BAFTA-nominated actor and ex-Morley student Johnny Harris leads the line-up for Performers of Morley Festival 2026, a five-week celebration of music, dance, drama and performance running from week commencing 23rd February to 28th March 2026 at Morley College London’s Waterloo Centre for Adult Education.
The festival brings together internationally recognised artists, Morley alumni, expert tutors and current students across a wide programme of performances, masterclasses, Penny Lectures and workshops. The events will take place in Morley’s newly modernised Emma Cons Hall, showcasing its recently restored murals, and the Holst Room, with pop-up events across Waterloo.
Festival highlights include a series of Penny Lectures, a tradition dating back to 1882 when Morley’s co-founder, Emma Cons, began hosting talks at the Old Vic Theatre in London’s Waterloo.
These include a Screen Acting Masterclass with BAFTA-nominated actor, screenwriter, and Morley drama alumnus Johnny Harris, who returns to his alma mater to share insights from a career spanning London to Brighton, This Is England ‘86, The Fades, War Horse and Welcome to the Punch.
Further Penny Lectures featured in the Festival:
● Author, historian and London tour guide Jack Chesher, opens the Penny Lecture series with a talk about the history of the local area and performance at Morley.
● Writer and performer Tim Benzie will give the Penny Lecture, It’s a Mystery!, a funny and moving exploration of why murder mysteries endure, drawing on his lifelong love of detective stories and pop-culture sleuths.
● Broadcaster Angela Rippon’s passion for dance – from her memorable cameo on Morecambe and Wise in 1976 to the creation of the Let’s Dance movement.
Alongside the Penny Lectures, the Performers of Morley Festival 2026 will present a wide-ranging programme of performances, masterclasses and workshops, including:
• Morley Chamber Orchestra in concert – Mozart & Mendelssohn
● A celebration of jazz at Morley with the Morley Big Band and Morley tutors’ ensembles.
● A piano masterclass with Nikos Stavlas
● A dance performance by the UK’s premier jazz theatre company, Body of People (BOP), and a performance by Morley dance tutors
● A performance by Selfish Jean, Morley’s first rock band
● A sound art performance of I Am Sitting in a Hall in the newly restored Emma Cons Hall
● A series of free lunchtime classical concerts, with selected performances broadcast live on Morley Radio
● A learn to DJ workshop
● Opera scenes performed by Morley Opera School, with stories with ghosts and supernatural elements, concluding the festival.
The Performers of Morley Festival 2026 shines a spotlight on Morley’s unique role as a training ground for performers at every stage of life and their careers – from beginners discovering a new passion to professional artists.
Student performances sit alongside professional concerts and talks, designed to inspire future learners and demonstrate the exceptional standard of Morley’s music and performing arts education.
A number of events are free to attend, including Penny Lectures, student performances and lunchtime concerts. Ticketed events range from free to £15, ensuring accessibility while supporting Morley’s charitable mission.
Tickets are available at: www.morleycollege.ac.uk/performers-of-morley-festival-2026
