ONE TINY PENGUIN Will Open at Birmingham Hippodrome

In a bid to meet some real-life friends, the lead character of Birmingham Hippodrome's next new musical, One Tiny Penguin, waddled to West Midlands Safari Park to launch the festive family show.

Lead actor Dylan Collymore who plays Lumi the penguin, joined his puppet counterpart at the park's penguin habitat and met some new feathered friends ahead of starting rehearsals at Birmingham Hippodrome.

One Tiny Penguin is the third production in the theatre's acclaimed My First Musical series, following 5-star hits No Such Thing as Wolves, and The Jingleclaw, produced by the Hippodrome's New Musical Theatre department.

Opening at Birmingham Hippodrome on Saturday 5 December 2026 and running until Sunday 3 January 2027, One Tiny Penguin follows Lumi, a little penguin with a very big job. Every year, a polar bear is chosen to light up the Northern Lights but this year, the special job falls to One Tiny Penguin. Lumi must gather all his courage to travel the world, venturing out from the North Pole, to Chile, South Africa – and all the way to the South Pole. On his adventures Lumi makes new friends and learns what it means to belong.

Joining Dylan Collymore as Lumi are: Sarah Palmer (Eira), Benedict Hastings (Sky), Sam Denia (Pablo) and Clara Abdilla Joslin (Bonola).

The creative team for One Tiny Penguin is: Midlands-based director, Laura Ryder (Director), multi-award-winning writers, Jordan Li-Smith (Music and Lyrics) and Julie Tsang (Book and Lyrics), TK Hay (Set and Costume Designer), Matthew Forbes (Movement & Puppet Director), Mikayla Teodoro (Puppet Designer), Lucy Adams (Lighting Designer), Alistair Penman (Sound Designer), Nikki and Joe Davison on behalf of Auburn Jam (Musical Supervisor, Arranger and Orchestrators), Deirdre O'Halloran (Dramaturg and Head of New Musical Theatre, Birmingham Hippodrome), Lucy Casson CDG (Casting Director), Caroline Mirfin (Costume Supervisor), Livs Needham, (Musical Director), Liam Price (Drums), Oliver Brown (Sound No.1), Christopher Wall (Production Sound Engineer, Birmingham Hippodrome), Joe Price (Production Sound Engineer, Birmingham Hippodrome), Christopher Ball (Production Manager, Birmingham Hippodrome), Emily Humphrys (Company Stage Manager), Jasper Mattel (Deputy Stage Manager), Frankie Neville (Assistant Stage Manager), Callie Barter (Assistant Producer, Birmingham Hippodrome) and James Ashfield (Producer, Birmingham Hippodrome).

The festive musical promises a memorable theatre experience for audiences aged three and over, featuring snow-stopping songs, magical puppetry, and a heart-melting tale of bravery and friendship.

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