Sheffield Theatres announces full programme for inaugural Festival of Theatre in Yorkshire: Open Works

Sheffield Theatres has unveiled the full programme for Open Works—a brand-new annual festival highlighting extraordinary creative talent from Sheffield and beyond. Running from 28 September to 10 October, Open Works brings together leading names in British theatre alongside exciting local creators.

Taking place across the Playhouse, the Montgomery Theatre, and Montgomery Studio, the festival is a dynamic melting pot of world premieres, fully staged productions, works-in-progress, rehearsed readings, in conversations and industry workshops—all designed to champion bold stories, diverse perspectives, and fresh ideas.

Celebrating both established theatrical powerhouses and exciting emerging voices, the festival features new work from Associate Companies Forced Entertainment, Roots Mbili Theatre, and Stand & Be Counted Theatre and two workshops from The Bare Project alongside a wide ranging programme selected through an open submissions process that includes: The UK premiere of Forced Entertainment’s new work Cold Sweat, a virtuoso, absurd, and poetic theatre experience mapping bodies to nonhuman AI voices; Woodhill, an explosive true story and call to arms regarding the crisis facing prisons by the multi-award-winning company LUNG; a brand new, original musical set in Sheffield from musician Joe Carnall Jnr (Milburn, Reverend and The Makers) How Could I Forget?; the voice of Alistair McGowan in comedy A Simply Beastly Murder (29 Sept)by Rachel E. Thorn, a stage film noir starring the Famous Five complete with lashings of tinned pineapple; Victoria Firth’s Batty! (1 Oct)exploring dreams of running barefoot, wild swimming, talking trees, and turning seasons; raucous cabaret-comedy featuring song, dance and games BIG STRONG MAN(1 Oct) where four Northern lads face the impossible task of fixing the men’s mental health crisis in a single night; Oluwasegun Lafup Ogundipe’s immersive one-man odyssey in Lagos Ìlọ́yá… the Journey Begins(7 Oct); Black Bright Theatre’s post-apocalyptic Yorkshire Dales horror The Hunger (7-8 Oct).

Sheffield Theatres has also unveiled a stellar lineup of “In Conversation” events featuring some of theatre’s most visionary playwrights, directors, and creative leaders. The headline series features Royal Court Theatre Artistic Director and CEO David Byrne exploring his radical, award-winning approaches to developing new work; acclaimed Scottish playwright David Greig (One Day) alongside Roots Mbili Theatre Artistic Director John Rwothomack (Never Look Back) discussing African storytelling on UK stages; and UK Theatre Award-winning director Elin Schofield (Dear England) pairing up with frequent collaborator, writer, director and dramaturg Aisha Khan (Buffoon, A Christmas Carol). Celebrated Sheffield-born playwright Leo Butler (Living) sits down with dramatist David Eldridge (Beginning; Middle; End), and multi-award-winning stage and screen writer Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster, King Charles III) joins actor, director, and Act for Change co-founder Stephanie Street (The Year of the Runaways) for an exploration of modern storytelling, representation, and theatrical craft.

Open Works is dedicated to the evolution of theatre, inviting audiences to witness the creative journey through three distinct developmental formats: Work in Progress, Rehearsed Readings, and Scratch Nights strands. There will be Work in Progress stagings for early glimpses of shows like KalakutHER | Queens of Fela’s Republic, Soap Box Spotlight by Stand & Be Counted Theatre (the UK’s first Theatre Company of Sanctuary), and Roots Mbili’sAfrican folktale-meets-panto Seven Magic Birds; Rehearsed Readings showcasing stripped-back script performances allowing writers to gauge audience reactions to pieces including Jack and Gill, Brown Nose, and Cottagecore; and Scratch Nights offering informal evenings of 30-minute fragments and experiments where artists take risks and share brand-new material with an audience for the very first time. 

The new Festival will feature artist-led workshops that offer a rare insight into the creative process from some of its most significant practitioners aimed at industry professionals and those wanting to develop their craft. Masterclasses include: Text, Rules, Improvisation and Performance led by Tim Etchells, Artistic Director of Forced Entertainment; Verbatim Bootcamp led by LUNG, exploring how real testimony is edited and brought to the stage; Art and Activism led by Stand & Be Counted Theatre;  A free session with BBC Writers Development Producer Esther Jackson-Burton on how to submit scripts and access BBC writing opportunities.

The festival has been programmed through call outs and direct invitations.

Deborah Dickinson, Creative Development Director said: “Open Works is about creating a space where artists and audiences can experience theatre at every stage of its journey. We want Sheffield to be a place where artists can take risks, test ideas and build lasting connections, while audiences have the chance to discover new voices and new stories and go away talking about them. We are delighted to be bringing together such a diverse programme of local, national and international talent for the very first Open Works Festival.”

Sheffield Theatres Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman said: “I wanted us to create the Open Works Festival because, at Sheffield Theatres, we believe the best theatre begins with connection. Connection between artists and audiences. Between different perspectives and lived experiences. Between people, communities, and ideas. It’s in those moments of exchange – when we come together to listen, question, imagine and share – that theatre is at its most powerful. Open Works is an invitation to make those connections: to-discover new artists, encounter fresh ideas, share experience and be part of the conversations that shape the future of theatre.”

For more information, please visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.