New Dates Announced For HAIRSPRAY and PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT UK Tours

After the announcement from the Government that theatres across the UK should be allowed to open on 21 June 2021, subject to conditions being met across progress in the suppression of the Coronavirus pandemic, Mark Goucher, CEO at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham has decided to announce the return of two of the most popular musical theatre productions.

Goucher's Independent Producing Company will tour Hairspray and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert across the UK beginning in Plymouth and Cheltenham respectively. Thanks to a loan from the Cultural Recovery Fund, Goucher has been able to remount both productions in a timely fashion.

Mark Goucher said: "As the manager of Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham I am acutely aware that venues up and down the UK are crying out for shows. It is vital that we take the necessary steps to get performances going again. It is therefore a delight to be able to announce that two of my shows, under the guise of Mark Goucher Productions will be coming to a theatre near you from this summer. We will, of course, closely monitor all advice coming from the Government and if the start dates need to be delayed we have contingency plans in place to be able to move the starting venue for each show to one later in the tour schedule. "

Producers Mark Goucher and Matthew Gale will open their touring production of Hairspray at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 24 June 2021. Having previously been due to begin performances in August 2020 and following on from two extremely successful tours in 2015/16 and 2017/18, this smash hit production will visit the following venues in 2021: Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, Manchester Palace Theatre, Sheffield Lyceum, Ipswich Regent Theatre, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Edinburgh Playhouse, The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, Brighton Theatre Royal, Birmingham Hippodrome, Leicester Curve, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Dublin, Grand Opera House Belfast, New Victoria Theatre, Woking, Milton Keynes Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre. More dates are to be announced for 2022.

Mark Goucher and first-time producer Jason Donovan first staged their glittering production of the much-loved hit musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert The Musical in September 2019. Having just announced an extension of tour dates in March 2020, the show paused performances as Covid-19 restrictions came into force. The producing team is completed by Gavin Kalin and Matthew Gale.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert The Musical will officially re-open at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham on 23 June 2021 before touring to Leeds Grand Theatre, Hull New Theatre, Oxford New Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath, Royal & Derngate, Northampon, Glasgow King's Theatre, New Wimbledon Theatre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Palace Theatre, Southend, Curve Leicester, Bristol Hippodrome and Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, prior to a much hoped for return to the West End.