Last checked: 1 October 2026.

The Orchard Theatre has been part of my theatre-going life for years, so seeing the original Dartford venue preparing to welcome audiences back feels a bit special. This guide brings together the reopening, what’s coming up in 2026 and 2027, practical visitor information and some of my older Orchard reviews from the Clarissa’s Corner archive.

What’s On at The Orchard Theatre Dartford

If you’re planning ahead, this is the bit to bookmark. I’m building the Orchard programme month by month so you can see what’s coming up without having to hunt through different categories. The current official programme includes community and creative-learning events before the original theatre reopens, followed by the main reopening season from December 2026 onwards.

October 2026

• Creative Learning Community Fair — 3 October 2026 — free community event.
• West End Workshop – & Juliet — 26 October 2026 — creative-learning workshop.
• Kids Craft Club — 28 October 2026 — creative-learning activity.
• Paper, Pens and Rising Voices – Writing and Performance Workshop — 29 October 2026 — writing and performance workshop.

November 2026

• Creative Learning Community Fair — 7 November 2026 — free community event.

December 2026

• Creative Learning Community Fair — 5 December 2026 — free community event.
• Cinderella — 12 December 2026–3 January 2027 — the Orchard’s reopening pantomime, starring Joe Pasquale with Keith Jack, Abbie Budden, Ben Goffe, Gareth Mitchell, Garnon Davies and Vanessa Dumatey.

January 2027

• Cinderella — continues until 3 January 2027.
• Makings of a Murderer: Fatal Mistake with Donal MacIntyre — 6 January 2027 — true-crime special event.
• The Adult Panto: Puss & Dick — 7 January 2027 — adults-only twist on traditional panto.
• Rob Lamberti Presents Perfectly George — 8 January 2027 — live music.
• Hey Jude! Get Back With The Beatles — 9 January 2027 — Beatles tribute.
• The Magic of Motown — 10 January 2027 — Motown live show.
• The Signalman — 11–13 January 2027 — Charles Dickens’ ghostly story adapted for the stage.
• Bay City Rollers — 14 January 2027 — live music.
• Hometown Glory – Candlelit Concert — 15 January 2027 — live music.
• Live Next To The Apollo On Tour — 16 January 2027 — comedy with Jen Brister, Jeff Innocent, Esther Manito and Eli Hart.
• In The Air Tonight — 17 January 2027 — live music.
• Dire Streets — 20 January 2027 — live music.
• Sky Full Of Stars — 21 January 2027 — live music.
• Alan Carr: Have I Said Too Much? — 22–24 January 2027 — comedy.
• Blood Brothers — 26–30 January 2027 — Willy Russell’s much-loved musical. I’ve already seen this one — read my Blood Brothers review from the archive.
• The Illegal Eagles – Their Greatest Hits Tour 2027 — 31 January 2027 — Eagles tribute concert.

February 2027

• The Classic Rock Show 2027 — 2 February 2027 — live music.
• Keys & Gray Unleashed – Richard Keys & Andy Gray — 3 February 2027 — special event.
• Ronnie, Reggie & Me with Fred Dinenage — 4 February 2027 — special event.
• Lost In Music – One Night At The Disco — 5 February 2027 — live music.
• Boyband In The Buff — 6 February 2027 — live entertainment.
• SYP Shrek 2027 Auditions — 7 February 2027 — creative-learning/youth project auditions.
• Islands In The Stream — 10 February 2027 — live music.
• The Roy Orbison Story — 11 February 2027 — live music.
• The Celine Experience — 12 February 2027 — live concert celebrating Celine Dion.
• Giovanni – Unstoppable — 13 February 2027 — Giovanni Pernice’s 2027 dance tour.
• Cirque: The Greatest Show — 14 February 2027 — family-friendly circus and musical-theatre spectacular.
• Operation Mincemeat — 23–27 February 2027 — the Olivier Award-winning musical and very firmly one of the shows on my Orchard wishlist.
• Rumours of Fleetwood Mac: 50th Anniversary Tour — 28 February 2027 — Fleetwood Mac tribute concert.

