One of the newly-resurrected London City Ballet's inaugural tour stops will be at York Theatre Royal, (September 6-7). After a 30-year gap, the company was revived last year and the new company's first UK tour features a revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972, one-act ballet Ballade, not seen in Europe for over 50 years, and a new commission by Olivier-award winner Arielle Smith. The original company closed in 1996, having been based at Sadler’s Wells, London and internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading dance collectives – Diana, Princess of Wales was its Royal patron. Meanwhile, Ockham’s Razor, the UK’s foremost circus theatre company, brings Tess, a new vision of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles (May 8-11). The show uses the original text, combined with the physical language of circus as the performers wield wooden planks, shift walls, ropes and swathes of linen to make sets that unfold and which the cast balance upon, climb, carry and construct. Also coming this autumn is the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) from November 4-9. The show won the Best Comedy Olivier Award in 2022 and is an audacious retelling of Austen’s iconic love story. New play Wonder Boy (October 29-November 2) by Ross Willis is on its first tour after receiving acclaim when it premiered at Bristol Old Vic in 2022. Directed by Olivier sward-winner Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls), it tells the story of 12-year-old Sonny, who creates a superhero to help him with his stammer. More info and tickets here

Phosphoros Theatre - a London-based company that makes political performances featuring refugee and asylum-seeking actors - is at HOME Manchester (May 9-11), with Tender, a new play drawing on the personal stories of its cast of five. Featuring actors from Albania, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Iraq, the show began development in 2021, supported by Arts Council England and Derby Theatre, and reflects the impact of continued crises since then for the company of actors and their community. With no safety net, no right to work and debts to pay, how does refugees and asylum-seekers build a future? Phosphoros is inviting young refugees and artists from around the UK to contribute material, which will be shared in performances on the tour. These moments will be developed during drama workshops with local refugee youth groups, led by the actors, exploring and reflecting on the themes of the play. There are discounted or free tickets for refugees at every performance, pre-show talks, workshops and support materials for new English learners. More info and tickets here

Just 10 weeks after announcing a schedule of four operas and a family show at the Venue Cymru theatre in Llandudno in the 2024-25 season, Welsh National Opera has had to cancel its May 2025 visit completely as a result of budget cuts. The cancellation follows the failure by Arts Council England and the Arts Council of Wales to deliver grant funding at the standstill level applied for. Gone from North Wales are 2025 performances of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Britten’s Peter Grimes (the latter a new production), and a “Play Opera LIVE” concert presented by Tom Redmond, aimed at introducing new audiences to opera and classical music – see our previous article here for the details. Performances in October this year of Verdi’s Rigoletto and two of the three parts of Puccini’s one-acter triptych Il Trittico – the tragedy Suor Angelica and the comic Gianni Schicchi – plus a concert of “Opera Favourites at the Movies”, will go ahead. A planned visit to Bristol in February 2025 with similar content to Venue Cymru’s has also been cancelled, and a revival of Rigoletto in Cardiff that month will be replaced with an “Opera Favourites” programme. The 2025 schedule of The Marriage of Figaro, Peter Grimes and the “Play Opera LIVE” concert remains intact for the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff (with a shortened Marriage of Figaro on one night, designed for newcomers to opera), and will tour to Southampton and Plymouth, while the two operas will also play in Birmingham and Milton Keynes, and The Marriage of Figaro plus “Play Opera LIVE” will go to Swansea. WNO describes the revised schedule as having “no impact on our commitment to extending our reach throughout Wales”. The company’s funding has been reduced by £2.2m (35 per cent down on the previous level) by Arts Council England, and by around £500,000 (11.8 per cent down) by Arts Council Wales. This result of the cuts stands in contrast to ACE avowals of support for opera outside London and the south of England, including a controversial plan to make English National Opera move its base from London to Manchester some time towards the end of the present decade. WNO Interim General Director Christopher Barron said: “Our new financial situation means we have the challenge of balancing a reduced budget while maintaining artistic standards in providing a stimulating programme of performance and engagement activities. “We are pleased to still be visiting Venue Cymru in the autumn with our new production of Rigoletto and with Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, as well as our Opera Favourites concert.  We also continue to work across Wales with our concert programme and with our community and engagement work, which will include a creative project in schools across Conwy in 2024/2025.” More info here

