Founding Director, Mary King consolidates the success of her first year introducing new sessions, new opportunities and creating special summer holiday projects.

The operation expands with the opening of a new Playbox in Warwick and the move into Kenilworth’s Talisman Theatre with increased hours, studio and rehearsal space. Children and young people flock to their own professionally run organisation and both centres fill up. A tour of PETER PAN for hospital wards is mounted. Our pioneering EARLY STAGERS theatre for pre-school children opens.

The three-centre operation continues to expand and Playbox moves into its Priory Road offices. New staff join us and a full production programme is developing with large productions for the Arts Centre and small-scale tours. A Shakespeare, ROMEO & JULIET, wins acclaim both in Warwickshire and at Edinburgh Festival. Santa Monica Playhouse visit us from Los Angeles, initiating an important relationship.

Playbox International created and the company undertakes a first trip to Poland at the invitation of the Ministry of Arts and Cracow City Council for the European Arts Festival. NEWS, THE  SELFISH GIANT and TWO HOUSES based on Romeo and Juliet, travel. ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, a lavish retelling of Lewis Carroll’s story plays to sell-out audiences at the Arts Centre and a show for pre-school children, HENNY PENNY, wins friends at Edinburgh Festival. A new centre Stratford-upon-Avon opens.

Huge developments as Rugby centre opens. Productions at home and on tour. An invitation to perform in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s theatre spaces in Stratford-upon-Avon with ALICE and HENNY PENNY, whilst PINOCCHIO, using circus techniques, is hailed on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe “exquisite!”. The company tour to the U.S.A. and perform THE CRY OF WOMEN, PINOCCHIO and DREAMING - a Shakespeare workshop, in Los Angeles. A sixth centre opens Leamington Spa. Over ten major productions of distinctive style are now being created each year.

Over 900 young people with Playbox Theatre Company. The company return to Poland with THE TROJAN WOMEN and PINOCCHIO and are filmed for National Television programme “Plum Boom!”. Mary King stages a lavish and sell-out interpretation of Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, and a funding investment from West Midlands Arts enables the company to commission and stage IN TRANSIT - the Chernobyl play by Paul Wignall. Playbox make two television productions, TAKE 4 and HOW WE USED TO LIVE for Yorkshire Television.  Extensive tours, summer projects, international visitors and the securing of PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren. The company initiate a new circus training and production facility CIRCUS OF THE MOON for young people and celebrate seven years of continued expansion and growth.

Over 1,000 young people with Playbox as we open PLAYBOX IN THE CITY in Coventry. Our companies tour Federico Garcia Lorca’s YERMA, sponsored by BT, in both the UK and USA.       PIPPI LONGSTOCKING breaks our box office records at Edinburgh Festival after season at Warwick Arts Centre and Stratford-upon-Avon Festival. We stage a major International Festival EAST MEETS WEST in Kenilworth Castle, the first of its kind on an English Heritage site, with three companies from the USA and Japan. Our biggest ever Christmas show THE THREE MUSKETEERS sells out at Warwick Arts Centre and our USA tour is acclaimed as “outstanding”.

Playbox stages a major multi-cultural work THE BRAVE MAGICIANS OF MANGALORE at Warwick Arts Centre, and with the support from Central Television plc. Takes an Education Programme on the road with trainers from SAMPAD (South Asian Music Performance and Dance). Our Shakespeare treatment of DREAMING continues to win friends at festivals and Warwick Arts Centre with plans laid for extensions in the UK and overseas.   Playbox tour Japan with a reworking of ROMEO & JULIET and restaging of PINOCCHIO. So successful is this venture that the troupe is immediately invited to return! The Winter Season at Warwick Arts Centre of THE WINTER’S TALE and the first in our projected Grimm Cycle RAPUNZEL break box office records in December.

Major international projects as Playbox Theatre Company’s creative team create the UK’s entry for the 1998 WORLD FESTIVAL OF CHILDREN’S THEATRE in Germany using young actors from Brewhouse, Burton-on-Trent. THE JUNIPER TREE is seen in the UK and EUROPE.  A Northern Base opens at Grand Opera House, York and UK tour takes Diane Samuel’s KINDERTRANSPORT to regional centres, and the Award Winning NEWS restaged in a former swimming pool in Bristol. A spectacular celebration of the clown THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS opens in he summer and, eventually with KINDERTRANSPORT, tours the USA. Building of The Dream Factory commences in Warwick.

THE DREAM FACTORY opens in May with an extensive preview season including the young production company’s STRIKES, and epic Shakespeare production HENRY IV parts 1 & 2, a baroque masque CINDERELLA and visitors from the USA and Canada.   Adrian Mitchell joins Playbox to create the company’s Millennium show THE MAMMOTH SAILS TONIGHT! and plans are made to develop Greek tragedy, a new children’s show and an Elizabethan classic within the next twelve months.

Playbox Theatre Company stage two festivals, a celebration of work for children and a confection of William Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies. For Autumn 2001, a major multidisciplinary creation CIRC.CHICANE featuring an international team of creators receives its premiere at The Dream Factory. The Autumn season also sees PETER PAN given a major reworking and the Shakespeare season ends with HAMLET.

The company undertakes a restructuring exercise whilst opening new UK bases, creating diverse shows and planning a new US tour. THE BOYFRIEND brings the musical onto our stages, whilst GOLDONI’S THE VENETIAN TWINS is staged in collaboration with Warwick & Leamington Festival.

Playbox Theatre Company create new projects and forge some exciting new partnerships both in the UK and overseas. On stage a diverse collection of work includes Ron Hutchinson’s epic new drama BELIEVERS originating with the events of 09/11.   Leading Butoh exponent Marie-Gabrielle Rotie develops the movement techniques for this multi-media epic.

Playbox Theatre Company explore new horizons with the planned launch of Phases 2/3 of The Dream Factory. On stage the company produce a Hans Andersen trilogy to celebrate his bicentenary. Generator creates THE WARS OF THE ROSES at The Dream Factory and special site-specific version at Kenilworth Castle with our most prestigious corporate partnership to date thanks to Barclays. Playbox Theatre Company provide creative content for Winter weekend openings at Compton Verney, the new art gallery near Stratford-upon-Avon and for a second year stage Barclays Awards events.

Playbox Theatre Company celebrate 20 years of energy, enthusiasm and passion with a birthday year of unique celebrations.  With funding LAND ROVER, THE STUDIO at The Dream Factory establishes itself as a central ‘laboratory’ for the company and an exciting small space performance area.

Playbox Theatre Company announce for 2006 the biggest ever creation for the theatre, Philip Pullman’s HIS DARK MATERIALS.  Opening in Spring with the story unfolding over two evenings or special ‘double days’

Playbox in collaboration with Shristi house training in Asian Dance and movement.

Playbox Theatre Company collaborate with leading Asian dance company ANGIKA to launch their new production.  Angika will direct the movement on a new production from Playbox in Autumn 2006 as part of the unique birthday year programme, TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT.