Tom Fox returns to Emma Rice Company for the world premiere of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a magical new adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ beloved festive poem. Directed by Emma Rice, the production promises a heartwarming blend of music, puppetry, and poetic storytelling.
Staged at The Lucky Chance in Frome, this enchanting show offers a gentle escape from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. With a cast including Simon Oskarsson, Katy Owen, and Robyn Sinclair, it’s set to be a seasonal highlight.
Performances run from 25 November to 21 December 2025. Book tickets here.
You’re starring in A Child’s Christmas in Wales at The Lucky Chance, what can you tell us about the show?
The show is full of Christmas joy, nostalgia and wonder! It’s a fantasia of Dylan Thomas’ Christmas memories – from the sublime to the surreal.
The production is packed with song, dance, laughter and fun, but also gives pause for the love, loss and contemplation we might feel at this time of year.
What drew you to this production and working with Emma Rice again?
Working with Emma is always such a treat. The worlds she creates on stage are like no other.
In rehearsals, you feel incredibly safe and secure to play, make an offer, make mistakes, try again, learn new skills and be held by the incredible people she brings into the ensembles, on stage and off.
I was excited about this production because the story is full of memories, images, vignettes and larger-than-life characters. I knew that we’d have to bring our best devising, clowning and playful spirits to rehearsals to conjure this magic box of a show.
The show blends music, puppetry, and shadows, how does that affect your performance style?
There’s definitely another performance happening behind the scenes – with all of us running around playing many parts, changing the scene, bringing out puppets and instruments.
The show lasts an hour but my goodness is it packed full! Coming from a clowning background, performing in shows that are fast-paced, with lots of props and characters, I do feel at home.
However, this is on another level – it was such a good feeling when all the components came together in our first run of the show. Performing in the show is like eating the best Christmas dinner – so much variety on the plate and you’re going to enjoy every single element!
What’s it like performing Dylan Thomas’ poetic work on stage during the festive season?
The show is the epitome of Christmas. You cannot help but feel warm and fuzzy after every show. It also feels otherworldly.
Dylan Thomas’ words are hypnotic and, combined with Emma’s dream-like highly theatrical staging, it’s so much fun every time we play it. Emma Rice Company have done an incredible job decorating the building with lots of Christmassy offerings at the bar. It’s an experience as soon as you enter the building.
You’ve worked with Emma Rice Company before, how does this production compare to previous ones?
Every time I work with Emma Rice Company, I know every project will be different. For Blue Beard it was about magic, loss and anger; Little Match Girl was about hope and the power of storytelling; Wuthering Heights was about the epic and the intimate.
Every time, Emma sets up a world for all of us to play in. So coming into this project, I knew it would feel new and fresh.
I’ve toured with Emma Rice Company in the UK and abroad but this show feels like the company is coming home. The venue in Frome, The Lucky Chance, is where the company makes their work, runs their training programmes and develops ideas for future productions.
It is where I first met Emma and the company. I attended the Summer Residency programme in 2023 and was invited, with a small group of other performers, for a week to work with the Emma Rice Company team. It’s a very special place for me and such a pleasure to present a show in the engine room of the company.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see A Child’s Christmas in Wales?
A Child’s Christmas in Wales is for anyone wanting to laugh, cry, sing along, throw things at actors and come out with a song in your heart and a spring in your step.
The show celebrates Christmas and this time of year, in all its forms. It is not sugar-coated, and looks at all the joy, loss, longing and wonder you can experience during this time.
It’s theatrical magic with heart and soul. What’s not to like? I hope to see you in the bar afterwards for some mulled wine!
