Reimagined OLIVER TWIST Comes to Tobacco Factory Theatres Next Month

In her first production as Artistic Director of Tobacco Factory Theatres, Heidi Vaughan directs a reimagining of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist in a brand-new adaptation by Olivier Award-winning Bristol playwright Adam Peck and original music by Seamas Carey. Suitable for everyone aged 7+, the classic story comes alive in riotous fashion with heart-warming cheer and delightful Bristolian touches. The production reflects the timelessness and also the timeliness of Oliver Twist’s world, staged with Tobacco Factory Theatre’s characteristic imagination.

The production reunites theatre-makers Heidi Vaughan, Adam Peck and composer Seamas Carey as the celebrated force behind the hit family show Belle and Sebastian (produced by Travelling Light and Bristol Old Vic) and follows the success of Tobacco Factory Theatres’ previous festive co-productions including The Snow Queen (2022), Snow White (2019), Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Borrowers (2018), Cinderella (2011, 2016) and 101 Dalmatians (2014).

Defender Nyanhete (Icarus, Unicorn) plays Oliver Twist along with a cast of South West performers Beverly Rudd (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Bridge Theatre) as Fagin, with Alice Barclay (The Grinning Man, Bristol Old Vic), Tom Fletcher (Drac and Jill, Wardrobe Theatre), Dan Gaisford (Christmas Carol, Red Rope), and Shiquerra Robertson Harris (Club Supreme, Ramshacklicious). It is created by a team of Bristol theatre-makers: director Heidi Vaughan, writer Adam Peck, lighting designer Elizabeth Purnell, sound designer Chris Swain and choregrapher Laïla Diallo, along with Cornish composer Seamas Carey.

Heidi Vaughan, Director, Oliver Twist / Artistic Director, Tobacco Factory Theatres: “It’s a real delight to direct Oliver Twist. Dickens’ tales embody the warmth, joy and charity that are the essence of the festive spirit we wish to bring to our audiences. It’s a pleasure to work with such an inventive and generous team to find ways to gift this much-loved 200-year-old story in unexpected and delightful new ways. I’m really looking forward to welcoming audiences to Oliver Twist as part of a TFT festive season with something for everyone. This is a bright, bold, big-hearted production – a true theatrical feast.”

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