WISE CHILDREN TO BECOME EMMA RICE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES A NEW 3 YEAR PARTNERSHIP,
THE DIRECTOR’S CUT, WITH THEATRE ROYAL BATH
AND FORTHCOMING SEASON OF WORK
Wise Children becomes Emma Rice Company. Based in the South-West, the company continues its commitment to create ground-breaking work with exceptional artists, global touring, sitting alongside programme at their home base The Lucky Chance, and a comprehensive education and outreach programme.
Emma Rice said today, “The only certain thing in life is change, and change is what is happening! It is with a heady mix of pride and excitement that we are announcing our new company name, the Emma Rice Company.
“We haven’t taken this decision lightly as we’ve truly loved being Wise Children! I carry the book in my heart, and its spirit will always be at the centre of the company’s ethos and story. However, the need for change has become compelling and we are nothing if not brave and smart.
“We’ve been forced to admit that the name we love so much is not helping us communicate the kind of work we make. We cannot keep explaining to partners near and far that we are not a children’s company! We also have exciting plans to celebrate and remount some of my past work, from my glorious time at Kneehigh, and less glorious time at Shakespeare’s Globe. It’s time to join the dots, tell the big story and bring all these wonderful chapters together under the simple and authentic banner: Emma Rice Company. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Emma Rice Company and Theatre Royal Bath announce a three-year partnership, The Director’s Cut, which will see the two companies working together to revive some of Rice’s most iconic and beloved productions. The extended season will kick off with Malory Towers in May 2026, followed by Tristan & Yseult in September 2026. Further programming for future years will be announced in due course.
Danny Moar, Director, Theatre Royal Bath said, “It is an enormous privilege for Theatre Royal Bath and its audiences to collaborate with the Emma Rice Company in this way. We look forward to two great productions opening with us in 2026 with more to come in the years ahead.”
The Director’s Cut will also tour the UK, with Emma Rice Company’s signature ‘slow tour’ network of partners collaborating to bring these works to audiences across the UK. Slow touring is the name for a slower, kinder way of working that the company has been exploring since the end of the pandemic and, alongside original partners York Theatre Royal and HOME Manchester, the network now includes Belgrade Theatre, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, Nottingham Playhouse and Theatre Royal Plymouth.
After opening at Theatre Royal Bath, Malory Towers will embark on a 10-venue UK tour. The production has been supported by Incentivising Touring: Repayable Grants for Theatre and Dance, a pilot scheme developed by Arts Council England to support UK regional touring. Malory Towers was amongst the first to receive a share of over £2 million as part of the first round of the scheme.
Also announced today, is the company’s brand-new production – an adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales, adapted and directed by Rice, which runs at The Lucky Chance from 25 November continuing the company’s tradition of staging family theatre at their home in Frome at Christmas.
In addition, continuing the company’s commitment to international touring, their recent adaptation of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest will open at The Old Globe in San Diego next July, before embarking on a US tour.
www.emmaricecompany.co.uk
Instagram: @EmmaRiceCompany
Facebook: @EmmaRiceCompany or Facebook.com/emmaricecompany
THE LUCKY CHANCE
DYLAN THOMAS’
A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES
Adapted and directed by Emma Rice
Music by Ian Ross
25 November – 21 December 2025
When did Christmas become so hectic? Have you ever craved a break from the bright colours, bustling shops and music so loud you fear your ears will ring for days?
A Child’s Christmas in Wales is the perfect antidote to festive madness, taking young and old to a magical place of wit, warmth and wonder. In this new stage adaptation, Dylan Thomas’ beloved poem is woven into a beautiful hour of heart-melting music, puppetry, candles, shadows and rare imagination.
Age: No age restrictions
Adult tickets: £20; Child tickets: £12
On general sale from 6 October 2025
ON TOUR – UK
MALORY TOWERS
From the novels by Enid Blyton
Adapted and directed by Emma Rice
Co-produced by Emma Rice Company, Belgrade Theatre, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse
Set & Costume Designer Lez Brotherston; Composer Ian Ross;
Lighting Designer Malcolm Rippeth; Sound and Video Designer Simon Baker;
Choreographer Alistair David
Theatre Royal Bath
1 – 9 May Press Night
It’s back by popular demand! Emma Rice Company’s ‘magic’ Malory Towers (Guardian) is touring the UK again. Get ready for high jinks, high drama and high spirits, all set to sensational live music.
Darrell Rivers is starting school with an eager mind and fierce heart. Unfortunately she also has a quick temper! Can she learn to tolerate the infuriating Gwendoline Lacey, or value the kind-hearted Sally Hope? Can she save the school play and rescue terrified Mary Lou from the grip of a raging storm? If she can do these things anywhere, she will do them at Malory Towers!
Nostalgic, naughty, and perfect for now, Malory Towers is the original ‘Girl Power’ story. This is a show for girls, boys and all grown-up children who still dream of midnight feasts and Cornish clifftops.
ON TOUR – US
ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
Adapted and directed by Emma Rice
Co-produced by Emma Rice Company, Kay & McLean Productions
and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions
Set and Costume Designer: Rob Howell; Sound Designer: Simon Baker;
Lighting Designer: Malcolm Rippeth; Choreographer and Movement Director: Etta Murfitt;
Creative Consultant: Mark Kaufman
The Old Globe, San Diego 3 July – 2 August 2026
It would be strange, would it not, if, in a city of seven million people, one man were never mistaken for another…
But that is exactly what happens to Roger Thornhill, reluctant hero of North by Northwest, when a mistimed phone call to his mother lands him smack bang in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy. Now he’s on the run, dodging spies, airplanes and a femme fatale who might not be all she seems.
Emma Rice takes on film legend Alfred Hitchcock in this riotously funny reworking that turns the original thriller on its head. With just six shape-shifting performers, a fabulous ‘50s soundtrack and a LOT of hats, this dazzling production plays with the heart, mind and soul. Join us for a night of glamour, romance, jeopardy and a liberal sprinkling of tender truths.
Based on the Turner Entertainment Co. Film North by Northwest
Produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Kay & McLean Productions
Originally co-produced by Wise Children, York Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse
North by Northwest is a 1959 film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason.
TRISTAN & YSEULT
“A poem to love and its madness” – Tristan & Yseult Returns
It’s been over 20 years since Tristan & Yseult first burst onto the stage, and nearly 10 years since its last unforgettable run. Now, by overwhelming demand, the show that redefined theatrical romance is back.
Venues and tour dates to be announced in due course.
LISTINGS:
A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES – THE LUCKY CHANCE
25 November – 21 December 2025
Press performance: Thursday 27 November at 7:00pm
Address: The Lucky Chance 75 Alexandra Road Frome, BA11 1QR
MALORY TOWERS – UK TOUR
Theatre Royal Bath
1 – 9 May
Press night Thursday 7 May at 7:30pm
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
12 – 16 May
Leeds Playhouse
27 – 30 May
HOME Manchester
2 – 13 June
Liverpool Playhouse
16 – 20 June
With further venues to be announced
NORTH BY NORTHWEST – US TOUR
The Old Globe, San Diego
3 July – 2 August 2026
TRISTAN & YSEULT
Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour