Since arriving at Alphabetti 18 months ago, I’ve been guiding the organisation through a period of thoughtful transition, working alongside our staff and trustees to consider the best path forward for Betti, and more importantly, for the artists who rely on us.

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That transitional period is now approaching its most exciting phase as we move from imagining the next chapter for Alphabetti to making it real.

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In a year’s time (early 2027) Alphabetti will be relaunching. It has always been my ambition to reimagine and revitalise what fringe theatre can be, and for Alphabetti that will mean a renewed and direct focus on opportunities for artists, genuine creative nurturing, and dedicated idea development.

We are announcing this now and giving ourselves a full year’s lead-in time because we want to get it right. And crucially, we need your help.

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We need you to be part of what comes next, and to lend your voice to the future of this organisation. To facilitate this, we will be hosting a series of open houses, conversations and planning events, the first of which will take place on 15 April, which we are calling Story Board. These gatherings are an opportunity to join us at Betti and share your thoughts: where we’ve been, where we are and where we should go.

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Throughout the year – and guided by the input from the likes of Story Board – we will be expanding our opportunities for creative and idea development. I am delighted to announce that we are starting this journey by reaffirming our offer to writers, with our hugely popular Alphabetti Writing Group being supplemented by Common Thread – an evening of sharing stories and creative writing – and new, regular playwriting masterclasses with industry leaders.

I’m also incredibly excited to announce a new play reading group in collaboration with our friends at Live Theatre, called Reading Room. All too often new plays arrive in London or in other great locations around the world, disappearing before anyone from further afield has had a chance to engage with this new work. To counter this, Live and Alphabetti will invite local play lovers to assemble once a month to discuss and analyse a piece of new writing that has premiered in the 21st century. The first Reading Room will take place at Alphabetti on Thursday 12 March, when we will be discussing Anne Washburn’s Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play.

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From June onwards, you’ll start to see a shift in our programming model: fewer incoming tours alongside an increase in opportunities for development for artists and ideas in our region. This will include a regular platform for work-in-progress showings, a brand-new associate artist programme, and much more.

These are the foundations upon which the future of Alphabetti will be built, as we look towards our next chapter with our focus on the artists and ideas that are yearning for space and time to develop in the North East.

 

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Before that future begins, we are delighted to share our Spring 2026 season, running up to 5 June and featuring a range of wonderful productions.

From 5–7 March we welcome Our Little Hour, an exciting new musical from Live Wire Theatre in association with Show Racism the Red Card, telling the story of Walter Tull – the first Black footballer to play at the highest level and the first non-white British officer to fight in WW1.

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From 29 April–2 May, we’re over the moon to be hosting Heaton’s own Sam Macgregor with his brilliant new play Hold the Line. Following up on Sam’s debut hit Truly, Madly, Baldy; Hold the Line puts us in the middle of an NHS 111 call centre, untangling the story on both sides of the phone line.

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We’re also delighted to be hosting North East artists Lois-Amber Tool and Matt Miller for their tours of Post Traumatic Slay Disorder and Fixing, respectively. Lois-Amber’s Offie-nominated PTSD has been described as a “brilliant, must-see piece of writing” (Gobby Girl Productions), while Matt’s Fixing – which began life at Alphabetti in 2024 – returns as part of a nationwide tour, having been described as “a warm-hearted expression of love… underpinned by a subtle and sophisticated theatrical and psychological intelligence” (British Theatre Guide).

Small and mid-scale touring is suffering as much as any part of the creative sector, and it is a privilege for Alphabetti to be able to support these regional creatives and host their exceptional productions. We’re also extremely excited for Sam Freeman’s heart‑warming We’re Not Getting a Dog, Andy Ross and Jack Fielding’s hilariously chaotic combat comedy Colosseum of Chaos, Charlie Blanshard’s immersive Viking experience Jorvik (where you’ll be able to enjoy the show with a glass of mead), and the five-star “masterpiece of mess” (Broadway Baby) That’s Not My Name from Asylum Arts and Covered in Jam.

Kicking off the season in February, we’re extremely excited to be a host venue for the Northern School of Art’s InterAct Festival and their productions of Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile, My Mother’s Funeral, and Joseph K, where you’ll be able to come along and see the stars of the future. Finally, we’re delighted to have the returning Classics Fest which, after last year’s sell-out success, has been reimagined and will see the production of a brand-new half-hour play inspired by the ancient Greek chef Apicius. Ancient Greeks, new writing and food – what’s not to love?

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Before I go any further, I must acknowledge the quite extraordinary staff here at Alphabetti. It is no exaggeration to say that without the incredible work of those in the bar, the theatre, the office and every corner of the building, Alphabetti simply would not be here today.

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My decision to pause Alphabetti's programme of outward-facing work in June, and to concentrate our focus on a relaunch in 2027, means I have had to make the extremely regrettable decision not to renew a number of fixed-term contracts within the organisation. As a result, we will be saying farewell to some of our most dedicated, longest serving and quite simply brilliant colleagues in the coming months. This is an incredibly difficult decision and one I do not take lightly. I will never be able to thank each of those staff members enough for the immeasurable contribution they have made to Alphabetti and to the creative life of this region.

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As we are all very tired of hearing, we sit in an incredibly challenging moment for theatre. Across the country, productions, budgets and tours are being scaled back. A persistent lack of opportunity is leading to widespread disillusionment and the tragedy of unrealised ideas, unfulfilled potential and artists choosing to leave the industry entirely in search of more stable terrain.

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Nowhere is this tragedy more acute than right here in the North East. Underfunding, broken promises and a lack of opportunity form the foundation of the region’s shared narrative. It never ceases to inspire me when I see the resilience, commitment and endeavour of the brilliant freelancers in the region who consistently overcome hurdles to fulfil their creative ambitions.

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I see it as my responsibility to respond to that commitment by ensuring that Alphabetti is here for you whenever you need us – but that is simply a starting point. There is a near‑unlimited amount of work for venues such as ours to do to help confront the hostility of the sector and support the development of artists and ideas. That is what drives me in my role, and that is what I want the future of Alphabetti to be unwaveringly focused upon.

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None of this would be possible without the backing of our funders and supporters, who have helped us through our transitional period and given us the wherewithal to lay the foundations for the exciting times ahead. In the last year, we’re delighted to have received support from the Sir James Knott Charitable Trust, The Foyle Foundation, The Fagus Anstruther Memorial Foundation, the National Lottery Community Fund, NCIF and the Newcastle Fund. We remain especially thankful to the Backstage Trust.

 

Every second we work at Alphabetti is spent with the region’s artists in mind. That is what inspires all of us here as we turn the page on an exciting new chapter in the story of this theatre and of creativity in the North East.

 

I hope that you can join us down at Betti and contribute to that story.

 

Ed