Community Post Type: News

Directed and choreographed by Tony and Olivier Award-nominated Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (Six The Musical), the cult musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors will come to the Liverpool Playhouse for a special Christmas season from 3 December 2026 to 9 January 2027.

This brand-new production will bring Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s beloved musical to life, with its killer tunes and outrageous comedy.

Nathan Powell, Creative Director of Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse said:

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming this cult classic musical to the Playhouse next Christmas. Little Shop of Horrors is wonderfully odd, full of cracking tunes, and offers a brilliantly different take on festive entertainment. After bringing The Rocky Horror Show to the Playhouse in 2024 and preparing to present Young Frankenstein this Christmas, Little Shop of Horrors will be another chance to enjoy a gloriously offbeat holiday season with plenty of laughs and, yes, a rather hungry plant.”

Joining Carrie-Anne on the creative team is the award-winning set and costume designer Morgan Large (Sister Act, This Bitter Earth, Newsies); musical supervisor and arranger Paul Schofield (Hair, BatBoy) lighting designer Rory Beaton (Burlesque The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, For Black Boys…), and casting director Rob Kelly (Hadestown, This Bitter Earth, Geek Girl). Further creative team and casting will be announced next year.

This new production continues the successful producing partnership between Hope Mill Theatre and Thomas Hopkins Productions and presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. Award-winning theatre, film, television, and radio producer Thomas Hopkins said:

“I am truly honored to be entrusted with the opportunity to produce the first major sit-down production, not in one city but two, of Little Shop of Horrors since its celebrated West End run in 2007. With Carrie Ann and such an exceptional creative team, it’s a dream collaboration. When the team at the Liverpool Playhouse invited us to follow our already announced ten-week run at Hope Mill, we couldn’t be more grateful. This production promises to be one of the most exciting and faithful interpretations of Little Shop of Horrors the UK has seen in many, many years”.

After the festive hits Six and The Rocky Horror Show, the Playhouse is keeping the Christmas magic alive this year with the upcoming, monstrously funny Young Frankenstein. And the excitement doesn’t stop there, next Christmas, audiences can look forward to a blooming brilliant revival of the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors, with tickets ranging from £17 – £62.

Tickets are available at www.everymanplayhouse.com/event/little-shop-of-horrors

Vote for Liverpool Biennial 2025 for Event or Festival of the Year!⁠ They’re excited to announce that they have been shortlisted for two Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards this year: the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award and Event or Festival of the Year.⁠
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The Event or Festival of the Year award is now open to a public vote, with voting closing on 30 November 2025.⁠
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They’re so happy to be recognised alongside other brilliant peers across the region.⁠
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Vote for them via this link: https://form.jotform.com/252852417001347

Are you a queer artist, duo, or theatre company based in the North? 🎨

Join Queer Arts North for an afternoon of workshops, panel discussions, and networking designed to connect LGBTQIA+ artists, share opportunities, and develop new collaborations. You’ll have the chance to pitch your work to a warm, supportive room of producers and programmers, no pressure, just creative energy and connection.

🎭 Queer Arts North: Connect & Develop
🗓️ Monday 18 November, 6:00 PM
📍 The Bluecoat, Liverpool
🎟️ Book your FREE spot: visit this link 

Come as you are. Create. Connect. Grow. Part of Homotopia Festival 2025: Uprising.

Collective Encounters is delivering their popular Trauma Informed Practice training in collaboration with Unity Theatre, led by experts in the fields of participatory performance and psychotherapy.

This training is specifically for artists, facilitators and activists working in community settings and takes a social justice approach to understanding trauma and incorporating this understanding into your creative practice.

This training will:

• Unpick popular perceptions and misuse of language around trauma and PTSD;
• Provide an overview of the physiology of trauma and an insight from the perspective of a clinical psychotherapist;
• Offer practical tips for creating safe spaces and avoiding practices which may re-traumatise participants;
• Create a space to explore problem solving using real-life scenarios;
• Explore asset-based approaches to understanding trauma within social justice frameworks.

Ticket prices:

• Tier 1 – for attendees supported by their organisations the full price of a ticket is £60.00
• Tier 2 – for freelancers and individuals from non-regularly funded organisations attendees the price of a ticket is £40.00
• Tier 3 – for those on low or no income the ticket price is £18.00

Bursary places are now fully booked.

Click here to book

Join FACT for three powerful short films that trace the many ways Gaza bears witness, in partnership with London Palestine Film Festival.

GAZA SOUND MAN

Through a series of immersive soundscapes, sound engineer Mohammad Yaghi captures the realities of life on the ground in Palestine. The visceral moments Mohammad captures highlight the transformation of Gaza’s aural environment.

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

One smile at a time, Alloush — short-statured and disabled — challenges Gaza’s devastation by spreading hope and passing moments of joy. As war closes in, Aloosh clings to laughter and art amid unimaginable hardship.

