Sunday 12 October
Philosophy of the World
The Fringe First Award-winning show from In Bed with My Brother.
Daddy’s hired the venue, paid the deposit and organised the photoshoot. Our first Fringe show in six years. So, this is fate. This is our PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD – inspired by the best worst band of all time, The Shaggs. We’ll play the band. You play the audience. It’ll be perfect. Load up on guns, bring your friends. (Free soda on admission.)
‘Ear-splittingly loud, raucous, rambling, thoughtful, clever, provocative and absolutely and utterly brilliant.’
★★★★★ What’s On Stage
‘Effervescent and bubbling at the brim with anger, wit and vitality’
★★★★★Corr Blimey
‘A furious and funny rallying cry against patriarchy and perfection’
★★★★ The Stage
Monday 13 October
From Movement to Meaning Workshop
Join us for this physical theatre workshop where we explore how stories, characters, and scenes can emerge from the body in motion. Drawing on her experience with companies such as Gecko and Punchdrunk, Katie Lusby will guide the group through dynamic and playful exercises that use movement as the starting point for both improvising and devising. Open to performers and makers from all backgrounds, come ready to move and create as we dive into the exciting world of physical storytelling.
Exclusively for Elevate members.
Book nowAdapting Exe Men Workshop
Join acclaimed screenwriter Ashley Pharoah (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes) and Northcott Creative Director Martin Berry in conversation about the Northcott world premiere production of Exe Men. The two will discuss their process of bringing the iconic story to the stage, including taking questions, lifting the lid on how Ashley made the transition from screen to stage, and how they handled a cast of 40 people and a play with 31 scenes.
Exclusively for Elevate members.
Book now Become an Elevate MemberLAYLI (&Majnun)
Exeter Northcott Associates Company Scheherazade present their newest piece currently in development, an adaptation of the classic SWANA romance, Layli & Majnun. A tale of forbidden love, two lovers forced apart by societal constraints, reunited in the autumn of their lives.
Book nowScratch Night
In collaboration with Exeter Phoenix
A bunch of local theatre makers, comedians, dancers, musicians, actors and clowns are going to try some new things – and you’re invited to experience it.
Join us as we sample the delights of a smorgasbord of bold, fresh, new work in progress performances. It’s the first crucial part of a journey for the acts and a left-field night like no other for the audience.
This event is taking place at Exeter Phoenix.
Book nowTuesday 14 October
Artists’ Social with Landmark Theatres
Co-hosted by Exeter Northcott and Landmark Theatres, this is an opportunity for Elevate members to come and spend time with other creatives, share ideas, and meet the artist development teams for both theatres. Each attendee will receive a complimentary drink.
Exclusively for Elevate members.
Book now Become a memberElevate Shorts
Brand-new short plays, brought to life by a team of directors and actors from across the region.
BeanyBroadums by Michael Ramus, Directed by Rachael Walsh
Dogging by Hattie Collins, Directed by Helen Gilbert
Old Wives Tale by Charlie Coldfield, Directed by Helen Gilbert
Mary Hartley and the Peacocks by Nash Colundalur, Directed by Rachael Walsh
Wednesday 15 October
Cluck!
Devon based Actor-Musician company Stowaway Theatre present CLUCK!; a brand-new original musical inspired by the bizarre true story of Mike the Headless Chicken (a chicken from 1940s Colorado who lived for 18 months without its head!).
With puppetry, live music and many, many eggcellent chicken puns, this headless chicken hoe-down is a must see for all ages!
Book nowPlaying Dead (but why am i still talking?)
When a young woman dies and wakes up post-mortem on a theatre floor, she is forced to keep performing in this sharp, slippery, and honest solo show about the chaos of being perceived, the terror of intimacy, and how some stories won’t die until you tell them right.
Written by Rosalie Roger-Lacan and performed by Alice Bebber.
book nowMeet Mayor Max
Meet America’s friendliest politician! He isn’t afraid of the RUFF questions! He won’t ROLL OVER on the big issues! Vote for him to SIT in office! An unbelievable true story about the town with a dog for a Mayor.
Written by Alex Robins and directed by Jon Nash.
book nowThursday 16 October
Titus Andronichus – A Rehearsed Reading
Join our company of professional actors for a script-in-hand reading of William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. Probably Shakespeare’s most controversial play, this is an invitation to reflect on the nature of authority and explore what happens when personal and political motivations mingle and clash to the extreme.
book nowFriday 17 October
First Ripple Sharing
This piece explores female sexual awakening through poetic metaphors, combining puppetry, movement, poetry, soundscapes, and Chinese Sign Language. It aims to evoke sensory experiences and emotions surrounding female pleasure, agency, and self-discovery.
book nowNewsicals
An evening of drinks, chat and ideas for new musicals hosted by Documental Productions, Newsicals showcases original musical theatre songs by local talent, demonstrating Devon’s new musical theatre scene and showcasing a number of exciting and ambitious new musicals, including work by Shotgun Theatre, Lizi Bennett,James Joshua Otto, Kat Kleve, Naomi Turner, Rachael Gleghorn and Micha Mirto.
Click the booking link for the full line-up.
book nowSaturday 18 October
Emergency Chorus
Since 2022, Emergency Chorus have been hosting Past Works Recycling Plant, a night for ‘recycled’ performance. For Elevate Festival, they will lead a day-long workshop with Exeter Northcott’s Associate Artists and Companies, exploring ways of recycling their artistic archive.
book nowThe Shakespeare Gym Workshop
An opportunity for local performers to practise their classical sight-reading skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Using blind casting, we will explore various parts of the Titus Andronicus text together, helping actors feel more confident when approaching classical texts.
Exclusively for Elevate members.
book nowOngoing throughout the Festival
Anon Making with Squeezebox
Our Associate company Squeeze Box will be taking over the Barnfield for a week in 2026, and for this year’s Elevate Festival, they offer you a chance to be part of the making process…
Society seems all too ready to squeeze us into boxes, so join us as we transcend pressures that force us to feel 2-dimensional, having to neatly fit the stereotype…
Anons are A4 human shaped cutout canvases of infinite possibilities – and throughout Elevate Festival (including points where the Squeeze Box artists make with you) our DIY stall invites you to take this very notion and give the Anon an identity, transforming them into something fabulous! Yet, something threatens to take away what makes us human – the dreaded brown envelope. Like-postcode-lotteries, will you get good or bad news from your envelope drop?
Become an Elevate Member
Our free Elevate membership gives South West artists access to exclusive opportunities, press nights, social events and discounts, including a 10% discount at the Northcott and Barnfield bar and café, and ticket discounts on selected shows.
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