MEET THE HATTER by Joss Arnott Dance to Tour UK and North America

Joss Arnott Dance will return with the company's acclaimed production Meet the Hatter, a magical, cinematic dance and multimedia spectacle touring the UK and internationally in autumn 2026 and spring/summer 2027. 

Combining powerful dance with storytelling and mesmerising visuals, complemented by an emotionally charged original score, this dance and multimedia show puts a new spin on the story of the iconic Hatter from Lewis Caroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 

Faced with an empty tea party and a deep sense of isolation, the Hatter uses the power of his imagination to create his own magical version of Wonderland, shown through breathtaking and immersive multimedia. 

Choreographed by Artistic Director Joss Arnott, in collaboration with the dancers, Meet the Hatter was created for the company's 15th anniversary programme and premiered in 2025 to rave reviews. The company's most ambitious production features an award-winning creative team including Dramaturg Sue Buckmaster, Theatre Rites, Composer Oleta Haffner, Multimedia Artist Urban Projections, Lighting Designer Josh Tomalin, Movement Consultant Miguel Altunaga and Animation Artist Alexandros Savvides. 

Sharing the role of the Hatter is Dominic Coffey and Robbie Ordoña. Dominic has previously worked with choreographers and companies including Rhiannon Faith, Gary Clarke, Cahoots NI and Carlos Pons Guerra. Robbie's performance credits include Message in a Bottle by ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, Breathless Puppets by Akram Khan Company, Everybody's Talking About Jamie -The Movie, and for HUNTR/X, BAFTAS 2026. 

Meet the Hatter takes audiences of all ages on a journey that celebrates the importance of play, whilst highlighting how self-belief can create opportunities you've only ever dreamed of. 

In autumn 2026, Meet the Hatter visits Bournemouth (Pavilion Dance South West, 24 October), Gloucester (Guildhall, 27 October), Rotherham (Civic Centre, 29 October), Chester (Storyhouse, 31 October)and Bradford (Loading Bay, 18-20 December).

In spring 2027, the show tours to Salford (Lowry, 6 February), Norwich (Norwich Playhouse 12 & 13 February), London (Sadler's Wells, 16 – 18 February), Doncaster (CAST, 20 February) and Harrogate (Harrogate Theatre, 26 June), with further dates to be announced including autumn 27. The production tours internationally to the USA and Canada. Tour dates are listed below. 

About Joss Arnott

Joss Arnott is an internationally award-winning CEO and Artistic Director, with broad experience in creative production, leadership and talent development. A well-respected, leading choreographic voice within the UK, Arnott has a strong commitment to producing a portfolio of work that consists of entertaining, high-quality dance productions that are relevant and accessible for audiences of all ages. Alongside the creation of touring productions, Arnott co-designs and runs bespoke talent development programmes for young dance artists, most notably Emergence - an award-winning postgraduate dance company that is embedded within an MA Dance Performance and Professional Practices programme, co-designed and delivered between Joss Arnott Dance the University of Salford, now in its ninth year of operation.  

Since founding Joss Arnott Dance in 2010, Arnott has created more than 14 live productions for the company, toured nine programmes of work nationally and internationally, and curated world-class collaborations working with over 150 dance artists, designers, dramaturgs and composers including Dame Evelyn Glennie. The company worked online with over 500 international dancers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to produce Dance:Connects, a dance film to celebrate Joss Arnott Dance's 10th anniversary. Performances by the company have been seen by audiences of more than 150,000. 

Joss Arnott said: “I feel extremely grateful and excited that we are announcing our continued work with Meet the Hatter that includes our largest tour to date. The response from our first tour in 2025/26 was incredible and I cannot wait to bring the show to audiences across the UK, Canada and USA. I'm immensely proud of my team and what we have all achieved with this show, it's a brilliant spectacle that has heart at its very core. I hope Meet the Hatter brings joy to all who watch and encourages audiences of all ages to make the impossible possible.”

 Tour Dates

UK

Bournemouth (Pavilion Dance South West, 24 October 2026)

Gloucester (Guildhall, 27 October 2026)

Rotherham (Civic Centre, 29 October 2026)

Chester (Storyhouse, 31 October 2026)

Bradford (Loading Bay, 18 - 20 December 2026)

Salford (Lowry, 6 February 2027)

Norwich (Norwich Playhouse 12 & 13 February 2027)

London (Sadler's Wells, 16 - 18 February 2027)

Doncaster (CAST, 20 February 2027)

Harrogate (Harrogate Theatre, 26 June 2027)

USA

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (Tuesday 2 - Saturday 5 December 2026)

Sheldon Community Arts Hangar, Alaska (Monday 7 December 2026)

Segerstrom Center for the Arts, California (Thursday 18 - Monday 22 March 2027)

Canada

Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Winnipeg (Sunday 4 - Friday 16 April 2027)

Flato Markham Theatre (Monday 19 & Tuesday 20 April 2027)

Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (Wednesday 21 April 2027)

Living Arts Centre, Mississauga (Thursday 22 April 2027)

Kingston Grand Theatre (Sunday 25 & Monday 26 April 2027)

River Run Centre, Guelph (Tuesday 27 -Thursday 29 April 2027)

Chatham Capitol Theatre (Tuesday 4 May 2027)

The Rose Theatre, Brampton (Thursday 6 May 2027)

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