Teignmouth Players, who are based at Teignmouth’s Ice Factory Theatre in Somerset Place, have just announced their brand new season for 2026, and there is literally something for everyone, from well established favourites like Abigail’s Party and The Canterbury Tales to Shakespeare’s Macbeth as well as “Six”, a musical straight from the West End. We also have a world first, “Before Frida”, the story of AnnaFrid Lyngstad before ABBA. In fact, we have a bit of this, a bit of that, and to begin with, a bit of the other.
First off are two plays both set in beds, known as The Bed Plays. These consist of “Afterglow”, a comedy about 2 people who keep ending up in bed together and don’t quite know how. The second play, “FREAK”, has already been seen at The Ice Factory five years ago and features Georgie, a thirty something with dirty secrets who drinks all day and hides from the sun and Leah, a fifteen year old with teenage dreams. A great double-bill.
FREAK
Our second play, or series of plays, is, or are, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Written in the late 14th century, The Canterbury Tales are a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their journey to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. One of the best-loved works in the English language, the lively, absorbing, perceptive, and outrageously funny stories in The Canterbury Tales have earned Chaucer the sobriquet of “the father of English literature.” The tales are framed by a narrative in which each pilgrim tells a story to pass the time on their pilgrimage. This structure allows for a diverse range of stories, showcasing various genres such as romance, comedy, and moral allegory.
May sees the birth of a brand new production, written by one of Teignmouth Players’ own btrustees. “Before Frida” tells the fascinating story of a shy young girl, born four months after the end of the 2nd World War to a Nazi father and young Norwegian girl. Bought up by her grandmother from the age of two when her mother died she went on to become a well established jazz singer in her adopted country of Sweden. That was, of course, before she, along with three others, went on to change the face of pop music for ever.
June sees the award winning “Six” at the Teignmouth Pavilions: Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over.
The New York Times says SIX is “pure entertainment!” and the Evening Standard hails SIX as “the most uplifting new British musical I have ever had the privilege to watch.”
ACCOLADES
Winner! Two 2022 Tony Awards, including Best Score
}Winner! 2025 Whatsonstage Award for Best West End Show
Nominee: Eight 2022 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score
Winner! Three 2022 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Music and Lyrics
Nominee: Five 2019 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical
Winner! 2019 Whatsonstage Award for Best Off-West End Production
Winner! 2019 BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best West End Musical
July sees our own version of Macbeth, performed in conjunction with local schools who have the play on their school syllabus. A Shakespeare favourite, the story is simple: three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death. Well, more or less.
To coincide with the holiday season August sees us perform at the Pavilions on the seafront with “Spitfire Girls”, a play based on the true stories of the girls who delivered planes for the RAF during World War Two. The play comes complete with the songs of the era.
Abigail’s Party (September) is a perennial favourite, written by Mike Leigh the play is centred on a disastrous cocktail party hosted by Beverly and Laurence in 1970s suburbia. As the evening progresses, awkward social interactions, class differences, and simmering sexual tensions cause the party to descend into a chaotic and uncomfortable spectacle, revealing the characters' shallow materialism and marital discord. The play is named after the party happening next door, which serves as a backdrop for the awkwardness and eventually, a climactic event. Great drama. The play takes place in September.
And finally, in October, we have Education, Education, Education. It's May 1997. Tony Blair has won the election and Katrina and the Waves have won Eurovision. Channel 5 is a month old. No one knows who Harry Potter is. Britain is the coolest place in the world.
At the local secondary school it's a different story. Miss Belltop-Doyle can't control her Year 10s, Mr Pashley has been put in charge of a confiscated Tamagotchi, and Miss Turner is hoping that this muck-up day goes smoother than the last. Tobias, the German language assistant, watches on. Things can only get better.
Education, Education, Education is The Wardrobe Ensemble's love letter to the schools of the 1990s and asks big questions about a country in special measures, exploring what we are taught and why, and where responsibility lies.
So, as previously mentioned, something for everyone. Tickets are usually £13 / £10 and are available via the Teignmouth Players website with all plays taking place at The Ice Factory unless otherwise stated. We also have an intimate bar for use by attendees but please note, the theatre is on the first floor so not accessible to all.