The Unicorn Theatre

Continuing our commitment to creating transformative theatre for children of all ages, the Unicorn is excited to unveil the latest instalment of our 2025/26 season – bringing together some of the most exciting voices in children’s theatre, including partnerships with Roald Dahl, Slot Machine Theatre, Leeds Playhouse and Birmingham Rep.

Rachel Bagshaw, our Artistic Director, said: “As we look ahead to our 2026 season, I’m thrilled to be working with Leeds Playhouse and Birmingham Rep on the stage adaptation of Zanib Mian’s wonderful book, Planet Omar. At a time when the world can feel increasingly divided, this joyful production offers a heartfelt reminder of the power of creativity, representation and togetherness. I’m also delighted to welcome back Tim Crouch with his tender story about the healing power of friendship. For Unicorn Online, we’ve reunited with the Roald Dahl Story Company to bring one of Roald Dahl’s funniest and most whimsical tales to children, families and schools across the country. These additions to our 2025/26 season invite audiences to reflect on the world around us and how it shapes our lives, while sharing in joyful, playful experiences together. I cannot wait to bring these stories to audiences in London and beyond."

This March, Slot Machine Theatre presents Your Toys (22 March – 12 April), a heart-warming show that puts children’s favourite toys centre stage as they watch them come to life on stage. Packed with music, belly laughs and plenty of surprises, Your Toys is an anthem to the power of play that will send audiences home smiling from ear to ear. Created through workshops with children, the show brims with their brilliant, inventive ideas - making it a joyous unique piece of theatre.

Following a critically acclaimed run in 2023, Toto Kerblammo! (May 1 – 17 May) returns to the Unicorn. ‘One of the most important writers and theatre makers in the UK’ (The Stage), Tim Crouch (An Oak Tree, Young Vic; My Arm, Traverse Theatre) brings his signature blend of thought-provoking and experimental theatre. Told through headphones using cutting-edge 3D binaural audio technology, this moving production follows the story of Effy and her beloved pet as they discover the true meaning of love, grief and friendship.

Audiences will step into the fantastically imaginative and delightfully chaotic world of 8-year-old Omar in a new theatre production for ages 7+, Planet Omar (21 May – 7 June). Dynamic storytelling, playful visuals, and a heartwarming message are wrapped up in a new production by award-winning Bradford playwright Asif Khan (Combustion, Arcola Theatre; Sisters 360, Polka Theatre), adapted for the stage from the beloved books by Zanib Mian, published by Hachette Children’s Group from whom Leeds Playhouse acquired the stage rights. Directed by Sameena Hussain (Peanut Butter and Blueberries, Kiln Theatre; I Wanna Be Yours, Leeds Playhouse), this stage adaptation is a powerful reminder that imagination can be a superpower and that friendship and understanding can change the world. This world premiere by Leeds Playhouse, in association with the Unicorn Theatre and Birmingham Rep will open in the Courtyard Theatre at Leeds Playhouse from 7 – 25 April before transferring to the Unicorn Theatre from 21 May – 7 June and Birmingham Rep from 17 – 21 June.

UNICORN ONLINE – AVAILABLE FREE ONLINE FROM 28 OCTOBER

Roald Dahl’s brilliantly bonkers tale The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is reimagined in this theatrical reading presented by Unicorn Online and the Roald Dahl Story Company. Performed by award-winning actor Hammed Animashaun (Black Ops, BBC1; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Bridge), Chirag Benedict Lobo (Rope, Theatr Clwyd; Life of Pi, West End), and AkucBol (The Last King of Scotland, Sheffield Theatres; The Swimmers, Working Title). The story follows Billy, a young dreamer who wants to turn a crumbling wooden house into the world’s greatest sweetshop, bursting with treats and wonder.

Directed by former Bush Theatre Associate Artistic Director Daniel Bailey (The Boy with Wings, Polka Theatre; Red Pitch, West End), the film features soulful and uplifting music by award-winning saxophonist YolanDaBrown (Bea's Block for Sesame Workshop, Sky Kids & HBO MAX; YolanDa's Band Jam, CBeebies) and fabulous design and puppetry by Matthew Robins (Something Very Far Away and Ted Hughes’s The Iron Man, Unicorn Theatre).

Aiming to make high-quality digital theatre experiences freely available to as many schools and families as possible, the film will be available to view for free online on the Unicorn website and will be distributed nationally through ATG Creative Learning, with further partners to be announced.

Unicorn Online also includes the digital release of Malorie Blackman’s award-winning novel Pig Heart Boy, adapted by Winsome Pinnock and directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu, in a Unicorn co-production with Sheffield Theatres and Children’s Theatre Partnership. A winner of the 2025 UK Theatre Award for Best Show for Children and Young People, this powerful stage adaptation premiered at the Unicorn Theatre before touring nationally. Children can now enjoy the production online via the National Theatre Collection for primary schools in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing, free for all state primary schools across the UK. To find out more about the National Theatre Collection and sign up, please visit the NT website.

Each year, the Unicorn enables over 15,000 school pupils to access exciting theatre through its subsidised ticket scheme, with more than 30% of all tickets sold offered at a reduced rate. At a time of growing financial pressure on families and schools, and amid the ongoing devaluation of creative learning in education, the theatre’s mission to offer accessible, meaningful cultural experiences remains more vital than ever.

With our ongoing dedication to inclusion, innovation and imagination, the Unicorn continues to lead the way in creating theatre that speaks directly to children, celebrating their stories, listening to their voices and inspiring them to dream big.

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