More venues and dates announced for major UK & Ireland tour of PUNCH

Further venues and dates have been announced for the UK & Ireland tour of Punch, which opens at Nottingham Playhouse on 25 January.

Written by award-winning playwright James Graham, based upon Jacob Dunne’s book Right from Wrong and directed by Artistic Director of Nottingham Playhouse, Adam Penford, the new tour venues and dates for 2027 are: BEAM Hertford (23 – 27 March), Glasgow CITZ (30 March – 3 April), The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin (6 – 10 April), The Arts Theatre Cambridge (13 – 17 April), and The Belgrade Theatre Coventry (20 – 24 April).

The tour also visits Bath Theatre Royal (9 - 13 February), Birmingham Rep (16 - 20 February), Chichester Festival Theatre (23 - 27 February), Malvern Theatres (2 - 6 March), Blackpool Grand Theatre (9 - 13 March), and Leicester Curve (16 - 20 March).

Casting for the tour is to be announced.

Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse, and Director of Punch, Adam Penford, said: “We’re delighted that more audiences across the UK will have the opportunity to see Punch in 2027 and for it to premiere in Ireland. It’s a story of hope, forgiveness and human connection, and we’ve seen from its incredible reception in the West End and on Broadway that it has the same powerful impact, wherever it goes. The UK and Ireland tour also means more opportunities for community engagement work around Punch, ensuring that the play can continue to support the campaigning work of the real-life people whose story we’re telling, at a local level.”

Jacob, a teenager from Nottingham, spends his Saturday nights seeking thrills with his friends. One fateful evening, an impulsive punch leads to fatal consequences. After serving prison time, Jacob finds himself lost and directionless. Searching for answers, Joan and David – the parents of his victim James Hodgkinson – ask to meet, sparking a profound transformation in Jacob’s life. 

A powerful story of hope, humanity, and the possibility of change.

The creative team also includes production designer Anna Fleischle, lighting designer Robbie Butler, sound designer and composer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, movement director Leanne Pinder, and casting director Christopher Worrall CDG.

The production is dedicated to James Hodgkinson and all victims of one-punch.