balletLORENT's Hansel & Gretel and the Witch premieres in Newcastle from 29 October 2026 - with totally new ending
Creative collaborators include Dr Who composer Murray Gold, writer Carol Ann Duffy and north east actor Gina McKee
29 October–1 November 2026, five performances including a Halloween matinee
Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RH T: 0191 230 5151
Following the success of touring trilogy Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White, Newcastle's balletLORENT returns to Northern Stage this autumn with the world premiere of a magical new fairytale production.
Hansel & Gretel and the Witch is a totally fresh take on a classic tale. Suitable for ages 5+, it features a brand new ending which will surprise and delight story-lovers across the generations.
From an alluring sugar glass house in the woods, to an "all you can eat" merry-go-round, a regenerating witch and a supporting cast including two giant chickens, expect the unexpected as balletLORENT's creative team add spellbinding new flourishes to this well-loved bedtime story.
Featuring nine professional dancers alongside members of balletLORENT's 7-12 Youth Academy, Hansel & Gretel and the Witch is full of energy, wonder, and theatrical delight.
In keeping with the dance theatre company's accessible style - and making the show the perfect first theatre experience - Hansel & Gretel and the Witch is narrated throughout by north east-born actor Gina McKee (Our Friends in the North, Hebburn, Bodyguard). It combines imaginative visual storytelling with words by former poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.
Other creative partners include Dr Who composer Murray Gold, set designer Mayou Trikerioti (House of David), internationally renowned lighting designer Malcolm Rippeth and costume designer Nasir Mazhar, who has worked with Lady Gaga.
Almost everything on stage is handmade, with many props and costume embellishments knitted and crocheted by balletLORENT's over-60s Knitters, Movers and Shakers group, under Mazhar's direction. The group, which meets weekly in Newcastle's West End, have been busy crafting a smorgasboard of tempting knitted goodies, from jammy dodgers and doughnuts to red and white striped candy canes, cinnamon buns and chocolate eclairs.
Actor and comedian Ben Crompton is dramaturg and the dancers are Montaine Ponceau, Gavin Coward, Berta Admetlla, Toby Fitzgibbons, Virginia Scudeletti, Natalie MacGillivray, Cato Kendall-Muniesa, Saoirse Cameron-Higgs and Alice Gavigan.
Following its Newcastle premiere, the production will tour nationally in spring 2027. balletLORENT will partner with a local primary school at every venue to develop a new "young cast". School children will perform alongside the show's professional dancers on each tour date.
Speaking about balletLORENT's strong Newcastle roots, artistic director Liv Lorent said: "balletLORENT has been making all its work here in the north east for 30 years. Many buildings across the region from Middlesbrough to Darlington, Stockton, Sunderland and Wallsend have hosted premieres, and with pride we continue to make Newcastle our creative and domestic home. We can't wait to premiere Hansel & Gretel and the Witch at Newcastle's Northern Stage."
On the production itself she said: "At a time when the world can feel precarious and uncertain, Hansel & Gretel and the Witch is a celebration of resilience, imagination and survival.
"It reminds audiences of all ages that even in dark forests, people can still find one another and share what they have. Carol Ann Duffy's contemporary adaptation offers a different ending, where the witch's own choices shape her fate, rather than the story ending with her death.”
balletLORENT's Hansel & Gretel and the Witch
29 October–1 November 2026
Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RH T: 0191 230 5151
Tickets from £12 https://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/hansel-gretel-and-the-witch/
