Graeae and Derby Theatre to tour new musical Wedding Fayre in 2027
Graeae and Derby Theatre will tour a new folk-punk musical about forced marriage around Britain next spring.
Wedding Fayre opens at Derby Theatre from 5 to 13 February 2027. A press performance follows at 7.30pm on 9 February, according to the announcement published on 24 September. WhatsOnStage
The show was written by Paul Sirett. Music is by Max Runham. Jenny Sealey, Graeae's artistic director, directs. Joey Hickman provides musical direction.
It is set in a near-future England. A new law says adults judged not to meet standards of "normal" must marry someone who does by midnight. Derby Theatre sums up the premise with the tagline: "Not married? Don't want to be married? Don't believe in it? You might not have a choice…" Derby Theatre
The cast is made up of professional Deaf, Disabled and neurodivergent performers. For audiences, this means access is built into the staging. Every performance integrates British Sign Language, captions and audio description.
Captions display dialogue and sound as text. Audio description gives a spoken guide to the visual action for people who are blind or have low vision. Listings also note relaxed performances, with a more informal house style.
What makes this stand out is how that access travels. It is part of every date, not added on for selected nights.
Graeae describes itself as a human rights charity creating work that puts access at its heart. Graeae Derby Theatre is led by artistic director and chief executive Sarah Brigham.
After Derby, the tour calls at Leeds Playhouse on 16 and 17 February 2027. It then plays Queen's Theatre Hornchurch on 19 and 20 February and Warwick Arts Centre from 25 to 27 February.
The second half of the run takes in New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich from 2 to 6 March. Then Watford Palace Theatre from 16 to 20 March. It closes at Perth Theatre from 24 to 27 March.
