New Shows Revealed For Autumn/Winter 2023/24 at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre

A new show for young children featuring the famous walrus which visited Scarborough last Christmas has been announced alongside a season of visiting shows at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre.

In Thor's Great Big Adventure (12-23 December), Thor the Walrus is off on his holidays. He's booked a few nights down South, then a short stop in Scarborough for New Year before he heads home to the ice and snow of the North Pole. For now, he's looking for a good spot on the shore for a quick snooze, a nice seaside snack to fill his big belly and he's hoping he'll make some new friends along the way.

This Christmas, join Thor on his great big adventure, sing a silly song about seagulls and throw him some fish* for his tea! *All fish will be provided.

A show for under-sixes full of songs, silliness and festive fun, Thor's Great Big Adventure is an SJT/CU Scarborough production, written and directed by Rob Salmon with original music by Alice Kynman.

The visiting shows, from September 2023 to February 2024, include:

LIVE: Scarborough (11 September): Presented by Barrel Organ, an evening of varied entertainment with a chance to feed back on five new and unique performances in their development stage – all delivered in a hybrid digital-live format, so you can watch online, too.

ADHD The Musical (20 September): Have you always wanted to go to a Ted Talk about ADHD that veers off into the wacky world of musicals and Neuroscience? A wonderful mix of fact, storytelling and some cracking original show tunes.

Hancock's Half Hour: The Last Episodes (2 & 3 October): From the producers of the critically acclaimed tours of Round the Horne and The Goon Show, another radio comedy classic live on stage. Written by the up-and-coming Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Hancock's Half Hour redefined radio comedy.

Brown Boys Swim (9 & 10 October): Mohsen and Kash are gearing up for the biggest night of their lives – Jess Denver's pool party. Just one problem – they can't swim. An exhilarating new play about fitting in and striking out.

Betty Blue Eyes (12 to 14 October): Fresh from their smash run of The Addams Family, Scarborough Theatre Company bring you this musical comedy based on Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray's hilarious film A Private Function.

Alfie's First Fight (28 October): Featuring boxing action, surprising plot twists, compelling characters and an inspiring boy-hero, this is a knockout show for children aged five-plus and their grown-ups. If you liked Roald Dahl's Danny, Champion of the World, the books of Jaqueline Wilson and the rocky movies, you'll love this!

I Believe in Unicorns (2 & 3 November): Award-winning storyteller Danyah Miller brings best-selling children's author Michael Morpurgo's treasured story to life. An intimate show set in a library full of books that hold more than stories in their pages.

You Heard Me (6 November): Luca Rutherford's You Heard Me is for anyone who has been underestimated. Anyone who has been told to shut up.  Anyone who has been afraid to walk home alone. It's a celebration of a single moment of noise that freed Luca from an attack. Made her understand what it means to take up space. To heal. To be part of something much bigger than yourself.  

England and Son (8 & 9 November): A one-man play written for and starring award-winning political comic Mark Thomas. Prepare for a kaleidoscopic odyssey where disaster capitalism, stolen youth and stolen wealth merge into a tale of a working-class boy who just wants his dad to smile at him.

Swinging at the Cotton Club featuring The Lindy Hop Dance Company & The Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra (10 November): Take a step back into 1920s and '30s New York City and through the doors of Harlem's hottest nightclub, The Cotton Club. This action-packed show features the music of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Fats Waller.

Boy's Khaya (13 November): From dance company Tavaziva, choreographer Bawren Tavaziva's powerfully moving and deeply personal new work questions who we are in today's divided world. It uses a mesmerising combination of stunningly original choreography and an electrifying company of skilled versatile dancers to tell an evocative story of colonialism, persecution, slavery and racial injustice.

Sinatra: RAW (16 November): This multi-award-winning play stars actor and singer Richard Shelton, internationally acclaimed as one of the world's best interpreters of Sinatra's music. Palm Springs, 1971, and Sinatra is preparing for his last pre-retirement intimate show. This is the 2am Sinatra you dream of meeting – dangerous, unpredictable and brilliant.

The Pretend Beatles (18 November): Escape to the time of Beatlemania! This top UK tribute band features professional musicians who have performed all over the world, truly capturing The Beatles' sound.

Bridget Christie: Who Am I? (23 November): Bridget Christie is hot, but not in a good way. The award-winning comedian cannot ride the motorbike she bought to combat her mid-life crisis because of early osteoarthritis in her hips and RSI in her wrist; and wonders why there are so many films, made by men, about young women discovering their sexuality, but none about middle-aged women forgetting theirs.

A Warning to the Curious (12 December): Two ghost stories by MR James, performed by RM Lloyd Parry. Lost Hearts features one of James' most memorable black magicians, the predatory Mr Abney. In A Warning to the Curious a young archaeologist is haunted by the guardian of an ancient treasure. The English seaside has never looked so menacing.

Holly at Christmas (13 December): All the hits, other contemporary classics and some Christmas crackers wrapped up in a fast, furious and funny feast of entertainment for all the family.

Hammonds Band (7 January): An afternoon of brilliant music from one of the country's premier brass bands in the traditional New Year concert at the SJT.

Forever Tenors: Surrender (3 February): Two incredibly talented vocalists, Adam Lacey and Robert Durkin, this dynamic classical crossover duo wows audiences with their perfect blend of nostalgia and innovation, taking classic compositions from Nessun Dorma to Unchained Melody and infusing them with new life and energy.

Jo Caulfield – Here Comes Trouble (23 February): Comedians' Comedian of the Year 21/22 Jo doesn't mean to cause trouble – she just has the nerve to say out loud what everyone else is thinking!

Tickets for the visiting shows go on sale to members of the Circle, the SJT's membership scheme, from 10am on Thursday 1 June and on general sale from 10am on Thursday 8 June. Priced from £10, tickets are available from the box office on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com

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