Today, the Barn Theatre in Cirencester, in partnership with Tiny Giant Entertainment, has announced that their new production of The King’s Speech by David Seidler, directed by Loveday Ingram which will play at the Barn from 9 October – 7 November 2026 will embark on a major UK tour opening in Oxford on 11 January 2027 and touring through to the end of June 2027. The tour will visit Coventry, Cheltenham, Clwyd, Darlington, Blackpool, Bath, Guildford, Aberdeen, Nottingham, Leeds, Eastbourne, Leicester, Bromley, Wolverhampton, Southend, Salisbury, Ipswich, Winchester, Northampton, Carlisle, Cambridge, Windsor and Liverpool. For further details and on-sale information please visit www.thekingsspeechplay.com, presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International: www.mtishows.co.uk
Director Loveday Ingram said “I am delighted to be invited back to The Barn Theatre to direct The King’s Speech for them this Autumn. I love the film and this stage version brings the story to life with huge heart. It is a deeply moving story about human connection, courage and friendship – an intimate story of trust that so poignantly shows that true leadership comes from embracing our humanity, rather than striving for perfection. I am much looking forward to bring it to life with Iwan and his fantastic team.”
Iwan Lewis Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Barn Theatre said “We are incredibly proud to be bringing The King’s Speech to audiences across the UK under the direction of the wonderful Loveday Ingram. We are also delighted to be partnering with Tiny Giant Entertainment—long-standing supporters of the Barn Theatre’s work—on a production that represents another important step in our ambition to create exceptional work in the Cotswolds with a life far beyond our own stage. We don’t believe a production should end when its run at the Barn finishes; our purpose is to develop work that continues to grow, reaching audiences across the touring sector and beyond. At a time when our industry faces significant challenges, partnering with world-class artists and creating ambitious productions with long-term futures is more important than ever. We’re excited to see this model continue with The King’s Speech.”
Nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds, The Barn Theatre in Cirencester is one of the UK’s most exciting destinations for great British theatre. Since opening in 2018, The Barn has rapidly established itself as a bold, ambitious producing house, creating world-class professional theatre that resonates far beyond its Cotswold setting. The Barn produces some of the UK’s most inspiring theatre, attracting and nurturing outstanding creative talent, proving that exceptional theatre can thrive outside London. From new writing and reinterpretations of classic works to family entertainment and musical theatre, the programme is broad, daring and consistently high quality.
Tiny Giant Entertainment is an award-winning theatre production company founded in 2020 by Producer and General Manager Ollie Hancock and Legal CEO Charles Severs.
Established to create ambitious, world-class theatre, Tiny Giant develops and produces work that leaves a lasting impact long after the curtain falls. Its name and ethos are rooted in the belief that the most extraordinary things often begin from a single spark and are brought to life through passion, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to telling unforgettable stories. That philosophy sits at the heart of every production and every partnership it builds.
Ollie previously worked as a General Manager and Producer on over 25 productions within the West End, Off-West End, regionally and internationally and is a proud member of Stage One and The League of Independent Producers.
Charles Severs is a legal CEO in the City of London with a love of music and musical theatre. He is an avid theatregoer and producer of music events. Most recently Charles co-produced the London premiere of Flowers for Mrs Harris and co-founded The Big City Swing Orchestra which last performed in Haymarket in 2023.
Recent credits include: The Hunger Games on Stage (Troubadour Canary Wharf); A Knight’s Tale (Manchester Opera House); Birdsong (UK Tour); Room 13 (Barn Theatre) Friends! The Musical Parody (UK Tour); Flowers for Mrs Harris (Riverside Studios, WhatsOnStage Award 2023 Best Off-West End Production); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (UK Tour) and Halls (Turbine Theatre).
Tiny Giant Entertainment also regularly co-produces and invests in other work. Recent investments include Midsummer Murders (UK Tour) and Back to the Future the Musical (Australia, International Tour and UK Tour).
Loveday Ingram is a theatre director and adapter whose career includes productions in the West End, for the RSC, regionally throughout the UK and internationally. Her productions have won Irish Times and UK Theatre Awards and been nominated for others including four Olivier awards and TMA awards. She was previously Associate Director at Chichester Festival Theatre. Her recent productions include major UK tours of The Girl on the Train and Little Women.
A Londoner by birth, David Seidler was sent to the USA as a young child during WWII, to which he attributed his developing a stammer. George VI, the reluctant, stuttering King, became a boyhood hero, role model, and many years later the inspiration for his stage play, The King’s Speech. The 2010 film version – starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter – earned David an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and went on to win four Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor), two BAFTAs, the Humanitas Prize, and numerous other awards. His stage version has toured England and the United States, played the West End, and has been produced around the world in nine foreign languages, and counting. Seidler’s writing career commenced with dubbing translation scripts for Godzilla The Monster. In Hollywood, he had over twenty screenwriting credits to his name, including Tucker: The Man and His Dream, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. David was nominated for Writing Achievement by the WGA three times (winning for Onassis: The Richest Man In The World). David lectured around the world, in locations including Milan, Rome, Porto, A.F.I. Los Angeles, Sundance, Dreamago Institute in Switzerland, and Laboratorio Novas Historias in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He lived for several years in Fiji, where he was Political Advisor to Chief Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. He also resided in New Zealand for eight years. His son, Marc, is a film and television editor. His daughter, Maya, is a documentary producer. David Seidler passed away in 2024 while on a fly fishing trip to his beloved New Zealand.
The world is listening…
A country on the precipice of another terrible war. An abdicated king. A constitutional crisis. And the only man who can provide hope for the nervous British public is Bertie – a man who is shy, unprepared for monarchy and, worst of all, has a debilitating speech impediment.
With the future of the monarchy, and Britain itself, on the line, an historic radio address looms over a man who can barely stammer through full sentences. Desperate, Bertie and his family turn to an unconventional speech therapist from Australia to turn him into the king Britain can believe in.
As royal protocol meets unorthodox challenges, what emerges is an unlikely but deeply meaningful friendship. Adapted from the Oscar-winning film, this exciting new production from the acclaimed Barn Theatre blends humour, heart and high stakes in a beloved drama about duty, courage and finding one’s voice.
Casting and full creative team to be announced in due course.
Main image courtesy of The King's Speech
This post was last modified on August 4, 2026 6:39 am