Dinosaur lovers can rejoice as London’s Natural History Museum launches their first ever touring dinosaur theatre production. Created in collaboration with Mark Thompson Productions, Dinosaurs Live! will be a one-of-a-kind family show where guests can expect close encounters of a prehistoric kind, exploring the vast and ancient history of our planet.
Ever since the first dinosaurs were described in the 1820s, they have sparked the vivid imaginations of children and adults alike. Nearly six million curious minds flock to the Natural History Museum every year to find out more about the brilliant beasts that used to roam our planet. However next year, the Museum will be taking its expertise to 60 venues across the UK, with more soon to be announced.
Maxine Lister, Head of Licensing at the Natural History Museum, said; “With 370+ world-leading scientists, the Natural History Museum is a hub for pioneering research and as such, we continually look for new ways to connect our audiences to stories about our natural world. Dinosaurs Live! promises to be the perfect gateway into a fascination with the prehistoric, suitable for all the family. This is the first time – since it opened in 1881 – that the Museum has created a touring theatrical production of this scale, that will be taken outside our iconic venue and onto stages across the country.”
Promising a family adventure like no other, Mark Thompson Productions has been working closely with the Museum’s palaeontologists to develop Dinosaurs Live!, which will be making its debut in February 2025. Audiences can expect an enthralling deep dive into our planet’s several billion-year history, as well as coming face-to-face with extinct species which will come alive on stage through astounding animatronics, including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and the fearsome Velociraptor.
Leading family show writer and director, Miranda Larson, who is currently developing Tom Fletcher’s The Creakers Musical at the Southbank Centre, has been brought onto lead the creative team for the brand-new show.
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 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 will take a fun, engaging and entertaining approach whilst keeping the heart of the educational aspects at the core of the production. This show will be aimed at all the family and, with the plans around the animatronic dinosaurs already being developed, promises to ensure that all that attend will have a roar-some, fun-filled time!”
Dinosaurs Live!, created in collaboration between the Natural History Museum and Mark Thompson Productions, will begin its UK run from 23 February 2024 . For more information, including touring venues and dates, visit: https://nhmdinosaurlive.com/.
