Full casting announced for Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

Storyhouse in the Park celebrates summer 2026 with a fabulous festival of live performance and events Four fantastic shows set to enchant and entertain Chester audiences this season.

Casting is announced for the 2026 Storyhouse in the Park season which is set to captivate and enthral Chester audiences this summer.

From swashbuckling escapades with Robin Hood to an uplifting communal celebration of music, youth and change, a rollicking Restoration romp to a magical trip to Neverland, visitors to the much-loved Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre are promised a picnic hamper of theatrical delights.

The open-air season runs from 27 June to 6 September and is launched with a pair of exciting Grosvenor Park premieres.

Gangs of New York playwright Kieran Lynn returns to the outdoor theatre-in-the-round with a bold, feelgood reimagining of one of Britain’s greatest legends. Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story opens on Friday, 3 July and runs until Sunday, 23 August.

And Helen Redcliffe’s uplifting transformational drama Let The Sun Shine! runs from Friday, 10 July to Sunday, 23 August.

The cast for the two productions is: David Ahmad (The Crucible – National Theatre, The Kite Runner – West End, Nottingham and Liverpool Playhouse) who will play King John in Outlaws and Arthur in Let The Sun Shine!; Annabelle Aquino (Les Misérables – Sondheim Theatre, The Little Mermaid – Watermill Theatre) as Marian/Cloud; Rebecca Bainbridge (Inside No.9 Stage/Fright – UK tour, ???) as Scarlett/Veronica; Lucas Button (War Horse – National Theatre and UK tour, Gangs of New York and The Importance of Being Earnest – Grosvenor Park) as Sheriff of Nottingham/Harry; Lawrence Hodgson-Mullings (Dick Whittington – National Theatre, Reception; The Wedding Present Musical – Leeds Playhouse) as Robin/Bobby; Sorrel Jordan (Beautiful: the Carol King Musical – UK tour, Robin Hood and As You Like It – Dukes Theatre Company Outdoor UK tour) as on stage understudy in Outlaws/Guard 1/Claire and lead drummer in Let the Sun Shine! and Zoe Lambert (Small Island – Leeds Playhouse/Birmingham Rep/Nottingham Playhouse, The Winter’s Tale and The Comedy of Errors – RSC) as Much/Viper/Villager 1.

Abigail Middleton (Pride and Prejudice and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, A Christmas Carol – Shakespeare North Playhouse) plays Alana/Puck/Mrs Granger and onstage understudy in LTSS; Kate Milner-Evans (The Sound of Music – Pitlochry Theatre, Small Town Boy – Bristol Old Vic) is Rose/Joan; Perry Moore (Pride and Prejudice, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Jungle Book – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, A Christmas Carol – Claybody Theatre) is Little John/Sunny/Vicar and Robert Wade (Cyrano, Muddle in Messina, Much Ado About Nothing – Northern Broadsides, Cinderella – Theatre Clwyd) is onstage understudy and Old Sherriff/PC Hamer.

Four trainee actors also form part of the 2026 Grosvenor Park cast. In Outlaws, Lewis Baron will play the roles of Citizen 2, Teacher, understudy old sheriff, sheriff men and boxing opponent while Rachel Uyigue will appear as Citizen 1/King’s Scribe/Herald/understudy sheriff men and Guard 1. In Let the Sun Shine! Owen Ellis will play Bear/Understudy PC Hamer and Lauren Lees is Luna/understudy Mrs Granger and Puck.

Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story is directed by Hannah Noone (The Snow Queen, Cinderella) with production design by Charlotte Murphy. Matt Baker is composer and musical director, choreographer is Jess Williams and Kaitlin Howard is movement director.

Let the Sun Shine! is co–directed by Lucy Thatcher and Rob Green who is also musical supervisor.

Meanwhile this year’s enchanting walkabout family show is Peter Pan which takes place from Tuesday, 28 July to Thursday, 13 August, and offers children under eight and their families a vibrant interactive adventure in the company of Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook.

