We are proud to unveil the Spring and Summer instalment of our 2025/26 season, featuring a world premiere, exciting new productions, landmark partnerships with major UK theatres, and a reinforced commitment to accessibility, affordability and environmental sustainability.

Developing from a collaboration on the National Theatre Collection for primary schools, we are also thrilled to announce a new partnership with the National Theatre due to supercharge both of our venues’ engagement with primary schools across the country. The first co-production in the partnership is Piers Torday’s award-winning eco-thriller The Last Wild, in a new version for primary school audiences adapted by Jude Christian and directed by our Artistic Director and former Peter Hall Associate at the National Theatre, Rachel Bagshaw. Opening at the Unicorn in February 2027, the production will tour to venues and schools across England. Full details will be announced soon.

The upcoming season sees us joining forces with the Royal Shakespeare Company for the first time on a major new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for ages 7+. This collaboration extends our reach regionally, building on our existing relationships with some of the leading venues across the country, from Chichester Festival Theatre to the Birmingham Rep and Theatre Hullabaloo in Darlington.

The season shines a light on the climate crisis and also introduces a newly launched event series called Critical Conversations. This collection of interactive events and creative talks is designed to spark conversation and inspire change for and with children and their grown-ups. First in the series, Critical Conversations 2026 will explore environmental themes and the need for action, empowering young people to become environmental champions in their own communities. Critical Conversations programme details will be announced later in the year.

Our commitment to access and inclusion continues to grow this season, as we introduce a new £10 price band. This initiative will make over 2,000 tickets available at £10 or less across most performances, ensuring that more families can enjoy the magic of live theatre regardless of their circumstances. In addition, with the support of several generous funders, we proudly distributes over 800 free tickets every year to local families, deepening our connection to the neighbourhood and removing barriers to access.

At a time when families are financially stretched and schools are facing significant budget cuts with the role of the arts in education increasingly sidelined, we remain steadfast in our mission to ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the power of theatre. This season, we will continue to support over 15,000 school pupils to experience live performance through our subsidised schools ticket programme enabled by the long-term support of Sir Harvey and Lady Allison McGrath, which accounts for more than 60% of all school tickets sold. Alongside this, we continue to deliver in-depth partnerships with local primary schools embedding creative teaching methodologies and a school strategy for drama.

Rachel Bagshaw, Artistic Director, said: ‘At the Unicorn, we believe that access to the arts is a vital part of society. Theatre has the power to spark creativity, grow confidence, and open new ways of seeing the world - all especially true for children. Our 2025/26 season reflects our deep commitment to making extraordinary theatre that reaches young lives on our doorstep and across the country. Our partnership with the National Theatre alongside our collaborations with the RSC and tour venues across the country allow us to scale our ambition and reach even more young audiences with daring, imaginative work. Through our Creative Hub programme in schools and our local community, we are constantly searching for ways to invite children into the process of making live performance and to removing barriers to the arts. This season is a bold response to the growing inequalities in access to culture. It’s our way of saying: theatre belongs to everyone — and every child deserves to see themselves reflected on stage.’

Rebekah Jones, Executive Director, said: ‘At the Unicorn Theatre, we believe that young people’s first theatre experience should be extraordinary. With £10 tickets, a commitment to sustainability through the Theatre Green Book, and a bold new season, we’re not just welcoming audiences—we’re nurturing the cultural consumers of tomorrow. These are the young people who will grow up seeing exceptional theatre not as a privilege, but as a given—and in doing so, they'll become the heartbeat of our industry’s future.’

You can see the full lineup of our 2025/26 shows here.