OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING JAMES GRAHAM TO ADAPT
PUNCH
FOR SCHOOLS TOUR FOLLOWING SOLD-OUT RUNS IN THE
WEST END, YOUNG VIC AND NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE
Following the final performance of Punch at the Apollo Theatre on 29 November 2025, producers KPPL Productions, Mark Gordon Pictures, Eilene Davidson Productions announce that profits from the West End run will be used to create a new version of Punch to be toured into schools. Olivier Award-winning James Graham will adapt the play and work with director Adam Penford to create a version especially designed for young people. Punch is based on the book ‘Right From Wrong’ by Jacob Dunne, and was originally commissioned and produced by Nottingham Playhouse.
After three sold-out runs in the UK, and having opened on Broadway simultaneously with the West End run, Punch has now been seen by over 125,000 people since it premiered in May 2024. The 10-week West End run was seen by 54,000 people, with over 20% of all tickets sold at £25 or under and 35% under £45. Over 10% of West End audiences were school groups with 171 schools and a total of 5,700 pupils attending the production – with three performances exclusively made available to schools and community groups through Go Live Theatre at £10 per ticket. Accessibility and education were central to the run with an extensive education pack made freely available to support teachers’ and students’ engagement with the play via www.punchtheplay.com.
Core funding for the schools’ version of Punch will be made possible through the commitment from the West End producers and James Graham not to take royalties and profits and rather channel the money into sharing the play with young people. This commitment has created a catalyst fund which will be built upon through partnership funding, with the ambition of ultimately sharing the schools’ version across the UK. The schools’ version will be produced out of Nottingham Playhouse in 2027. To find out more or register interest in engaging with the Punch schools’ tour please contact punchschools@nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk.
Kate Pakenham, Producer,said, “There’s a wonderful virtuous circle about Punch’s journey from Nottingham Playhouse, to London and New York, and now into schools. We heard directly from thousands of young people in the West End how powerfully the story speaks to them, and are thrilled that West End success means that we can now take it directly to them in schools. Teachers have encouraged us that there is huge potential for Punch on the national curriculum, and we are excited to build partnerships to explore this over the coming years. As we head into this next journey for this important new play, we recognise with gratitude the real people whose story this is and the exceptional artists who made the original production. We hope that the 54,000 people who saw Punch in the West End can feel a sense of pride at their part in making this next step for Punch possible.”
James Graham, Playwright, said, “Punch began as a desire to write a story for my often-neglected community in Nottinghamshire. 18 months on, it’s a bewildering delight to me that it has become the first play to open simultaneously in the West End and on Broadway in over a century. I know this is because of the incredible real people involved – Jacob, David and Joan – and the powerful impact their true story is having on audiences. Given all that, it felt right to approach a West End run in a new way, with a social mission behind it. I’m thrilled that, by declining royalties, thousands of young people who would never have been able to see a West End play got to experience one, and that Punch now has a life beyond courtesy of the generosity and ambition of our remarkable producers.”
Adam Penford, Artistic Director of Nottingham Playhouse and Director, said, “Everyone at Nottingham Playhouse is thrilled that Punch will continue to have a real impact within the community, and amongst young people in particular. It demonstrates that theatre can be both commercially successful and have a tangible civic value. When I first approached the real-life people whose story we’re telling, I promised them that the play would be more than just entertainment and would assist in their campaign work. I’m grateful that the producers also bought into this ethos and through their generosity, we can continue to deliver on this pledge.”
Alongside the West End production’s commitment to young people’s access to Punch on Shaftesbury Avenue, the strictly limited run aimed to inform wider audiences around Restorative Justice, and the wider social justice issues platformed in the play. The production partnered with 11 charities including The Forgiveness Project and Go Live Theatre, hosting 9 free post-show conversations every Tuesday led by expert speakers from across the social justice, education and arts sectors. This unique weekly series of post-show conversations were attended by 3500 people (average attendance of 50% of evening’s audience) and are available to listen to for free: www.youtube.com.
Alongside and supported by the West End run, Jacob Dunne, Joan Scourfield and David Hodgkinson launched the ‘Right To Be Heard’ through the Common Ground Justice Project and Restorative Justice charity, Why Me?. The campaign calls on the UK government to give every victim a legal right to be told about Restorative Justice and offered a referral to an expert service. To find out more visit: righttobeheard.org.
The original cast comprised of Alec Boaden (Masters of the Air) as Raf/DS Villers/Sam, Julie Hesmondhalgh (Mr Bates vs the Post Office) as Joan/Nan, Tony Hirst (Boiling Point) as David/Derek/Tony/Raf’s Dad, Shalisha James-Davis (I May Destroy You) as Clare/Nicola, Emma Pallant (Queenie)as Wendy/Sandra/Jacob’s Mum, and David Shields (Black Mirror) as Jacob who reprised their roles in the West End. They were joined by understudies Rob Alexander-Adams, Joshua Glenister, Rebecca Todd and Marnie Walkinshaw.
The creative team included Adam Penford (director), Anna Fleischle (production designer), Robbie Butler (lighting designer), Alexandra Faye Braithwaite (sound and composer), Leanne Pinder (movement director), Christopher Worrall CDG (casting director) and Omar Khan (associate director).
Jacob, a teenager from Nottingham, spends his Saturday nights seeking thrills with his friends. One fateful evening, an impulsive punch leads to fatal consequences. After serving prison time, Jacob finds himself lost and directionless. Searching for answers, Joan and David – the parents of his victim James Hodgkinson – ask to meet, sparking a profound transformation in Jacob’s life. A powerful story of hope, humanity, and the possibility of change.
Punch was produced in the West End by KPPL Productions, Mark Gordon Pictures, Eilene Davidson Productions in association with the Young Vic and Nica Burns. It returns to Nottingham Playhouse next Spring 2026 and then will play at Leeds Playhouse and Theatre Royal Plymouth.
The production is dedicated to James Hodgkinson and all victims of one-punch.
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