March 2027

• Operation MI6 — 3 March 2027 — a live special event stepping inside the world of MI6.
• Let The Music Play: The Legend of Barry White — 4 March 2027 — soul and Motown tribute concert.
• Nathan Carter And His Band — 5 March 2027 — live country music.
• Sing The Musicals — 6 March 2027 — West End musical favourites with live band and sing-along lyrics.
• Queenz – Battle Of The Divas! — 7 March 2027 — live-vocal pop spectacular for adults.
• Björn Again — 10 March 2027 — ABBA live tribute.
• Al Murray: All You Need Is Guv — 12 March 2027 — stand-up comedy.
• Phil Wang: UH OH — 13 March 2027 — stand-up comedy.
• Katzeye – The Tribute Experience — 14 March 2027 — high-energy live tribute celebrating the global pop group KATSEYE.
• Singin’ in the Rain — 16–20 March 2027 — the classic screen-to-stage musical. Read my Singin’ in the Rain UK & Ireland Tour guide.
• Seven Drunken Nights — 23 March 2027 — tribute to The Dubliners.
• Murder, She Didn’t Write — 24 March 2027 — improvised comedy murder mystery.
• That’ll Be The Day — 26 March 2027 — music, comedy and nostalgia from the 1950s to the 1980s.
• Luther Live & Velvet Voices — 27 March 2027 — soul and R&B live show.
• La Voix Live — 30 March 2027 — live vocals, comedy and cabaret.
• A Shoddy Detective — 31 March 2027 — comedy murder mystery.

April 2027

• DAODS: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang — 7–10 April 2027 — Dartford Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society’s family musical.
• The Story of Guitar Heroes — 11 April 2027 — guitar anthems across five decades.
• The Ultimate Boyband Party Show — 13 April 2027 — 90s boyband nostalgia.
• What’s Love Got To Do With It? — 14 April 2027 — Tina Turner tribute concert.
• Auld Pals: An Evening With The Stars Of Still Game — 15 April 2027 — stories and comedy from the cast of Still Game.
• Ed Gamble: Fresh Hell — 18 April 2027 — stand-up comedy.
• The Psychology Of Serial Killers — 20 April 2027 — forensic psychology live talk.
• Dickens Theatre Company Presents Revision On Tour: Macbeth — 22 April 2027 — GCSE-friendly theatre and revision production.
• Dickens Theatre Company Presents Revision On Tour: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde — 23 April 2027 — GCSE-friendly theatre and revision production.
• Francis Rossi — 25 April 2027 — Songbook: Quo – Past, Present, Future.
• Dirty Dancing — 27 April–1 May 2027 — the classic story on stage. I’ve already seen this one — read my Dirty Dancing review from the archive.

May 2027

• Dirty Dancing — continues until 1 May 2027.
• Johnny Cash Roadshow — 2 May 2027 — live celebration of the Man in Black.
• Jonathan Agnew: My Ten Moments that Shaped Modern Cricket — 4 May 2027 — live cricket stories and Q&A.
• Classically Kate Bush — 6 May 2027 — Kate Bush’s music performed by a live band with an 18-piece orchestra.
• The Sensational 60’s Experience — 7 May 2027 — live 1960s music celebration.
• Murder Trial Tonight V: Death In The Family — 8 May 2027 — immersive courtroom experience, age 16+.
• Boyzlife Featuring Keith Duffy & Brian McFadden — 9 May 2027 — Boyzone and Westlife hits.
• Midsomer Murders – The Killings At Badger’s Drift — 12–15 May 2027 — theatrical adaptation of the crime favourite. Read my Midsomer Murders review from Churchill Theatre Bromley.
• Johannes Radebe: Finally Home — 21 May 2027 — dance.
• The Full Monty — 24–29 May 2027 — stage production of the British comedy.

June 2027

• Dear Zoo Live! — 3–4 June 2027 — family stage adaptation of Rod Campbell’s picture book.
• Tap Factory — 8 June 2027 — tap, acrobatics, music and comedy.
• Strangers On A Train — 15–19 June 2027 — psychological thriller based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel.
• The Bon Jovi Experience — 24 June 2027 — Bon Jovi tribute concert.
• Ben Portsmouth: This Is Elvis — 25 June 2027 — Elvis live tribute.
• Michael Starring Ben — 27 June 2027 — Michael Jackson tribute production.

July 2027

• Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys Experience — 16 July 2027 — live celebration of The Beach Boys.
• Uptown Funk – The Bruno Mars Experience — 22 July 2027 — Bruno Mars tribute concert.

August 2027

• Jersey Boys — 10–14 August 2027 — the 20th Anniversary tour. Read my Jersey Boys UK Tour 2026–27 guide.
• Dinosaur World Live — 27–28 August 2027 — family dinosaur stage show.

September 2027

• Horrible Histories Live: Horrible Henrys — 5 September 2027 — family history show featuring England’s eight Henrys.
• Too Much Too Young — 12 September 2027 — live ska theatre experience.
• Fascinating Aïda: Bawdacious! — 29 September 2027 — comedy cabaret.