Know your theatre: Wales’ largest producing theatre opened in 1976 next to County Hall, in a complex opened by the Queen. The theatre has a proud history of major productions with star international names. Theatr Clwyd productions are seen throughout the year both in Wales and on UK tours. Appointed as artistic director in 2023 Kate Wasserberg, formerly artistic director of new-writing company Stockroom and Cardiff's The Other Room, is overseeing an ambitious, £35m redevelopment project to create a large extension at the front, including a new three-storey foyer and restaurant, bar and cafe. The building has three performing spaces and a multi-purpose function room, and though the redevelopment will massively upgrade facilities, the theatre spaces won't be changed. The main Anthony Hopkins Theatre is a single-raked tier seating up to 569, with five wheelchair spaces. The Emlyn Williams Theatre is a flexible studio space for 147-250. Studio 2, built to TV broadcast standards, can hold up to 120 for performance events and is used as a second rehearsal space. The theatre also has a small cinema (capacity 113) and a large function room used for gigs (capacity 240). Theatr Clwyd Address: Raikes Lane, Mold, Wales CH7 1YA Phone: General inquiries and box office: 01352 344101 (line open 10am-6pm) Facilities: The theatre complex is large, containing theatre spaces and other events and refreshment facilities. The theatre website is here . Disabled visitors are well catered for with wheelchair access to all floors, disabled parking spaces, an induction loop for hearing aid users, some "relaxed" performances when audience movement and noise are acceptable, and facilities for visual impairment. See here for details. Parking: Once in the Mold area prominent signage points you to the theatre complex. Currently, an underground car park is closed but parking is available on a tiered open air car park. Avoid parking immediately in front of the building. Online box office: Go here if you haven't booked online at Theatr Clwyd before, or find the show on the website and follow the bookings link. Email box.office@theatrclwyd.com with queries.

Know your theatre: Clonter Opera Theatre, Congleton Clonter, sometimes called ‘the Glyndebourne of the North’, is on a working farm in the Cheshire countryside, not far from the Jodrell Bank radio telescope. Clonter began as informal gatherings in a barn, with seating on bales of straw. Today the venue has a 400-seat theatre (though a former hen house is still part of the backstage facilities), and a well-established programme of events. Clonter notably showcases young operatic talent, but also jazz and folk. Front of house now offers sufficient accommodation for the entire audience to enjoy a meal under one roof, either before or part-way through the performance (ordered from the house caterer or your own picnic), which is something even Glyndebourne cannot offer. Expect to meet the Cheshire set in full cry (especially after imbibing during a long interval) as your fellow opera-buffs, but this stage frequently offers future international stars in the making, so it can be worth it... Address: Swettenham Heath, Trap Rd, Congleton CW12 2LR Phone: General inquiries and box office: 01260 224514 (10am-4pm Mon-Fri and performance days). The theatre is large, the building boasting separate rooms of various sizes, allowing it to function as a theatre and for corporate hires and schools use throughout the year. The theatre website offers a range of accommodation choices for long-distance visitors. Disabled visitors are well catered for Facilities: Parking: There is a drop-off point outside the theatre entrance, and free parking. Eight bays close to the main entrance can be reserved for those with reduced mobility. Online box office: Go here if you haven't booked online at Clonter before, or here if you have. You need to open an account for online booking.

Know your theatre: Opened in 1887, the Coliseum was one of the oldest British theatres still operating, and was much loved by its loyal supporters – perhaps more so since its demise in March 2023. Once a circus, in the 1930s it was briefly a cinema before becoming the members-only Oldham Repertory Theatre. It was said to be one of the most haunted theatres in Britain, and a famous stage death occurred there in the 1940s. By the 1950s-60s the resident company helped to form the careers of Coronation Street stars Jean Alexander, Pat Phoenix, Roy Barra-clough, William Roache and local girls Barbara Knox and Anne Kirkbride. In 1978 it became the Arts Council and local authority-supported Oldham Coliseum, offering a mix of professional productions of its own and other touring shows, It was famous for its massively-popular annual pantomime. Plans for a new building were scrapped in late 2018 and the withdrawal of an Arts Council "NPO" grant in late 2022 led to the theatre's closure in March 2023. Plans are supposedly in place for a smaller replacement within three or so years, which might not retain the name. Coliseum Theatre, Oldham (closed Mar '23) Address: Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Fairbottom Street, Oldham OL1 3SW Phone: Facilities: Parking: Some on-street metered parking. Bradshaw Street car park is nearby, with a concessionary rate after 6pm. More information here Online box office: