ROBYN HOOD Opens at Leeds Playhouse This Month

Featuring playful storytelling, original live music and friendly audience participation, Robyn Hood will open at Leeds Playhouse on 29-30 May before heading out on a Community Tour of schools and neighbourhood venues.

Following on from last summer’s successful tour of Football Freddie, this magical collaboration between the Playhouse and Leeds-based family-theatre specialists Fidget Theatre will once again bring incredible family entertainment to neighbourhoods in Holbeck, Gipton, Chapeltown, Harehills, New Wortley, Armley, Seacroft and Middleton from 31 May to 8 June.

Fidget Theatre’s Co-Artistic Directors Ruth Cooper and Andrea Heaton are delighted to be working with the Playhouse on Robyn Hood: “We have put a Fidget spin on the classic folktale and created an exciting new show for children about community, adventure and becoming a hero. 

“We had an absolute ball taking Football Freddie to community venues across Leeds with the Playhouse last summer, and we are thrilled to be returning with this magical new show. Robyn Hood has some fantastic characters and the audience will be right at the heart of the action. You’ll be singing the original songs all the way home!”   

The Playhouse has taken shows into neighbourhoods across the city for the past decade, sharing professional theatrical productions in schools, church halls and other local venues as part of its annual Community Tour.  

Fiona McCulloch-Exley, Head of Creative Communities at the Playhouse, said:“We work in neighbourhoods around the city all year round, delivering opportunities for people to come together to be creative, to express themselves and to learn more about each other. Our Community Tour is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year, giving us the chance to take a fantastic, family-friendly show on the road – and to meet even more wonderful people across our city.”   

Robyn is a little girl who lives in a big city. She likes to play outside and builds a den on a small patch of green land; a magical space all her own, where she dreams big dreams of woodland adventures. But then developers arrive and suddenly Robyn’s haven is under threat. So, she retreats into her fantastical forest world where she is an audacious hero with a brave band of outlaws. 

An original take on the classic Robin Hood folktale, Robyn Hood features integrated audio description and live music played by multi-talented actor-musicians. 

The cast includes Yorkshire actor Talia Rae Smith as Robyn (Romeo & Juliet, Chester Storyhouse; Alice in Wonderland, HOME; The Snow Queen, Wrongsemble); Robert Tookas the Sheriff and Much (Cinderella, Barnsley Civic; Treasure Island, Derby Theatre; Beauty and The Beast, Cast in Doncaster); and Charlie Limm as Marion and Scarlett (Fairytales, Fables and Other Assorted Nonsense, Assembleth Theatre, The Barbican; Wind in the Willows, Calf2Cow Theatre; My Life With the Wave, Interplay Theatre). 

Families are at the heart of the theatre experience at Leeds Playhouse. As well as enjoying the theatrical delights on offer, families can also make use of the theatre’s child-friendly facilities, including its free creative play area, baby change and family toilets, highchairs and special catering options.

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