Punchdrunk Enrichment’s Fireside Tales Coming in London This Christmas

First-look production photography has been released for the world premiere of Punchdrunk Enrichment’s Fireside Tales, an enchanting interactive adventure for children aged 7–11 and their grown-ups, opening at Punchdrunk Enrichment Stores in Wembley Park this Christmas. Running from 6 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 (with a press performance on Sunday 7 December at 11am), the production invites families into a magical storytelling world. Tickets from £15 are now on sale, and the first-look images can be downloaded here.

Early evening performances at 7.30pm for grown-ups only are also available with tickets at punchdrunkenrichment.org.uk/events/fireside-tales.

Fireside Tales is written and directed by incoming Artistic Director of Punchdrunk Enrichment Steve McCourt with additional material devised by the company. The cast (who will rotate two roles in the production) are Siddiqua Akhtar (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, BBC/Netflix; Tartuffe, Birmingham Rep), Rebecca Clark (who has performed recently with Frantic Assembly and Complicité),  Amari Harris (who has collaborated with venues including the Old Vic and Half Moon Theatre in his work as a storyteller and drama facilitator) and Alex Stedman (The Lost Lending Library, Punchdrunk Enrichment; Murder On The Orient Express, UK & Ireland Tour).

The creative team includes design by Mydd Pharo (who has designed and directed works for WildWorks, Kneehigh, Shakespeare’s Globe, Royal Court, National Theatre and Young Vic), costume design by Melissa Simon-Hartman (who has collaborated with global icons including Beyoncé and Doja Cat, and whose work has been featured by artists such as Little Mix, Stefflon Don and Wizkid, and appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, VOGUE and GQ), lighting design by Sarah Readman (whose credits include Enitan’s Game, Punchdrunk Enrichment; The Glass Menagerie, Yard Theatre and The Burnt City, Punchdrunk – as Lighting Associate) and sound design by Dominic Kennedy (whose credits include Enitan’s Game, Punchdrunk Enrichment; God’s Dice,Soho Theatre; You Stupid Darkness, Paines Plough).

For thousands of years, people have gathered around fires to share stories. But this tradition is fading, and many are at risk of being lost. Now, a new story has arrived: faint as an ember, not yet ready to be told. It needs help to stay alive. Without care, the fire might fade, be forgotten or take on a dangerous new form.

Fireside Tales is a show about the stories we tell, the ones we pass down, the ones we forget and what happens when we take the time to listen. Audiences are invited to step into a magical world where stories flicker like flames and imagination keeps them burning bright. Developed with schools, Fireside Tales encourages young audiences to draw, write and share their own stories.

Main Image: Rebecca Clark in Fireside Tales. Photo by Nina Photography