Pinocchio, National Theatre; 101 Dalmatians, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) who also co-directs. Set and costume design is by Fly Davis (I Want My Hat Back, National Theatre; The Ocean at the End of the Lane, National Theatre/West End).
James Brining, Artistic Director of Leeds Playhouse said: Developing any new work is always an exciting process but to be working with such a talented creative team and fantastic partners on genuinely iconic and well-loved material is a real thrill. We can't wait to introduce The Enormous Crocodile to the world later this year as part of our dynamic and diverse Autumn/Winter season. Im sure young audiences who experience the show in Leeds will have a wonderful, magical and memorable time."
Timothy Sheader, Artistic Director Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, said: Watch out, there's going to be a very big and extremely hungry crocodile on the loose in Regent's Park next summer. Come and help us catch him before it's too late! We're thrilled to be working with our brilliant partners to share this story on stage.
The production runs from 2 December 2023 - 6 January 2024 at Leeds Playhouse playing in the Courtyard Theatre. Tickets are on sale to Leeds Playhouse's Priority Access, Playhouse Pass Members and Under 30 Scheme from 25 May, with tickets on general sale from 1 June. The production will then head to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre for summer 2024.
THE MAGIC FINGER
A co-production with the Unicorn Theatre.
The Gregg family
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
For the second straight year, Miri Technologies Inc. has been honored with a pair of coveted awards at the broadcast, media and entertainment industry's pre...
08/05/2026
Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions.
May 7, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
Boston Co...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...