FORGEMASTERS
Once a month. FEBRUARY to NOVEMBER.
Using a unique set of rules, Forgemasters takes each member of the audience and turns them into a hero on a noble quest. The stage is set with performers, spectacle, décor, and storytellers, and each month takes us to a new location with new dangers to face and adventure to find!
Work with a table of friends to decode clues, roll dice, strategise, and win the day in this family-friendly fantasy romp. Its Dungeons and Dragons, a trivia night, and a game show all rolled into one! Forgemasters: No Spectators, Only Heroes!
Forgemasters is a monthly interactive game and show that invites you to be part of the action and adventure!
Once a month. FEBRUARY to NOVEMBER.
Using a unique set of rules, Forgemasters takes each member of the audience and turns them into a hero on a noble quest. The stage is set with performers, spectacle, décor, and storytellers, and each month takes us to a new location with new dangers to face and adventure to find!
Work with a table of friends to decode clues, roll dice, strategise, and win the day in this family-friendly fantasy romp. Its Dungeons and Dragons, a trivia night, and a game show all rolled into one! Forgemasters: No Spectators, Only Heroes!
Forgemasters is a monthly interactive game and show that invites you to be part of the action and adventure!
THE DIRE THEATRE COMPANY CABARET
MARCH 20th - 21st
The Dire Theatre Company Cabaret is a celebration of local artists, creativity, and community, where the stage at The Forge becomes a space for fun, collaboration, and connection.
Each show features performances by talented local artists, ranging from polished numbers to playful experiments, all brought together in a lively, supportive atmosphere. Audience participation is encouraged, making every Cabaret a unique experience that thrives on energy, laughter, and shared creativity.
Whether you come to perform, cheer, or simply soak up the fun, the Dire Theatre Company Cabaret is an evening of entertainment and creative community spirit you won’t want to miss.
MARCH 20th - 21st
The Dire Theatre Company Cabaret is a celebration of local artists, creativity, and community, where the stage at The Forge becomes a space for fun, collaboration, and connection.
Each show features performances by talented local artists, ranging from polished numbers to playful experiments, all brought together in a lively, supportive atmosphere. Audience participation is encouraged, making every Cabaret a unique experience that thrives on energy, laughter, and shared creativity.
Whether you come to perform, cheer, or simply soak up the fun, the Dire Theatre Company Cabaret is an evening of entertainment and creative community spirit you won’t want to miss.
KALEIDOSCOPE: A SHORT PLAY EXHIBITION
APRIL 10th - 12th
Kaleidoscope is a vibrant showcase of locally written and produced short plays, celebrating the talent, skill, and creativity of our region. Each performance offers a glimpse into the diverse voices and stories being forged right here at home.
This exhibition invites the community to come together to write, direct, perform, and engage in all aspects of bringing theatre to life. It’s a space where artists and audiences alike can explore new ideas, experiment with form, and witness the collaborative magic of theatre making.
From the first rehearsal to the final curtain, Kaleidoscope champions homegrown creativity and gives audiences the opportunity to see fresh, original work, brought vividly to the stage.
APRIL 10th - 12th
Kaleidoscope is a vibrant showcase of locally written and produced short plays, celebrating the talent, skill, and creativity of our region. Each performance offers a glimpse into the diverse voices and stories being forged right here at home.
This exhibition invites the community to come together to write, direct, perform, and engage in all aspects of bringing theatre to life. It’s a space where artists and audiences alike can explore new ideas, experiment with form, and witness the collaborative magic of theatre making.
From the first rehearsal to the final curtain, Kaleidoscope champions homegrown creativity and gives audiences the opportunity to see fresh, original work, brought vividly to the stage.
THE EPICS
APRIL 17th - 19th / NOVEMBER 20th - 22nd
We think we know the stories that have shaped the Western world, and we can vaguely reference the exploits of Achilles and Odysseus in conversation and idiom, but do we know the full story?
The Epics is an attempt to episodically present a connected tale built from these ancient stories. Over a series of performances that combine traditional storytelling with live audio-drama and surround sound effects, The Epics hopes to bridge the gap and knit these recounts of mythology-infused Greek and Roman history into a cohesive and thrilling account of heroes, monsters, gods, and trials.
The Epics uses an experimental story-telling and audio drama format to episodically retell a large part of known ancient Greek mythology.
APRIL 17th - 19th / NOVEMBER 20th - 22nd
We think we know the stories that have shaped the Western world, and we can vaguely reference the exploits of Achilles and Odysseus in conversation and idiom, but do we know the full story?
The Epics is an attempt to episodically present a connected tale built from these ancient stories. Over a series of performances that combine traditional storytelling with live audio-drama and surround sound effects, The Epics hopes to bridge the gap and knit these recounts of mythology-infused Greek and Roman history into a cohesive and thrilling account of heroes, monsters, gods, and trials.
