Theatre at Dartington and Around the South Hams

The theatre scene around Totnes is more varied than first impressions suggest. The town and surrounding South Hams sustain a remarkable mix of professional touring productions, amateur dramatics with deep local roots, broadcast National Theatre Live screenings and seasonal fringe festivals. Anyone visiting with even a casual interest in performance will find something staged within a short drive.

The Barn Theatre and Cinema at Dartington

The Barn at Dartington has one of the strangest and most distinguished theatre histories in England. Originally a fifteenth-century tithe barn, it was converted into a working theatre by the architect Walter Gropius and Robert Henning in 1938, as part of the Elmhirst family’s transformation of the estate. It has been programming continuously ever since, although since the 1970s it has run principally as a cinema.

The current programme blends arthouse and mainstream film with regular live broadcast theatre. National Theatre Live, Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet, Met Opera, Glyndebourne and British Museum events are all screened in the Barn through the year. These broadcasts are particularly worth knowing about for visitors: they let you see a London production on the same night that London audiences see it, but in a fifteenth-century barn with a glass of wine from the White Hart Bar in your hand.

The Barn’s live theatre programming is more occasional than its film calendar, but visiting touring companies still appear in the converted theatre space and elsewhere on the estate. Always check dartington.org or call the box office on 01803 847070 for current listings.

Totnes Civic Hall productions

Totnes Civic Hall, on Market Square at the top of the High Street, is the main town venue for live performance. The Totnes Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, TAODS for short, has been mounting productions here for over ninety years. The annual pantomime, written and directed by Gina Tredwell in recent years, sells out reliably each January, with productions like Little Red Riding Hood marking the company’s 2026 90th anniversary season.

Beyond TAODS, the Civic Hall hosts touring drama, contemporary dance, community theatre and seasonal one-off productions. Recent and upcoming programming has included productions of We Are the Water across March 2026 and various festival programmes through the year.

The Totnes Fringe Festival

The Totnes Fringe Festival runs each summer, with 2026 dates falling across 9 to 12 July. The festival transforms the town into a pop-up stage for bold, independent theatre, with productions held across the Civic Hall, pubs, gardens, the Bull Inn courtyard and other unexpected spaces.

The Fringe is the best single window into the local performance scene. Tickets are mostly low-cost or free, the programme leans towards small companies and emerging work, and the atmosphere across town is exceptional. If you are choosing dates for a Totnes break and theatre matters to you, the Fringe weekend is the one to pick.

The Ukulele Festival

Less obviously theatre, but worth a mention, the Totnes Ukulele Festival programmes professional uke acts at the Civic Hall over a Friday and Saturday evening in spring, drawing players and audiences from across the country.

Around the South Hams

Slightly further afield, the Plough Arts Centre in Great Torrington, the Northcott Theatre at the University of Exeter and the Theatre Royal Plymouth all pull in touring productions worth a trip. Closer in, village halls in places like Stoke Gabriel, Ashprington, Buckfastleigh and Diptford host community productions, choral concerts and visiting theatre in miniature. The Bay Horse Inn and the Barrel House Ballroom both occasionally host theatre and spoken-word evenings as part of their wider programming.

How to book and what to expect

Tickets for Dartington productions and screenings are available through the box office on 01803 847070 (1.30 to 7.30pm daily) or via dartington.org. Civic Hall tickets are sold through the Totnes Town Council and Ents24 listings, plus direct from individual production companies via TicketSource. Fringe Festival programmes are released a few weeks ahead, with individual show pages going live in early summer.

For most performances, doors open thirty minutes ahead of curtain. The Barn has a small bar on site. The Civic Hall sells drinks at TAODS productions and most touring events. Dress is informal at every venue, but the Barn keeps a slight chill year-round, so a jumper helps even in summer.

Why theatre in Totnes works

The mix of professional and amateur, of touring and locally rooted, of broadcast and live, is what makes the local theatre scene unusually generous. You can watch a National Theatre production in the morning and a community panto in the evening, with neither feeling out of place. For a small market town in South Devon, that range is something to celebrate.

Theatre courses and workshops

Dartington’s wider arts programming includes occasional workshops and short courses in acting, voice work and devised theatre, often running across a weekend or a long week in the summer. These are typically aimed at adults with some prior experience, but introductory weekends pop up across the year. Information is published through Dartington Trust’s What’s On listings, with course leaders frequently drawn from the wider Devon theatre scene including the Theatre Royal Plymouth and visiting London directors.

For younger visitors, summer holiday drama workshops are run at several venues in Totnes including the Civic Hall and the youth-focused organisations that operate through the town. Booking is usually direct with each provider; ask at the Tourist Information Centre on the Plains for current contacts. The local children’s drama tradition is strong, with several actors who began at TAODS or in summer schools now working professionally on television and stage.