Timi Akinyosade takes on the title duckling in Honk! at the Barn Theatre this Christmas, in a company headed by Claire-Marie Hall and directed by Ryan McBryde.
Timi Akinyosade, whose credits include Paddington The Musical and the television comedy Man Like Mobeen, will play Ugly in the Barn Theatre’s festive staging of Honk!. The production runs in Cirencester from Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with Ryan McBryde directing.
Heading the cast is Claire-Marie Hall, who has appeared in Operation Mincemeat and Les Misérables. She is joined by Molly Cheesley (NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, Malory Towers), Maz McGinlay (Hairspray, Greatest Days), Nikki Biddington (Cats, Faking Bad), Silas Wyatt-Barke (The Prince of Egypt, Sweeney Todd), Daniel Robinson (Heathers the Musical, Piaf) and Joseph Claus (Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady). Rachael Proud plays multi-reed and Ted Hayes is on drums.
George Stiles and Anthony Drewe’s musical takes The Ugly Duckling as its starting point. Ugly is teased by his siblings and friends for the way he looks, and when he strays from home and lands in trouble he has to find his own way back, through wild goose chases, cases of mistaken identity and some unlikely new friends, learning along the route where he really fits. The show won the Olivier Award for Best Musical and has since been staged in more than 8,000 productions around the world.
Four young performers from the local area will complete the company as the Ducklings and Froglets. They are paid roles, and the Barn is holding auditions at the theatre on Saturday 24 October 2026, with rehearsals starting on 26 October. Young performers who are confident singers, actors and dancers can apply, and the theatre is encouraging applicants of every gender and appearance.
Choreography is by Joanna Goodwin, with musical direction from Ben Ward and musical supervision and orchestrations by Lee Freeman. Casting is by Harry Blumenau CDG, Dan Weager is production manager and Niamh Percy is company stage manager. The production was announced by the Barn Theatre’s CEO and artistic director, Iwan Lewis.
The press performance is on Wednesday 25 November 2026. Tickets are on sale now from the Barn Theatre box office.
