Rugby has two pantos: Mother Goose at the Benn Hall, 22 to 28 December, from £15.50, and Rugby Theatre's Dick Whittington, 15 to 24 January 2027.

Rugby has two pantomimes this winter. Mother Goose at the Benn Hall runs from Tuesday 22 to Monday 28 December 2026, and Rugby Theatre’s Dick Whittington runs from Friday 15 to Sunday 24 January 2027 on Henry Street.

Correction, 25 September 2026: when this page was first published on 5 September it said Rugby had no Christmas pantomime. That was wrong. Five Star Theatre has staged a Christmas panto at the Benn Hall for ten years, and its 2026 show is below.

Mother Goose at the Benn Hall, 22 to 28 December

From Five Star Theatre and the Benn Hall box office, checked 25 September 2026:

  • Dates: Tuesday 22 to Monday 28 December 2026
  • Tickets: £15.50 to £18.50. Box office 01788 533719
  • Relaxed performance: Wednesday 23 December at 1.30pm
  • Adults only: the Sunday 27 December performance at 8pm is for over-18s
  • Cast: the company’s regular trio, Ethan as the Dame, Shane as Silly Billy and Ciaran as Jack. Five Star calls it its tenth year of Benn Hall panto

The full list of performance times is on the box office booking page.

Dick Whittington at Rugby Theatre, 15 to 24 January

Rugby Theatre, the town’s volunteer-run theatre, puts its panto on in January. Checked 5 September 2026. Every detail in this section comes from Rugby Theatre’s own show pages.

Every performance

Thirteen performances, over two weekends and the week between them. The theatre lists them as:

Date Time
Friday 15 January 7.30pm
Saturday 16 January 2.30pm and 6.30pm
Sunday 17 January 2.30pm and 6.30pm
Monday 18 January no show
Tuesday 19 January 7.30pm
Wednesday 20 January 7.30pm
Thursday 21 January 7.30pm
Friday 22 January 7.30pm
Saturday 23 January 2.30pm and 6.30pm
Sunday 24 January 2.30pm and 6.30pm

The dark Monday is the one to watch for. Both Sundays carry a full pair of shows, which is unusual and useful if a weekend afternoon is the only slot that works.

Tickets and prices

Tickets are not on sale yet. The show page carries the line “TICKETS ON SALE SOON” and, under Tickets, “Details coming soon”. The only thing published is that concessions are available.

That is worth knowing rather than guessing at. Rugby Theatre is an amateur society run entirely by volunteers, and its prices sit well below a touring commercial panto, but no 2027 band has been set. For comparison, the theatre’s December concert is priced at £20.

Booking is through the theatre’s own box office:

  • Box office: 01788 541234, box.office@rugbytheatre.co.uk
  • Non-show weeks: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 7pm to 8pm, Saturday 10.30am to 12pm
  • Show weeks: Monday to Friday 7pm to 8pm, Saturday 10.30am to 12pm
  • Doors and box office open 30 minutes before each performance, and the theatre warns it may refuse or restrict entry to latecomers

Who is making it

Rugby Theatre names the creative team on the show page: directed by Nicky Main, choreography by Carrie Gamble, musical director Matt Watson.

The story is the traditional one, with Dick and his cat heading for London and King Rat causing trouble, and the theatre promises the usual booing and cheering.

Two practical warnings from the theatre

Effects. The production uses haze, flashing lights and occasional loud sound effects. The theatre’s own wording is that these are common in pantomime “but some audience members may find them uncomfortable or sensitive”, and it asks anyone who needs help to speak to a member of staff.

Booster seats. There is a small stock of free booster seats on a first come, first served basis. Ask house staff, or bring your own if you have one. Get there early if you need one.

Access and getting there

Rugby Theatre is at Henry Street, Rugby CV21 2QA, in the middle of the town centre and a short walk from the main car parks. There is wheelchair access from the side entrance, wheelchair spaces in the stalls which can only be booked by telephone, and a hearing loop in the auditorium.

Our parking in Rugby page has the tariffs and the evening rules for each town centre car park, and roadworks and travel covers anything closed on the approach.

Other festive shows in December

Besides Mother Goose, Rugby Theatre’s own December show is Yuletide: Dashing Through the Musicals, on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 December 2026, both at 7.30pm. Tickets are £20, with concessions available. It is a concert rather than a play: songs from Oliver!, Waitress, Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music and Hamilton among others, devised by Mark Rumsey and Esther McCormick with musical director Liam Walker.

The other thing to know about this winter is that the Macready Theatre is closed. Rugby’s other theatre is being refurbished and is running pop-up shows in a range of venues across the Rugby School campus until January 2027, so its programme is not in its usual home.

Before the panto, Rugby Theatre’s autumn season includes Much Ado About Nothing from 19 to 26 September and Calendar Girls The Musical from 24 to 31 October.

Sources

  • Five Star Theatre, what’s on page (Mother Goose dates, cast), and the Benn Hall box office on PatronBase (dates, prices, relaxed and over-18s performances), checked 25 September 2026

  • Rugby Theatre, Dick Whittington show page (dates, performance times, dark Monday, creative team, effects warning, booster seats, tickets on sale soon), checked 5 September 2026

  • Rugby Theatre, Yuletide: Dashing Through the Musicals show page (dates, times, £20 price, creative team), checked 5 September 2026
  • Rugby Theatre home page (box office hours, address, accessibility, autumn season), checked 5 September 2026
  • Macready Theatre, macreadytheatre.co.uk (refurbishment and pop-up venues to January 2027), checked 5 September 2026