VIBRATIONS FROM GAZA

This short documentary offers a glimpse into the resilience of Palestinian Deaf children. The children describe their perceptions of missiles strikes through sensing vibrations in the air, trembling of the ground, and the resonance of collapsing buildings.

🗓️ Mon 24 Nov / 19:00
🎟️ £10 → link for tickets here

All proceeds from ticket sales will be shared between the London Palestine Film Festival and Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Youth Music believe that every young person deserves the chance to transform their life through the power of music.

Youth Music’s Shift the Scene Fund offers grants of up to £200,000 to organisations in England who provide creative opportunities for Disabled children and young people, pushing for genuine inclusion, ambition and accessibility.

Grants of up to £200,000 will be made to organisations for work that is sustained over a 4 year period.

Opportunities will be funded across all art forms, not just music, for children and young people aged 9 to 30.

The online application form is available from the 31^st October.  Stage 1 deadline: 5pm on 28 November 2025.

Application Guidance and Questions can be viewed on their website.

The fund is for organisations that:

Work across any creative discipline – not just music.

Already actively work with Disabled people across all parts of their organisation (i.e. as participants, volunteers, freelancers, and staff).

Can amplify young Disabled voices and already have established ways of co-creating with Disabled young people.

Schools and academies can’t be lead applicant but organisations that do apply, can partner or deliver in a school setting.

A Shift the Scene funded partner could be:

A museum or library that programmes literature and art activities for 9 to 12 year olds.

A theatre company that specialises in work with Disabled young people.

A small CIC comprising freelancers delivering music and movement projects with

Disabled young people in a variety of community settings.

A visual arts charity creating pathways for young Disabled artists.

In addition: 

Sole traders and individuals can’t apply to this fund.

If you are a voluntary group not registered with Companies House or the Charity Commission, you must have a constitution and management committee.

You must be legally constituted and providing activity for at least one year before you apply to this fund.

Acclaimed Liverpool-based artist Tabitha Moses is holding two embroidery workshops at Liverpool Independent Art School, 19 November and 17 January 2026.

Slow Down & Sew with Tabitha Moses

A chance to learn (or relearn) simple hand embroidery stitches and enjoy the ebb and flow of conversation as we sew together.

Date and time: Wednesday, November 19 · 10am – 12:30pm GMT. Doors at 9.50am.

Location: Liverpool Independent Art School, 68 Upper Hill Street Liverpool L8 1YR

Cost: £26 – £36

For tickets, visit here

Stitching Circles: Mandala-Inspired Embroidery with Tabitha Moses

Explore colour, rhythm and the ancient symbol of the circle as we slow down and sew together. Suitable for all skill levels.

Date and time: Saturday, January 17, 2026 · 10am – 4pm GMT. Doors at 9:50am

Location: Liverpool Independent Art School, 68 Upper Hill Street Liverpool L8 1YR

Cost: £52 – £72

For tickets, visit here

Join RAWD’s DYCP Access Support Coffee Morning

Saturday 1st November, 10am–1pm
Static Gallery, Liverpool L1 9JD

Their experienced creative access workers are here to help you:

Write up and interpret your ideas
Navigate Arts Council England’s online system
Access extra support and useful resources

📧 Email access@rawdproject.co.uk to let them know you’ll be coming or if you can’t make it then get in touch if you want support.

Find out more about Liverpool’s Caribbean Carnivals going back to 1978 as part of BHM2025 this half term, with workshops on Monday and Thursday, 27 and 30 October.

Taking place at the African and Caribbean Centre in L8, find out why Carnival matters, its roots in resistance and celebration and make your own Carnival costume inspired by the iconic Blue Devil, a playful and powerful Carnival character from Trinidad & Tobago.

Workshops are free and will be held on Monday 27 October, 10am–4pm and Thursday 30 October, 5pm–8pm.

Go to the Culture Liverpool website to book.

Spice Route Stories After School Session

Mon 10 Nov 2025 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool L17 1AP

Explore the hidden history of spices at Sefton Park Palm House with ArtsGroupie, through a drama performance, Christmas crafts, and gardening!

This free after-school session aimed at children aged 7-9 is part of the Being Human Festival-funded ‘Spice Route Stories’ activity day, organised by the Research Institute for Literature and Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University. Discover how spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves travelled the world and seeded hundreds of stories – including the forgotten story of Liverpool’s links with ginger.

Children will be led through a series of drama, crafts, and planting activities, but must be accompanied by an adult. As spaces for the session are limited, booking is essential (book one place per participating child – there is no need for accompanying adults to book).

This event is part of Being Human Festival 2025, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 6-15^th November 2025. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information, please see beinghumanfestival.org.

FREE TICKETS HERE – https://www.tickettailor.com/events/researchinstituteforliteratureandculturalhistory/1751252