Brilliant shows to make it an unmissable 2026 at Storyhouse

Heartfelt drama, joyful musicals and family-friendly fun all on the programme for the next 12 months at the Chester cultural centre 

Theatregoers are in for a thrilling New Year with a fantastic range of shows heading for the Storyhouse stage in 2026. 

The award-winning Chester cultural centre is set to welcome old favourites and new friends to its Hunter Street base over the next 12 months, as well as staging its own Storyhouse Originals production of one of Shakespeare’s most visceral and exciting tales. 

The 2026 programme includes captivating and moving dramas, brilliant big musicals and hilarious comedy moments.

Have your spines tingled by The Signalman, a new stage production of Charles Dickens’ masterpiece from Middle Ground Theatre Company which pulls in to the Hunter Street venue from 3-7 February.

Set in 1880, it is the unnerving tale of a tormented signalman who is haunted by visions of impending disaster on his isolated stretch of line. Can a well-meaning traveller who happens upon his lonely signal box calm him before he spirals into self-destruction?

On 11 February, Storyhouse is proud to present an exclusive work in progress preview of Seirol Davies’s rags-to-spandex story Babyface: The Fierce Wrestling Musical, receiving its premiere on the main stage as part of our Storyhouse Queer programme.

And theatre fans should also keep their eyes peeled in February for exciting news about the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre summer 2026 season of shows.

Audiences won’t want to miss the bold and compelling new version of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy Macbeth being staged from 6-21 March.

The Storyhouse Originals production of the ‘Scottish play’, adapted and directed by Jamie Sophia Fletcher, promises to bring the original text to life with power, pace and atmosphere, and comes complete with witches, prophecies and blood-soaked ambition.

Take a trip to New York City in the company of Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe for Easter 2026. The hugely entertaining musical comedy FRIENDS! The Musical Parody runs from 30 March to 4 April and blends memorable moments from across the 10 seasons of the much-loved TV series with laugh out loud comedy and an entirely original musical score.

Following its world premiere in 2023 and a sell-out UK tour, the enchanting and emotional The Beekeeper of Aleppo makes its Storyhouse debut from 21-25 April.

Nuri is a beekeeper and his wife Afra is an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo…until the unthinkable happens, and they find themselves forced to feel their home and embark on a dangerous search for safety.

And following that, West End smash hit Operation Mincemeat bursts on to the Storyhouse main stage from 4-9 May as part of an inaugural UK tour. Winner of the 2024 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and with a record-breaking 88 five-star reviews, Operation Mincemeat is the fast-paced, hilarious and unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission which helped the Allies win the Second World War.

Storyhouse will premiere a bold reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s 1925 literary masterpiece Mrs Dalloway from 29 May to 6 June. The immersive new stage adaptation is being co-created by director Jen Heyes and Olivier Award-winning writer and actor Kit Green who also embodies the lead role along with a host of other characters.

Funny and moving, Mrs Dalloway is a vibrant celebration of life, love, survival – and the moments that make us who we are.

Then there’s a chance to do the Time Warp again with The Rocky Horror Show when Richard O’Brien’s legendary camp love letter to the B-movies of his youth returns to the Storyhouse stage from 30 June to 4 July. Full of fun, frolics and frivolity, it promises to be the biggest party in town.

Direct from an acclaimed run in the West End, the Olivier Award-nominated The Choir of Man is on tour and comes to Chester from 18-22 August. The foot-stomping, uplifting show is packed with hits from artists including Queen, Paul Simon, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Adele, Sia and Katy Perry to name just a few.

And Willy Russell’s iconic tale of nature verses nurture, Blood Brothers, will be staged from 13-17 October. Affectionately titled ‘the standing ovation musical’, the show tells the story of the Johnstone twins who, separated at birth, grow up on different sides of the tracks – only to meet again with fateful consequences. Among its musical numbers is Just Like Marilyn Monroe, Bright New Day and the anthemic Tell Me It’s not True.

Meanwhile family audiences aren’t going to want to miss those scamps from Horrible Histories when they bring not one but two shows to Storyhouse from 22-25 October, coinciding with the autumn half term. Choose from Terrible Tudors or Awful Egyptians – or book both and save 15% on the joint ticket price.

Storyhouse Creative Director Suzie Henderson said: “I’m delighted that we’re able to bring audiences such an exciting and diverse range of productions on our main stage in 2026.

“From our own unmissable Storyhouse Originals production of Macbeth to a riveting new version of Virginia Woolf’s wonderful Mrs Dalloway and acclaimed new musicals like Operation Mincemeat to audience favourites like Blood Brothers and Rocky Horror, it’s shaping up to be a brilliantly busy and memorable 12 months. And with announcements for our season in the Park, much more still to come too.”

For more details on Storyhouse visit www.storyhouse.com