ANIMAL FARM

by George Orwell, adapted by Peter Hall, 

with lyrics by Adrian Mitchell and music by Richard Peaslee

Director: Mark Crossley

MAIN HOUSE

21 Jan – 31 Jan 2026

“Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole.” George Orwell

At once funny and frightening, delightful and devastating, Animal Farm charts the fall of idealism and the rise of tyranny, after the animals of Manor Farm rise up against their oppressive human owner in a struggle for rights and equality.

Peter Hall's critically acclaimed adaptation of Animal Farm, originally staged at the National Theatre in the 1980s, successfully translated Orwell's political allegory to the stage.

Fresh and witty, whilst remaining true to the savagery of Orwell’s satirical novel, it features a narrator and a cast of animals, effectively using music and physicality to convey the story's themes of revolution, power and corruption.

Through text and song the play illuminates perfectly the succession of steps through which by persuasion, lies, force and propaganda, some of the animals become “more equal than others”.

This amateur production of “Animal Farm (Hall)” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

www.concordtheatricals.co.uk

DOWN FOR THE COUNT ALL-STARS

SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2026 AT 7.30 P.M.

MAIN HOUSE

Join the UK’s hardest swinging band Down for the Count All-Stars for “one hellova celebration of vintage music” (TimeOut London) – it’s time to Swing That Music!

Described as “a breath of fresh air on the swing scene” (Twinwood Festival) Down for the Count’s 10-piece mini big-band is regularly found in jazz clubs across the UK and abroad (Ronnie Scott’s London, Le Caveau de la Huchette Paris), at festivals including London Jazz Festival and on BBC Radio.

Now they are bringing the sounds and feels of the best jazz clubs once more to the Loft Theatre, with an electrifying show.

Their always sell-out show recreates the music of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and more – but this is no mere nostalgia trip, as the band perform each song in their own unmistakeable style, breathing new life into the best vintage music.

Combine that with the band’s top class instrumental solos, sublime vocal performances and irresistible humour and joie de vivre and you get a show that will leave you feeling uplifted and wanting more.

“Awesome!!!” Michael Bublé 

“My first impulse on leaving Cadogan Hall in the wake of a standing ovation on Sunday evening was to ask permission to lay 10 stars on this outstanding gig rather than the usual five.” Jazz Journal

IMPROVESARIOS

An evening of improvised opera

LOFT STUDIO

14 February 7.30 p.m.

“Absolutely brilliant show. Bravo. Laughed my socks off!” -

Audience Member

Following two sell-out performances in the Loft Studio over the last two years, the Improvesarios are back for an evening of fun and mayhem as they put down their scores and put their creative prowess to the test.

Using your suggestions, this group of classically trained musicians improvise a brand new opera completely on the spot! Help them make beautiful musical moments or laugh along as they try to hold it all together. Their fate is in your hands...

Hot off their award winning season, the Improvesarios return will bring you more wild and wacky musical exploits. With previous adventures including prison breaks, lost love in the hotel business and even the sacking of Rome, no scenario is too outlandish or too mundane for this group to turn into an opera.

DOUBT: A Parable

By

John Patrick Shanley

Director: Chris Gilbey-Smith 

MAIN HOUSE

25 February – 7 March, 2026

“Like all good parables, its story feels both timeless and more timely than ever, its ideological arguments speaking to our world of social media silos and ‘Punch and Judy’ political debates.”

Arifa Akbar, The Guardian 



John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable, originally premiered on Broadway in 2005 and was awarded a Pulitzer prize and several Tony awards, including Best Play. Shanley went on to adapt this stage play for a 2008 film version starring Meryl Streep, which earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay and nominations for all of the cast of four.

This taut, unsettling drama is set in a convent in the parish of St Nicholas in New York’s Bronx, against the backdrop of the mid-60s, in the midst of political and social change.

A modernising priest’s conduct comes under question by the Principal of this Catholic School. As the actions and motivations of each are scrutinized and suspicion mounts, the two are drawn into a battle of wills that threatens irrevocable consequences for everyone involved.

This challenging, provocative drama, by this much garlanded playwright, is both impeccably written and compellingly topical. Unmissable.

Originally produced on Broadway

By Carole Shorenstein Hays, MTC Productions, Roger Berlind, and Scott Rudin on March 31, 2005.

Originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on November 23, 2004.”