October 2027

• Emma Kenny’s Murderous Minds — 3 October 2027 — live true-crime and criminal-psychology show.
• Spice Girls – The Theatre Show — 9 October 2027 — live Spice Girls tribute.
• The Mousetrap — 18–23 October 2027 — Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery on its 75th Anniversary Tour. Read my Mousetrap 75th Anniversary Tour guide.
• Chicago — 25–30 October 2027 — the iconic Kander, Ebb and Fosse musical, and another one firmly on my Orchard wishlist.

Programme checked 1 October 2026. The Orchard programme is continuing to evolve as new dates are added and listings are updated, so I’ll keep this guide refreshed as the reopening season develops. See the official Orchard Theatre What’s On listings for the latest availability and booking information.

Three I’ve Got My Eye On

I’ve already seen Blood Brothers and Dirty Dancing, but there are three on this new Orchard season that are firmly on my radar: Operation Mincemeat, Jersey Boys and Chicago.

I already have a full Jersey Boys UK Tour 2026–27 guide, and my Singin’ in the Rain UK & Ireland Tour 2027 guide follows that production around the tour too.

A Little History of The Orchard Theatre

The Orchard Theatre has been part of Dartford’s cultural life for more than 40 years. Opened by the Duke of Kent in April 1983, it became a familiar stop for touring musicals, plays, comedy, live music, family shows and, of course, Dartford’s annual pantomime.

It has a fair bit of history with me too. I’ve been visiting and reviewing shows at The Orchard for years, and some of those older visits are still sitting in the Clarissa’s Corner archive — from The Rocky Horror Show and The Sound of Music to Rehearsal for Murder and Mr Bloom’s Nursery Live.

In September 2023, the theatre had to close after a routine inspection found deterioration in RAAC panels in the auditorium roof. While the main building was out of action, the temporary 1,000-seat Orchard West opened nearby in December 2023, keeping theatre and pantomime in Dartford while the original venue underwent major works.

Now the original Orchard is coming back. The refurbishment has included the roof works alongside wider improvements around the building and accessibility, and the theatre is due to reopen on 12 December 2026 with Cinderella.

For me, it feels less like discovering a new theatre and much more like welcoming back an old one. I’ve got years of Orchard memories in the archive, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what this next chapter brings.

The Orchard Theatre Reopening

The Orchard returns following extensive refurbishment works. One of the most useful changes is a new lift serving the ground floor, stalls bar, circle bar and Upper Stalls access, alongside an additional accessible toilet at Circle Bar level. The theatre has also highlighted improvements to its technical infrastructure as part of the refurbishment.

Getting to The Orchard Theatre

The Orchard Theatre: Home Gardens, Dartford, Kent DA1 1ED.

A quick note while the venues change over: Trafalgar’s combined visitor page is still displaying the temporary Orchard West address at 20–54 Hythe Street. The original Orchard Theatre is the Home Gardens venue. Always check the venue shown on your ticket before travelling during the reopening period.

Dartford railway station is around a six-minute walk from the theatre. The Orchard does not have its own public car park; nearby options include The Orchards Shopping Centre and Dartford Station car park. Parking is managed separately, so check current restrictions and charges before travelling.

Accessibility

The refurbished Orchard Theatre has a ramped accessible entrance, six wheelchair spaces in the Front Stalls with companion seating, an additional wheelchair and personal-assistant space in the Upper Stalls, accessible toilets and the new lift. Selected productions offer captioned, audio-described, relaxed and sign-interpreted performances.

For accessible seating and access questions, the venue asks customers to contact its ticketing team on 0343 310 0033. Always check the individual production before booking, as accessible performances vary by show.

Food & Drink

The Orchard has bar and refreshment facilities for audiences. As the original theatre moves back into operation, check the venue information attached to your performance for the latest food, drink and interval arrangements.

From My Orchard Theatre Archive

I’ve been covering shows at The Orchard for a long time. If you fancy a rummage through the Clarissa’s Corner theatre archive, start with The Rocky Horror Show, The Sound of Music, Rehearsal for Murder and Mr Bloom’s Nursery Live.

You can find more reviews and current theatre coverage on my Theatre & Culture hub. For Christmas, see my Christmas & Pantomime Guide 2026, which includes Cinderella at The Orchard.

Tickets

Some ticket links on Clarissa’s Corner may be affiliate links. Where an affiliate booking option isn’t available, I link directly to the official venue so you can check the latest dates, availability and prices.

Programme details, dates and accessibility arrangements can change. This guide was checked against the official Orchard Theatre and Dartford Borough Council information on 1 October 2026, but always confirm your individual performance and venue before travelling.