Dear All,

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of Ensemble.

Helen and I recently attended the London launch of the Bradford Regeneration and Growth Strategy, where Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, delivered a speech about exciting plans for the city’s future, including the opening of creative college The BRIT School North, a proposed new train station in Bradford, and enhanced transport links between the major Northern cities.   

Trafalgar has played a major part in Bradford’s story since we were announced as operators of Bradford Live exactly one year ago this week. The venue is going from strength to strength, as this month’s sold-out Kaiser Chiefs gig proved, with one journalist claiming that “Bradford Live is set to become one of the biggest live music venues in the North.” We all realised the potential in Bradford Live from the moment we stepped foot inside the venue, and we are committed to working with our partners at Bradford Council on building a bright future for the venue and the wider city.

In other news, we launch our brand-new musical The Ballad of Johnny & June next month. From the director of Jersey Boys, and produced by Trafalgar Theatre Productions, the acclaimed musical, features the iconic songs of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. We’d love for you to join us for the Tour’s first ever UK performance at Churchill Theatre Bromley on 2 March. You’ll find booking details in this month’s Production article.

2026 marks 50 glorious golden years for Theatre Royal Sydney. The Sydney team will be celebrating this major milestone throughout the year, and we’ll be keeping you updated with these special moments in future newsletters. This month, we take a look back at the history of the venue. 

I was honoured to be a guest on Trafalgar Education’s podcast series last year, and now, the podcast team have secured a major exclusive with one of the stars of the Wicked movies. Bethany Weaver who plays Dorothy in the movies, is a former Stagecoach teacher, so this is a truly wonderful full circle moment.

Also in this issue, we hear about some inspirational fundraising stories, there’s the Connect at G Live Open Day, a look at Imagine Theatre’s sustainable pantomime, plus a bumper month of news from our venue teams. Enjoy reading this month’s Ensemble, and until next time, take care of yourselves.

Best wishes
Rosemary