Thom Hallows (Alice in Wonderland – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre) plays Peter Pan, while Lydia Rose Morales Scully (Vernon’s Girls and Scouse Red Riding Hood at Liverpool’s Royal Court) is Wendy. Hannah Rose Curtis (Gangs of New York – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester Mystery Plays) is Tinkerbell, Alexander McGonagle (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Wind in the Willows – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, The Ghost of Graves End – Storyhouse) is Captain Hook and Dad, and Jayda Morgan (Spring Awakening – Italia Conti) is Lost Boy and Peter’s shadow.

Amy Tulley is writer and producer, Alexander McGonagle directs and choreographer is Hannah Curtis.

They join the cast which has already been announced for Jessica Swale’s joyous, Olivier Award winning Nell Gwynn which comes to Grosvenor Park in a co-production with Shakespeare North Playhouse and Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.

Rose Shalloo (Fiddler on the Roof – Chichester Festival Theatre, A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer – National Theatre, The Crucible – The Crucible), is set to play the title role. She will be joined by Adam Clifford (Hamlet – National Theatre, The Song Project –  Royal Court) as Lord Arlington and Thomas Killigrew, Celia Cruwys-Finnegan (Miss Littlewood – RSC, Death Comes to Pemberley – UK tour) as Rose Gwynn, Tamsin Dowsett (Les Misérables – Queen’s Theatre, Bat Out of Hell – international tour) as offstage cover and assistant director, Elliot Harper (One Man, Two Guvnors – National Theatre, Matilda – RSC/Cambridge Theatre) as Charles Hart, Burhan Kathawala (Jack and the Beanstalk rock ‘n’ roll panto – Liverpool Everyman) as Ned Spigget, Sufia Manya (The 101 Dalmatians – UK tour, A Matter of Life and Death – New Vic) as Nancy, Queen Catherine and Ma, Jamie Ross (The Little Mermaid – Watermill Theatre, Footloose – West End and UK tour) as John Dryden and music captain, Guy Woolf (The Last Five Years – Theatre Royal Bath/Barn Theatre/Reading Rep, As You Like It – Shakespeare’s Globe) as King Charles II and Stanton Wright (The Kite Runner – UK tour, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – UK and Ireland tour) as Edward Kynaston.

The fresh new staging is directed by Bryony Shanahan (Bloody Elle, Let the Right One In, No Pay No Way!). Set and costume is by Jess Curtis, lighting design by Mark Distin Webster, sound design by Pete Malkin and movement director is Sundeep Saini. Composer and musical director is Candida Caldicott.

The Storyhouse in the Park festival site will once again feature the popular tepee bar, with a wider variety of food choices than ever before, craft beers and frozen cocktails, alongside a vibrant Street Food Weekend (27-28 June) launching the season with live music and free entry.

And across the summer visitors can also enjoy:

• Moonlight Flicks – the return of Storyhouse’s atmospheric open-air cinema
• Live comedy evenings
• Thrilling Murder Mystery events
• Outdoor yoga sessions in the park
• Rhyme Time and Library Craft sessions for families

Whether audiences are coming for Nell Gwynn, Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story, Peter Pan, Let the Sun Shine! or a glass of wine under the stars, a family craft morning or late-night film screening, Storyhouse in the Park promises a summer long celebration of culture, community and creativity.

Storyhouse creative director Suzie Henderson said today: “This year’s Park season brings together stories, characters and music audiences already hold close to their hearts, from Robin Hood and Peter Pan to the sounds of 1969 and we’re incredibly proud of the company of artists joining us this summer, with a cast that brings together exceptional talent from the National Theatre, the RSC, the West End and some of the country’s leading producing theatres alongside returning Grosvenor Park favourites.

“We’re delighted to be co-producing Nell Gwynn with Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre by the Lake, the first co-production in the park’s history, and to be extending the season further into the summer than ever before.

“It’s a season full of joy, adventure and connection, and we can’t wait to throw open the gates once again.”

For more details, including full dates and ticket prices, visit www.storyhouse.com.