Theatre-Rites to debut immersive family show ‘Return to the Forest’ in Manchester and London this May

Artwork Design: Emile Chen. Photography: Chris Nash

As part of Theatre-Rites 30th anniversary year, the company will premiere a new immersive promenade production, Return to the Forest, at Manchester's Aviva Studios, before moving to Sadler's Wells East this May.

In a celebration of heritage and our connection to the natural world, Return to the Forest blends dance and puppetry to create an immersive production for families and children aged 8+. Audiences are invited into a museum where precious objects are kept to be seen but never touched. But as dusk falls, the precious objects stir, seeming to call to the last remaining visitors, yearning to be free. 

Return to the Forest explores how heritage is not something to be locked away, but a living, breathing force that requires respect and care. Marking their 30th anniversary, Theatre-Rites reunites with award-winning South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma (The Global Playground, Manchester International Festival 2021) to deliver their signature style of experimental theatre for children.  

Return to the Forest is a high-energy performance that guides audiences in promenade, moving them from the museum to an enchanted forest. Through powerful movement and mesmerising puppetry, Return to

the Forest follows five performers out of the museum and back into nature, magically transported by precious objects – including an Ishoba, an ancient map and a Gelede mask – which are yearning for their freedom.

With a surveillance camera watching at all times, the daring questors stage a heist. But can it really be one when the objects are leading the way? In a tale of curiosity and transformation, this production offers children and families a playful, thought-provoking exploration of what we value, how we protect it and who our heritage belongs to. 

Return to the Forest makes its World Premiere at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, which also runs the biennial Manchester International Festival, before opening in London at Sadler’s Wells East. 

Director of Return to the Forest and Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites Sue Buckmaster said:

I feel honoured to have this opportunity to co-create once more with Gregory and a brilliant collaborating team. It feels very special to be able to make an original performance which is for children and adults to share and experience together. I am super excited to combine some contemporary masquerade and puppet figure concepts with exquisite dancers. I hope the experience will offer the artists involved and the audiences who attend; a precious moment to ponder on and celebrate the importance of the interdependence of nature and human nature. 

Choreographer Gregory Maqoma said:

Return to the Forest with Sue Buckmaster and Theatre-Rites opens a space for audiences to engage not only with culture, but with heritage and the deeper question of what still matters in the world. It is a shared journey into the forest to discover, to renew, and to learn.

Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International John McGrath said:

We're thrilled to be working once again with Theatre-Rites and world-renowned choreographer Gregory Maqoma - a creative collaboration born of Manchester International Festival in 2021. Five years on, Return to the Forest combines their expertise to create a visually stunning, energetic and thought-provoking arts experience for all ages.

Sue Buckmaster is the Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites, a puppetry expert and the fifth generation of theatre practitioners in her family. She is known for her unique puppet whispering technique, and her work is celebrated for its use of Animism. She has directed over 30 theatre and site-specific productions for Theatre-Rites, including The Welcoming Party and The Global Playground (MIF 2017/2021) and Mischief (Sadler’s Wells and Dance Touring Consortium).  She also works as a mentor, dramaturg and external director and has collaborated with other companies, including directing Chotto Desh and Chotto Xenos for the Akram Khan Dance Company. 

Gregory Maqoma is an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer. Born in Soweto, he began dancing in the late 1980s to escape political tensions. After training at Moving into Dance from 1990, he became Associate Artistic Director in 2002. He founded Vuyani Dance Theatre in 1999 while studying at PARTS in Belgium. He's collaborated with renowned artists including Akram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. His accolades include three-time FNB Vita Choreographer of the Year, 2002 Standard Bank Young Artist Award, 2012 Tunkie Award for Leadership in Dance, and France's Chevalier de L'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2017). 

Theatre-Rites is an award-winning leader in experimental theatre for children, recognised nationally and internationally for its imaginative touring and site-responsive productions. The company has created over 30 theatre-based and immersive productions for children and families in the UK and internationally.

Committed to intercultural collaboration and working across disciplines, Theatre-Rites presents children with striking, contemporary imagery while placing audiences at the heart of each experience to foster a sense of agency. Notable productions include Mischief (TMA Award, Achievement in Dance), Houseworks, The Lost and Moated Land, Journey of a Refugee (ETTIE Award; OFFIE Award), Zoe’s Peculiar Journey Through Time, and Paradise. Theatre-Rites Puppets, Objects & Sites (published 2021) was written by Dr Sue Buckmaster and Dr Liam Jarvis.

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Return to the Forest runs at Manchester's Aviva Studios from 7th to 10th May 2026, and London's Sadler's Wells East from 28th to 30th May 2026. For more information and to book tickets, visit theatre-rites.co.uk