The Epics uses an experimental story-telling and audio drama format to episodically retell a large part of known ancient Greek mythology.
HIJINX + THE DIRE
JUNE 5th - 13th
Hijinx Theatre Company in collaboration with The Dire Theatre Company presents a brand new, ridiculously whimsical fairy tale about puppets, economic collapse, and the dangers of eating beans out of a sock, that is definitely NOT Jack and The Beanstalk.
The regions newest visiting semi-pro theatre company teams up with the regions only semi pro theatre company to bring you nonsense and puppets.
JUNE 5th - 13th
Hijinx Theatre Company in collaboration with The Dire Theatre Company presents a brand new, ridiculously whimsical fairy tale about puppets, economic collapse, and the dangers of eating beans out of a sock, that is definitely NOT Jack and The Beanstalk.
The regions newest visiting semi-pro theatre company teams up with the regions only semi pro theatre company to bring you nonsense and puppets.
THE INAUGURAL WRITE ABOUT NOW MICRO-FESTIVAL
JUNE 19th - 21st
Write About Now is a celebration of community, creativity, and collective action. This micro festival invites participants to share their voices, opinions, and reflections on the past, present, and future through performance, writing, and collaborative artistic practice.
The program features original performances, including the newly minted Dire work 'To Kill a Tyrant: Love Letters and Manifestos After the Fact', as well as hanging literature gardens, community letters to the past, present, and future, collectively created messages to world leaders, and open-mic opportunities. It’s a space where the community comes together to express, question, and imagine, using creativity as both dialogue and action.
Write About Now celebrates the technical skill and artistic talent of our region, showcasing the ingenuity of local literary and performance artists, while also highlighting the power of creative expression as a tool for reflection and change.
JUNE 19th - 21st
Write About Now is a celebration of community, creativity, and collective action. This micro festival invites participants to share their voices, opinions, and reflections on the past, present, and future through performance, writing, and collaborative artistic practice.
The program features original performances, including the newly minted Dire work 'To Kill a Tyrant: Love Letters and Manifestos After the Fact', as well as hanging literature gardens, community letters to the past, present, and future, collectively created messages to world leaders, and open-mic opportunities. It’s a space where the community comes together to express, question, and imagine, using creativity as both dialogue and action.
Write About Now celebrates the technical skill and artistic talent of our region, showcasing the ingenuity of local literary and performance artists, while also highlighting the power of creative expression as a tool for reflection and change.
BABEL
AUGUST 7th - 15th
Trapped in a bunker beneath a world that no longer needs them, a small group of linguists and strategists eek out an existence powered mostly by vain hope and routine. Once, they were a communication post between nations, but now the surface is silent and the war is lost. This changes when a new radio signal is intercepted and there is a knock on the bunker door.
What should have been a hopeful turn of events quickly evolves into a source of dread and division. How can they trust this newcomer? Particularly when nobody inside the bunker can understand the language is stranger is speaking?
Babel is a brand new Dire Original speculative drama about language and trust, where communication is paramount for everyone to leave alive.
AUGUST 7th - 15th
Trapped in a bunker beneath a world that no longer needs them, a small group of linguists and strategists eek out an existence powered mostly by vain hope and routine. Once, they were a communication post between nations, but now the surface is silent and the war is lost. This changes when a new radio signal is intercepted and there is a knock on the bunker door.
What should have been a hopeful turn of events quickly evolves into a source of dread and division. How can they trust this newcomer? Particularly when nobody inside the bunker can understand the language is stranger is speaking?
Babel is a brand new Dire Original speculative drama about language and trust, where communication is paramount for everyone to leave alive.
STORIES BEFORE THE VEIL
AUGUST 21st - 29th
Stories Before the Veil is a horror anthology that can be chilling, heartbreaking, and unexpectedly funny, but at its centre, it’s about a group of friends learning how to live after losing one of their own.
Since high school, this group has kept a strange little tradition: meeting at the same spot every full moon to tell scary stories. As the burden of adulthood creeps in, jobs, responsibilities, distance; the ritual has begun to fade. And when their friend Michael dies from cancer, it feels like the tradition should die with him.
All except for Ash.
Refusing to let go, Ash insists they gather one more time. While the others assume this is the final farewell, Ash is determined to keep the ritual alive. What begins as harmless ghost stories slowly turns darker, as the group starts using their tales to reveal hidden fears, buried truths, and the secrets they’ve been too afraid to say out loud.
This project is part of The Dire Theatre Company's 'Open Door' initiative that aims to resource early career artists to produce their own original work.
AUGUST 21st - 29th
Stories Before the Veil is a horror anthology that can be chilling, heartbreaking, and unexpectedly funny, but at its centre, it’s about a group of friends learning how to live after losing one of their own.
