Celebrating a joyful 2026 season of theatre and announcing Aladdin for 2027

Drama Collective’s fun-filled 2026 Winter and Summer theatre programme has earned meaningful praise from across our community. Audiences and performers have responded warmly to our remarkable selection of productions that were packed to the brim with imagination, creativity and heart.

Rehearsals ran throughout the school year and each phenomenal show brought something special to the All Saints Centre in Lewes while creating memorable experiences for everyone.

Our performances in February began with our junior and youth groups bringing to life jungleriffic stories of The Jungle Book (adapted for stage from Rudyard Kipling’s book by Stuart Paterson) and The Four Friends (Inspired by Panchatantra and written by Tim Rowland). In March, our adult group successfully presented the power and intensity of George Orwell’s Animal Farm to an awe-inspired audience.

“Well done all of you! The kids were incredible and should be super proud of themselves!”

Following these shows, our cast members diligently shifted into rehearsal mode ahead of their united proffering for the Summer Double Playbill in June that included a selection of five magically charming tales from the Classic Grimm’s repertoire – Rapunzel, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White – plus the spooky sillyness of The Last Train to Sleepy Hollow.

Visit our photo gallery to see how well our members did this year.

 

Glowing performance reviews

We are extremely grateful for all the feedback that we have received. Audiences described The Jungle Book as “a fantastic show,” “a wonderful experience,” and “superb,” while cast members and team members praised the energy, support and creativity behind the production.

“Congratulations for your outstanding performances! It was truly an unforgettable experience to be part of this production.”

For Animal Farm, we had glowing comments from audience members and our performers, with individuals calling the experience “100% amazing,” “brilliant,” and “a privilege”.

The summer double bill was met with equal enthusiasm, with audience members calling the performances “brilliant” and “marvellous,” and praising the cast for being “incredible”.

“It takes a lot of hard work to get a production together! Thank you to ALL involved!”

These responses reflect what we aim to create each session and during every term: inclusive, welcoming, confidence-building performing arts experiences that bring people together and give children, young people and adults of all abilities and backgrounds the chance to shine.

“Over the past year, our members have all grown so much as actors, and I feel incredibly proud of their achievements. With each term they develop new found confidence in their own abilities and learn skills that they can put into practice in real-life situations every day. From public speaking to teamwork, understanding others, and being their authentic selves; the beauty of becoming a performing artist is that there are a wonderful variety of useful tools that can be learnt and adapted for pretty much any social situation. That’s just one of the reasons why I love teaching drama!”
Tim Rowland, Lead Tutor and Director

 

What’s next?

Looking ahead, we are excited to share that our next major stage production of Aladdin, written and directed by Tim Rowland, will be performed by all our groups in Lewes on Saturday 13 February 2027.

Audiences may expect a traditional take on a magical legend for which we blend our unique imaginative flavour of family-friendly entertainment with audience participation, larger-than-life characters, and cheeky references to current and past-times that will surely have all bellies giggling. We honestly can’t wait to present our genie-us take on this well-known British pantomime!

As usual, after each curtain closes, we let the joyous memories sink in, so that we can move onto the next script feeling boosted with pride. Details of the plays we will be rehearsing for Summer 2027 will be released in due course. In the meantime, we are always open to welcoming new members to participate in our productions – whether on or off stage.

Our next term is set to start week commencing 7 September 2026, and you are invited to book a free taster session to see if we are the right fit for you / your child.

 

Want to be part of our next show?

Regardless of your acting experience, all are welcome at our inclusive drama groups in Sussex:

Junior and Youth Groups in Hassocks (Monday afternoons) or Lewes (Saturday mornings) for children and young people aged 7 to 17.

Adults’ Group in Lewes (Wednesday evenings) for individuals aged 18 and above.

Click the link below to book a free trial class in any one of these groups:

Should you have any questions about what we do, please contact us via email directly or contact us via WhatsApp.

You may also find out more about current drama groups available in Sussex via our classes page.

 

Feeling thankful

We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank our community which includes:

• Our talented members for their dedication throughout rehearsals, team work and brilliance both on and off stage!
• East Sussex County Council, Lewes District Council, West Sussex County Council, the All Saints Centre, and Lewes Town Council.
• Our cast and crew’s supportive families and friends for helping us through rehearsals, you are marvellous and gratefully appreciated!
• All volunteers behind the scenes! From cake bakers, refreshment servers, chaperones and raffle ticket sellers – you all rock!
• Our rehearsal venues King’s Church, Elephant & Castle pub and Cliffe Hall in Lewes, as well as the Hassocks Cricket Pavilion.

We look forward to again contributing to community-minded and charity work that continues to help create opportunities that go far beyond the stage, and welcome local and regional businesses to get in touch regarding branding promotional opportunities for our fundraising raffle and production programme.