Elizabeth Newman will co-direct a major new version of the classic feel-good musical Summer Holiday as part of her first season as artistic director of Sheffield Theatres.
Especially conceived to make use of the Crucible auditorium and the outside space, the production which will run from 20 June until 18 July 2026 will be directed by Newman alongside Ben Occhipinti.
Directed by Peter Yates with a screenplay by Ronald Cass and Peter Myers, the much-loved 1963 film Summer Holiday took Cliff Richard and The Shadows on a light-hearted tour across Europe aboard a red London double decker bus. The much-loved movie was adapted for the stage by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan.
Featuring hit songs including ‘In the Country’, ‘Bachelor Boy’, ‘Move It’, ‘Living Doll’, ‘The Young Ones’ and the title song ‘Summer Holiday’, the musical features orchestrations by Keith Strachan.
Running from autumn this year until summer 2026, the season will include: a new production of Brian Friel’s acclaimed play Dancing at Lughnasa directed by Newman and co-produced with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Aisha Khan and directed by Elin Schofield.
Announcing her inaugural season, Newman said: “It has been a great privilege to conceive my first season as Sheffield Theatres’ artistic director. It’s been an exciting journey to create this year-long programme packed with a mix of new and familiar work, and I really hope there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
“We kick off with a beautiful classic drama in the Crucible, arguably one of the greatest plays ever written – Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa, in collaboration with the Royal Exchange Theatre. Consumed by Karis Kelly, in partnership with Paines Plough and Belgrade Theatre, follows and marks both our becoming the home of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting and the beginning of a season of entirely new work in the Playhouse. The rest of the year sees us producing My Brother’s a Genius by Debris Stevenson, our fifth co-production with Theatre Centre, and now with National Youth Theatre. Into 2026, Living by Sheffield’s own Leo Butler is a moving family drama that spans five decades of life in the City.
“Alongside the new work in the Playhouse— in the Crucible, we will debut a brand-new adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Yorkshire’s Aisha Khan. Our version of A Christmas Carol will highlight Sheffield’s long history of singing the city’s unique Christmas carols.
“After the festive period, we have two more new works. Crown of Blood, a new version of Macbeth by Oladipo Agboluaje, will be our latest collaboration with Sheffield’s Utopia Theatre, followed by The Ladies Football Club by the brilliant Tim Firth. Based on Stefano Massini’s drama, this new play celebrates the founding of women’s football in Sheffield in a munitions factory in 1917, and tracks the history of the sport, through the period of being banned, to the jubilant heights of the present-day Lionesses.
“To wrap up our 2025/2026 programme, we’ll be putting on a fresh version of the 1960s classic musical Summer Holiday. We’re excited to bring this to life, spilling out from the auditorium and into our Square, where audiences can enjoy the Sheffield Theatres Beach! In fact, across the entire season we’ll be hosting a variety of free special events inspired by our programme, including the Lughnasa Dance Festival, the Montgomery Theatre Summer Party, the Sheffield Theatres Candlelit Carol Concert, and even a theatre football tournament. These outdoor celebrations will bring people of all ages together and reflect our commitment to opening up every door and window, inviting everyone into our theatres – and taking theatre to the streets too!
“It also felt important that, as a big national organisation and now a family of four theatres, we also share a little bit of news for 2027. We are proud to announce in 2027, we will produce a big new adaptation by Stephanie Street of Sunjeev Sahota’s The Year of the Runaways. This will be with an international partner and will find a home in our Crucible.
“We’re incredibly proud to be powered by our amazing city, and can’t wait to welcome everyone into one of our four theatres this year.”
Newman joined chief executive Tom Bird and deputy chief executive Bookey Oshin to form Sheffield Theatres’ executive team in December 2024. Succeeding former artistic director Robert Hastie, Newman joined Sheffield Theatres after a successful tenure as artistic director at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
Angela Thomas
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