Dinosaurs Live! The Natural History Museum’s first-ever touring theatre show opens first performance

The Natural History Museum’s highly anticipated touring theatre production, Dinosaurs Live!, opened at the weekend with its first performance at The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare. Created in collaboration with Mark Thompson Productions, this is the Museum’s first-ever touring theatre which will be playing for a 60-date run throughout 2025.

The Dinosaurs Live! production will take theatre goers and dinosaur lovers on a fascinating journey to meet some of the extinct species from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods as they join Palaeontologist Dr Dina Rocks on a ‘roar-some’ adventure.

An accidental click of the wrong button on a surprise time machine sends Dr Dina Rocks and her volunteers on an exciting excursion and, with the help of the audience, they meet some incredible animatronic dinosaurs, including the spiky Stegosaurus, the enormous Diplodocus and the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. Find out more about the fascinating fossils which aided the discovery of dinosaurs and see firsthand just how our incredible planet has changed over the course of its several billion-year history.

A family adventure like no other, Mark Thompson Productions has worked closely with the Museum’s world-leading palaeontologists to develop the exciting show.

Maxine Lister, Head of Licensing at the Natural History Museum, said: “This is the first time since our Museum opened in 1881 that we have taken a theatrical production outside our iconic building and across the country. Our mission is to create advocates for the planet and inspire a love for the natural world in the whole family and what better way than taking the Museum’s world-leading research and bringing dinosaurs to life on stage. For history lovers of any age, it is certainly not one to miss!”

Mark Thompson, Director of Mark Thompson Productions, says: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Natural History Museum in their first ever theatrical live show. Dinosaurs Live is an opportunity to take one of the world’s most respected, world renowned organisations to theatres around the country and introduce audiences to the wonderful work that has led to the Natural History Museum being one of the UK’s most prized assets. The live show takes a fun, engaging and entertaining approach whilst keeping the heart of the educational aspects at the core of the show. This show is aimed at all the family and promises to ensure that all that attend the live show will have a roar-some, fun-filled time!”

Suitable for ages 3+, leading family show writer and director, Miranda Larson, who recently developed Tom Fletcher’s The Creakers at the Southbank Centre, has led the creative team for the brand-new hour-long adventure.

Dinosaurs Live! continues its run this week with performances at Empire Theatre in Consett (26 February) and Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff (28 February) ahead of a busy schedule across the country until 31 October.

Created in collaboration between the Natural History Museum and Mark Thompson Productions, tickets for Dinosaurs Live! are available now. For more information on tickets and venues, visit https://nhmdinosaurlive.com/.

ENDS

Notes To Editors

Press Contact

Natural History Museum press office

press@nhm.ac.uk

Assets

Available to download HERE

Credit: Pamela Raith

Listings Information

Name: Dinosaurs Live!

Recommended ages: 3+

Tickets: https://nhmdinosaurlive.com/

Dates: 23 February 2025 – 31 October 2025; additional dates TBC

Performance Dates

26 February Empire Theatre, Consett

28 February Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

15 March Malvern Theatres, Malvern

16 March Fareham Live, Fareham

22 March White Rock Theatre, Hastings

30 March Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline

6 April Cliffs Pavillion, Southend-on-Sea

9 April Corn Exchange, Cambridge

10 April Storyhouse, Chester

13 April Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

14 April Apex Theatre, Bury St Edmunds

15 April Palace Theatre, Newark

16 April Stockton Globe, Stockton-on-Tees

17 April Hull Theatres, Hull

19 April Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

4 May Central Theatre, Chatham

17 May Civic Theatre, Rotherham

25 May Grove Theatre, Dunstable

27 May The Brindley, Runcorn

28 May Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield

31 May Deco Theatre, Northampton

1 June Radlett Centre, Radlett

15 June New Victoria Theatre, Woking

21 June Churchill Theatre, Bromley

29 June Grand Theatre, Blackpool

6 July De Montfort Hall, Leicester

20 July Venue Cymru, Llandudno

23 July Garrick Theatre, Lichfield

26 July Grand Opera House, York

2 August Theatre Royal, Portsmouth

15 August Alexandra Palace, London

16 August Alexandra Palace, London

17 August Alexandra Palace, London

27 August Theatre Royal, St Helens

28 August Hippodrome, Darlington

31 August Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

6 September Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells

13 September Parr Hall, Warrington

20 September Severn Theatre, Shrewsbury

21 September Severn Theatre, Shrewsbury

27 September Albany Theatre, Coventry

4 October Beck Theatre, Hayes

5 October Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage

19 October Fire Station, Sunderland

25 October Spotlight Theatre, Hoddesdon

26 October Hawth, Crawley

28 October Hexagon Theatre, Reading

29 October Palace Theatre, Watford

31 October Cast, Doncaster

About Commercial Licensing at the Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is an iconic heritage brand known and loved all over the world, and the winner of best licensed heritage brand for four years running. Its licensing department develops innovative products that reflect the Museum’s core values and inspire a love of the natural world.

The breadth of the Museum’s collections, encompassing 80 million specimens, and its archives bursting with incredible artwork, enables it to be endlessly creative with the brands it collaborates with and the products they bring to life together, from apparel and stationery to gifting, homewares and toys.

We are proud that the quality of the Museum and its licensees’ work has been recognised with 20 licensing industry awards since 2019. This includes the best licensed preschool or accessories range at the 2024 Licensing Awards, and best brand home décor product or range at the 2024 Brand and Lifestyle Awards. The Museum’s licensing department continues to team up with prestigious brands and retailers which share its vision of creativity and sustainability both within the UK and globally.

About Mark Thompson Productions

Established in 2013 and with over 900 individual performances planned for 2025, Mark Thompson Productions specialises in taking well-known preschool, family and education brands to the theatre market.

Current shows include Ministry of Science Live – Science Saved the World, Milkshake! Live with Paramount, Fireman Sam Live! with Mattel, Science Museum The Live Stage Show with Science Museum Group, Natural History Museum presents Dinosaurs Live with Natural History Museum, Tom Gates EPIC Stage Show with TG Entertainment and Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter’s The Dinosaur That Pooped A Rock Show.

Developing edutainment shows is also at the core of the company’s portfolio and they have firmly built a reputation as the UK’s leading company for STEM engagement productions working with a number of organisations and institutes worldwide bringing their brands alive theatrically.

www.mt-productions.co.uk

About Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is a world-leading scientific research centre and one of the world’s most visited museums. Our mission is to create advocates for the planet – people who act for nature.

Our 400 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency - from reversing biodiversity loss to resourcing the green economy.

We are seeking an additional £150 million to transform our South Kensington building: placing our groundbreaking research at its heart, revitalising four existing galleries, opening two new magnificent galleries and delighting 1 million more visitors a year with the wonders of the natural world.