THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE marks first tour of National Theatre’s nationwide partnership
The National Theatre has announced a new landmark partnership with 12 leading theatres in all nine regions of England dedicated to ensuring parity of access to art and culture, enriching people’s lives – wherever they live.
National Theatre Nationwide proudly brings together the expertise and reach of theatres across England to address this. Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, Birmingham Hippodrome, Leeds Heritage Theatres, Curve, Leicester, Lowry in Salford, Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Norwich Theatre, Sheffield Theatres, Southampton Mayflower, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Theatre Royal, Nottingham join together to form a new network with the National Theatre.
The details include:
One major main stage production will now tour annually, directly from the National Theatre to partner venues: giving audiences immediate access to the shows with the original cast, backed by investment from Arts Council England over the next two years
Original and annual National Theatre-commissioned tours for schools, offering children and young people vital first encounters with curriculum-relevant theatre.
Targeted and subsidised ticket funding for tours to break down barriers to entry and build new audiences for theatre across the country.
The first main stage production to tour under National Theatre Nationwide with its original cast will be a new production of Jim Cartwright’s modern classic The Rise and Fall of Little Voice directed by Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie. The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is a joyful, tender and bittersweet celebration of music, ambition and the courage it takes to be heard featuring iconic music from the likes of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, and more.
Following its run at the National Theatre from 2 December 2026 - 23 January 2027, the show will embark on a tour across England with the following partners in the Nationwide network: opening at Newcastle Theatre Royal from 3-6 February 2027 before visiting Sheffield, Coventry, Salford, Canterbury, and Plymouth, plus Wolverhampton.
The cast includes Francesca Mills (Silent Witness, BBC) in the title role of Little Voice, Olivier Award-winning actress Jill Halfpenny (The Long Shadow, ITV) and BAFTA Award-winning actor Paul Chuckle (The Madam Blanc Mysteries, Channel 5) as Mari Hoff and Mr Boo, respectively. Further casting will be announced soon.
Director Robert Hastie is joined in the artistic team by set and costume designer Janet Bird, lighting designer Paul Pyant, sound designer Mike Walker, composer and music director David Shrubsole, and voice coach Shereen Ibrahim, with casting by Alastair Coomer CDG.
Tickets for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice go on sale from 12pm on 21 May, with some venues going on sale at a later date. For more info, please click here.