Since high school, this group has kept a strange little tradition: meeting at the same spot every full moon to tell scary stories. As the burden of adulthood creeps in, jobs, responsibilities, distance; the ritual has begun to fade. And when their friend Michael dies from cancer, it feels like the tradition should die with him.
All except for Ash.
Refusing to let go, Ash insists they gather one more time. While the others assume this is the final farewell, Ash is determined to keep the ritual alive. What begins as harmless ghost stories slowly turns darker, as the group starts using their tales to reveal hidden fears, buried truths, and the secrets they’ve been too afraid to say out loud.
This project is part of The Dire Theatre Company's 'Open Door' initiative that aims to resource early career artists to produce their own original work.
HAMLET
SEPTEMBER 11th - 19th
This condensed staging of Hamlet strips the play back to its essentials, sharpening the story and letting the drama land with clarity and force.
When Prince Hamlet returns home, he discovers his father is dead, his mother has married his uncle, and the throne has changed hands overnight. Then the ghost of his father appears and claims he was murdered. Caught between doubt and duty, Hamlet begins a dangerous search for the truth, spiraling into deception, surveillance, betrayal, and the devastating cost of revenge.
Our edit trims away excess while preserving Shakespeare’s poetry and the emotional intensity at the heart of the play. What remains are lean, gripping, and immediate examinations of the major themes of the story: grief, suspicion, love, loyalty, and consequence.
This production becomes part of The Dire Theatre Company’s Shakespeare in Schools project, giving students a powerful, accessible introduction to one of western theatre’s greatest works.
SEPTEMBER 11th - 19th
This condensed staging of Hamlet strips the play back to its essentials, sharpening the story and letting the drama land with clarity and force.
When Prince Hamlet returns home, he discovers his father is dead, his mother has married his uncle, and the throne has changed hands overnight. Then the ghost of his father appears and claims he was murdered. Caught between doubt and duty, Hamlet begins a dangerous search for the truth, spiraling into deception, surveillance, betrayal, and the devastating cost of revenge.
Our edit trims away excess while preserving Shakespeare’s poetry and the emotional intensity at the heart of the play. What remains are lean, gripping, and immediate examinations of the major themes of the story: grief, suspicion, love, loyalty, and consequence.
This production becomes part of The Dire Theatre Company’s Shakespeare in Schools project, giving students a powerful, accessible introduction to one of western theatre’s greatest works.
PATREON PLAYREADING
OCTOBER 9th - 10th
The Patron Play Readings showcase a collection of brand-new short plays written in house, especially for our top-tier Red Wolf Patreon supporters. Each script begins with ideas, prompts, and characters suggested by our Patrons, then our in house writers shape those sparks into original works for the stage!
The plays are presented as rehearsed readings, that is actors onstage with scripts in hand performing for a live audience. Our Red Wolf patrons are invited to follow the process, offer thoughts and feedback, and help shape the final versions before performance.
It’s a chance for us to thank our Patrons and to mine their imaginations for original new ideas!
OCTOBER 9th - 10th
The Patron Play Readings showcase a collection of brand-new short plays written in house, especially for our top-tier Red Wolf Patreon supporters. Each script begins with ideas, prompts, and characters suggested by our Patrons, then our in house writers shape those sparks into original works for the stage!
The plays are presented as rehearsed readings, that is actors onstage with scripts in hand performing for a live audience. Our Red Wolf patrons are invited to follow the process, offer thoughts and feedback, and help shape the final versions before performance.
It’s a chance for us to thank our Patrons and to mine their imaginations for original new ideas!
THE ANNUAL CARDBOARD COMEDY SING-A-LONG SHOW
DECEMBER 11th - 19th
Our annual Cardboard Comedy Sing-A-Long sits proudly in the same scrappy, ridiculous tradition as Cardboard Pirates and Cardboard Carols. It’s homemade, a bit crude, totally low-stakes and absolutely built for nonsense, laughter, and loud, joyful singing.
The show leans into the fun of bad props, wobbly sets, over-the-top characters, and jokes that probably shouldn’t be on stage. The audience is also invited to be a part of the chaos, being encouraged to sing and lean into the silliness.
It’s the chance to end the year not with stress or polish, but with cardboard, camaraderie, and one big, highly flammable, laugh.
Stay tuned for a show title announcement closer to curtain!
DECEMBER 11th - 19th
Our annual Cardboard Comedy Sing-A-Long sits proudly in the same scrappy, ridiculous tradition as Cardboard Pirates and Cardboard Carols. It’s homemade, a bit crude, totally low-stakes and absolutely built for nonsense, laughter, and loud, joyful singing.
The show leans into the fun of bad props, wobbly sets, over-the-top characters, and jokes that probably shouldn’t be on stage. The audience is also invited to be a part of the chaos, being encouraged to sing and lean into the silliness.
It’s the chance to end the year not with stress or polish, but with cardboard, camaraderie, and one big, highly flammable, laugh.
Stay tuned for a show title announcement closer to curtain!