Barn Theatre names cast for Christmas Honk!

Timi Akinyosade will play Ugly in Honk! at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester this Christmas.

The Gloucestershire theatre has announced its cast for the musical by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling. Claire-Marie Hall joins Akinyosade in the company, alongside Molly Cheesley, Maz McGinlay, Nikki Biddington, Silas Wyatt-Barke, Daniel Robinson and Joseph Claus WhatsOnStage.

Ryan McBryde will direct. The production runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with a press performance on 25 November.

Honk! follows a cygnet rejected for looking different as he searches for home. It won the Olivier Award for Best Musical, the London theatre prize run by the Society of London Theatre. The Barn said it has been staged more than 8,000 times worldwide.

The run is the Barn's winter production. The theatre, at 5 Beeches Road in Cirencester, operates as an unsubsidised charity, meaning it works without regular public subsidy.

Local children can join in too. Four places are available in a young company playing Ducklings and Froglets. Auditions take place at the Barn on 24 October, with rehearsals starting on 26 October.

What makes this stand out for families is the scale. A small room, a familiar story, and a cast of eight plus four young performers. No spectacle named yet. Just dates, names and a duckling.