The National Theatre's brand new production of Jim Cartwright's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

Theatre Royal Plymouth joins landmark nationwide partnership with National Theatre to boost access to theatre across the South West

Theatre Royal Plymouth is delighted to announce that as part of a landmark partnership with the National Theatre, a brand-new production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, will tour directly from the theatre, with its original cast, in 2027 from 16 until 20 March 2027.  Theatre Royal Plymouth is part of National Theatre Nationwide,  a new network of 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.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will be the first National Theatre production to tour as part of NT Nationwide, supported by funding from Arts Council England. Jim Cartwright’s modern classic, which will be directed by Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge), 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.

This new production will feature Francesca Mills (Silent Witness, BBC), who will play the title role of Little Voice, with Olivier Award-winning actress, Jill Halfpenny (The Long Shadow, ITV) and BAFTA Award-winning actor, Paul Chuckle (The Madame Blanc Mysteries, Channel 5), playing the roles of Mari Hoff and Mr Boo, respectively.  Further casting will be announced soon.

Alone in the sanctuary of her small bedroom, Little Voice fills the air with pitch‑perfect renditions of her deceased dad’s prized record collection of the great divas, from Judy Garland to Billie Holiday.

But when her mother Mari’s latest fling, local wheeler dealer Ray, hears her sing he’s certain he’s struck gold. Will Little Voice be pushed into a spotlight she never asked for?

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, voice coach Shereen Ibrahim with casting by Alastair Coomer CDG.

Tickets for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will go on sale to the general public soon.

Today’s announcement, as the first initiative for the network, centres on the partners’ shared, deep commitment to boosting the touring ecology. This includes touring National Theatre productions direct from its London stages with the original cast with venues in all English regions, supported by Arts Council England. This is alongside subsidised ticketing and new schools touring productions across the country. This addresses one of the key challenges to achieving parity of access to arts and culture: the decline in the number of touring productions around the country. Recent research from Arts Council England shows that the number of plays touring England has fallen by 64% since 2019.

The National Theatre Nationwide partnership proudly brings together the expertise and reach of Theatre Royal Plymouth alongside other leading theatres across England: 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 and Theatre Royal, Nottingham.

As part of the partnership, a new Nationwide schools touring programme will also deliver original, curriculum-linked productions directly into a range of primary and secondary schools and local venues each year.

In a co-production with the Unicorn Theatre, the UK’s leading theatre for young people, is The Last Wild – a new version for primary school and family audiences adapted by Jude Christian from the award-winning eco-thriller by Piers Torday. It will be directed by the Unicorn Theatre’s Artistic Director Rachel Bagshaw, opening at the Unicorn Theatre from 30 January – 7 March 2027. Packed with action, heart and humour, The Last Wild is an epic adventure about courage, friendship and fighting for a world worth saving. The production is creatively captioned and the primary touring performances are free for all schools thanks to Hearn funding.

James Mackenzie-Blackman, Chief Executive and Artistic Director at Theatre Royal Plymouth said:

“The National Theatre Nationwide Partnership is truly just that, because we have built it together. Over the course of the last 12 months the team at the NT have invited their regional partners alongside them, to firstly listen to the challenges and opportunities of better collaboration in touring, and then to support the co-design of what now becomes NT Nationwide.

“All of us at TRP look forward to welcoming The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and The Last Wild to the South West peninsula and collaborating with the National Theatre to deepen our engagement with new and established audiences and with schools and families.

“The ambitions of this programme are not insignificant but I’m confident that together we can achieve a major step-change in how touring in England is developed and celebrated.”

Commenting on the new partnership, Kate Varah, Executive Director & Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said:

“Today’s announcement is rooted in the National Theatre’s overarching commitment to ensure people across the nation can experience and benefit from our work and impact. Fresh analysis, supported by McKinsey, highlights that the National Theatre puts £241m back into the UK economy each year, £87m of which already flows into regional economies. This new Nationwide partnership will deepen and grow that contribution, not only ensuring the long-term resilience of theatre but crucially, supporting local communities and businesses, schools, teachers and their students, the growth of future audiences, and engendering pride in place.

“What better way to launch this partnership with 12 outstanding partners than with a strong commitment to touring between all of our venues, including bringing main stage National Theatre productions with the original cast to audiences across England, alongside our schools productions of The Last Wild.

Together with our new Nationwide partners, we are grateful to Arts Council England for this significant and timely investment in the touring ecology, recognising the vital role it plays in widening access to live performance; as well as the many existing National Theatre supporters  whose generosity makes the range and breadth of this work possible.”

Commenting on directing The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Robert Hastie, Deputy Artistic Director of the National Theatre added:

“Jim Cartwright is one of England’s greatest living playwrights, with such a distinct voice. He has long championed and showcased stories rooted in the North of England with vivid characters and poignant wit. I can’t wait to work with these wonderful actors to bring The Rise and Fall of Little Voice to life for audiences at the National Theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth.”

Actress Francesca Mills who will play the title role in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice said:

“I can’t wait to reunite with director Robert Hastie to take on the wonderful role of Little Voice and I am elated to work alongside Jill Halfpenny and Paul Chuckle. My first show I ever did at the National was in the Dorfman theatre so to be returning to that beautiful space over Christmas followed by a tour around England – I’m truly over the moon!”

Actress Jill Halfpenny who will play the role of Mari Hoff in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, said:

“I’m so excited to playing the role of Mari Hoff in Jim Cartwright’s beloved Northern play, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.  I have long admired Jim’s work and to get the opportunity to play this role at the National Theatre and at theatres across England this winter is very special.

Actor, Paul Chuckle who will play the role of Mr Boo in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, added:

“I am delighted to be joining Francesca Mills and Jill Halfpenny in Jim Cartwright’s iconic play, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.  I can’t wait to get into rehearsals with Robert Hastie and this fantastic team.  To perform at the National Theatre and then head out on tour across England is a dream come true and I can’t wait to visit Plymouth.”

Hannah Lake, Director, Touring Transformation, Arts Council England said:

“Touring plays a crucial role in our cultural landscape, ensuring people can access the very best art and culture close to where they live. This innovative new partnership bringing work directly from the renowned National Theatre stages to major theatres across every English region, alongside an extensive programme engaging young people in theatre through schools productions does just that, which is why we are so pleased to be supporting it. Our research shows a decline in drama touring in recent years and we hope this significant investment, in addition to our own work of reimagining how best we can support touring, including the development of a new Touring Service, will work to combat that and grow audiences for the future.”