The Long Road
By Shelagh Stephenson
Directed by Fiona Morrison
17-21 February 2026
Tickets:
£1 5.00 full / £12.00 concessions
Imagine the unthinkable – someone you love is murdered, for no reason you can begin to fathom. Could you ever forgive the person who did it?
Danny, a young man with his whole life ahead of him, has been killed in a random, senseless attack, leaving his family stunned. For his mother Mary, the only way to move through her grief is to meet Emma, the perpetrator, in prison.
The Long Road is a deeply affecting story about love, grief and anger – and the difficult choices that follow loss.
Upcoming Shows
The King
Adapted from the novel by Donald Barthelme
Directed and adapted by Chris Thomas
14 - 18 April 2026
It is the darkest period of World War II. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have returned… to do battle with the Nazis. Along the way, the knights uncover clues that will lead them to The Grail – a terrifying bomb, the weapon to end all wars.
Mythic and modern worlds collide in this irreverent and playful adaptation of Donald Barthelme's postmodernist comedy of the same name.
The rest of the 2026 season
Tickets available soon!
Brassed Off
By Paul Allen. Based on the screenplay by Mark Herman
1-4 and 8-11 July 2026
Directed by Sam Grayston
Set in the fictional Yorkshire mining town of Grimley in the mid-1990s, Brassed Off tells the story of a colliery brass band struggling to survive amid the threat of pit closure. The town’s miners face redundancy, and with it the collapse of their livelihoods, families, and community.
Deeply rooted in the cultural and political moment of the 1990s, this is a story of resilience, community, hope, and the rousing power of music. When everything is at risk, music becomes more than sound – it becomes survival.
The Rabbit & the Rain
Written and directed by Chris Hawkins
28-30 August 2026
A BLACK BOX PRODUCTION
6:30 pm for the evening each date
2:30 pm for the Matinee on Saturday
“There was once a rabbit who wanted to know how to stop the rain…”
When it begins raining in the Woodland, the Rabbit shuts herself away in her warren and refuses to come outside. The Rain feels bad – it feels like all of her worst thoughts and feelings.
The Rabbit’s woodland friends come to visit her, trying to offer advice and to cheer her up, but to no avail. Together, the Rabbit’s friends work out what will truly help her through until the Sun comes back out again.
The Rabbit & the Rain is a sweet, heartfelt, family-friendly fable exploring depression, mental health, community, and emotions. The story is as much for adults as it is for children – we recommend age 6 and above, but this is at parents’ discretion. There’s no bad language, violence, or adult themes.
The Dying Wish
By Mauro Fazion
27-31 October 2026
Directed by Peter Spence
Paul has been sentenced to death, for reasons they aren’t fully certain of. The two executioners supervise as they await the judgement of the attorney’s appeals, which seem to involve an increasingly complex system of bribery and a tangle of fresh accusations.
Paul has a final request, a dying wish: to play the piano.
The bureaucracy of law and the macabre absurdity of capital punishment are held up to scrutiny in this surreal and incisive black comedy, grounded by glimmers of humanity.
Welcome to Thebes
By Moira Buffini
1-5 December 2026
Directed by Katie Kneen & Tim Whitten
It could happen anywhere; it could happen here.
Fresh out of a bloody civil war that tore their country apart, Eurydice rules as the newly elected president of the nation of Thebes. The new government has a mammoth task at hand; reconciliation between the two sides, who have each suffered heart-wrenching losses and colossal horrors.
As the nation dives headlong into a new, more progressive era, larger and more powerful political players circle like sharks, ready to exploit Thebes for their own gain.
This clever, gripping, and haunting political drama marries the machinery of modern war with characters and stories from Greek mythology. Laced with witty dialogue and mythological story beats woven expertly into the narrative, Welcome to Thebes asks us to consider the fallout of conflict which feels both very familiar and a million miles away.
About Us
Kelvin Players is one of the largest and most respected non-professional drama companies in the South West. From the base of our Studio Theatre on Gloucester Road in Bristol we present at least five productions each year varying hugely in style, period and genre.
Whether you're interested in treading the boards or in one of the numerous backstage roles you'll find a friendly atmosphere and a group passionate about making quality theatre for the people of Bristol.
