The Egg at Theatre Royal Bath Celebrates 20 Years With THE SECRET GARDEN

This year, The Egg at Theatre Royal Bath marks its 20th anniversary with an ambitious year-long arts programme inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's timeless The Secret Garden. Central to the celebrations is a new disability-led production, adapted by Tom Wentworth and directed by Steph Kempson, which will run from 2-26 July 2026, offering families a magical journey through music, nature, and childhood imagination.

Beyond the stage, the Secret Gardens programme introduces a variety of creative experiences for children, babies, and hospital in-patients, promoting sensory engagement and emotional wellbeing. School residencies and interactive technology tools will support reflection, critical thinking, and creative learning, while Young Associate Artists work alongside lead creatives, ensuring youth voices and co-creation are embedded across the programme.

The initiative began in November with an Artists' Retreat, bringing together creatives, young artists, and filmmakers for workshops in climate dramaturgy and disability awareness. Over the coming year, The Egg will transform into a network of "Secret Gardens," inviting children and artists to explore creativity, care, and the natural world through performance, storytelling, and sensory experiences.

Artistic Director Kate Cross said, "The Secret Gardens Programme is a joining together of threads that date right back to The Egg's inception. Children's right to creativity and culture has always been on our minds and with it the space that offers for wellbeing. Recently, The Egg has reconsidered the way it does this. A less carbon-fuelled and more inclusive environment is cultivated by slowing down, taking longer and doing less. The key to this programme is what we are calling 'deep producing' - building creative and communal relationships with all its participants and audiences and growing the influence of the programme like a mycelium network."