This Week in Theatre Across the UK: 29 June to 5 July 2026

The West End is only part of the story in any given week. For the week of 29 June to 5 July 2026 the touring circuit, the great producing houses and the national companies are all busy, and several of the titles you can see on tour or in a regional theatre have close cousins playing in London. Here is the wider view, with the live London sittings linked where you can book them and the purely regional dates noted for the record.

On tour: Operation Mincemeat in Plymouth

The standout on the touring circuit this week is Operation Mincemeat, the Olivier Award-winning comedy musical about the real wartime deception that helped turn the Second World War. It plays the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 29 June to 4 July, a full week within our window, as part of a UK tour that runs alongside the show's continuing West End life at the Fortune Theatre. If you cannot get to Plymouth, our archive piece on the show's many West End extensions tells you just how far its reputation has travelled.

At Stratford: the RSC's summer Shakespeare

The Royal Shakespeare Company's summer in Stratford-upon-Avon is in full swing. A Midsummer Night's Dream is playing at The Other Place this week, the company's most intimate Stratford space, while the Swan Theatre prepares for The Cherry Orchard, which opens on 10 July. If you are planning a trip, our Stratford-upon-Avon and RSC visitor guide covers the theatres, the town and how to make a day of it. These are producing-house runs rather than bookable tour dates, so we note them here rather than linking them.

On the South Coast: Chichester's busy fortnight

Chichester Festival Theatre is at one of its liveliest points of the season. In the Minerva, the studio space, 45 Years, Hannah Patterson's stage adaptation of Andrew Haigh's film starring Geraldine James, plays its final fortnight, closing on 11 July. And on the main Festival Theatre stage, the company's new production of My Fair Lady begins its first previews on 6 July, the day after our window closes, so this is the last week before Lerner and Loewe's classic arrives. Our Chichester visitor guide is worth a look if you are tempted.

The London sittings you can book

Several titles that define the touring and regional circuit also have a permanent London home you can book right now. Six, the pop-history phenomenon that tours the country relentlessly, plays its West End residency at the Vaudeville. Les Miserables at the Sondheim is the source production behind every arena and touring incarnation, and The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales is another title that doubles as a regular tourer. Each is a way to see a touring favourite without leaving zone one. Our touring hub tracks what is on the road more widely.

Beyond the headliners

The regional producing houses rarely make the national listings but reward the search, from Sheffield Theatres and Manchester's Royal Exchange to Bristol Old Vic, each running its own summer programme this week. If a touring musical is what you are after, our explainer on how touring musicals work and where to see them is a useful primer. And for the capital itself, the rest of this week's coverage is in our West End round-up, the best-reviewed list and the best-value guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best touring show to see this week?

Operation Mincemeat, the Olivier Award-winning wartime comedy musical, plays the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 29 June to 4 July 2026 and is the standout on the touring circuit, alongside its continuing West End run at the Fortune Theatre.

What is the RSC playing in Stratford this week?

A Midsummer Night's Dream is on at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon this week, while The Cherry Orchard opens at the Swan Theatre on 10 July 2026, just after our window.

What is on at Chichester Festival Theatre right now?

45 Years, starring Geraldine James, plays its final fortnight in the Minerva and closes on 11 July 2026, while the main-stage production of My Fair Lady begins previews on 6 July 2026.

Can I see touring titles in London instead?

Yes. Several relentless tourers have permanent London homes you can book now, including Six at the Vaudeville, Les Miserables at the Sondheim and The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales.