Preview: Where Do All The Kittiwakes Go At Christmas? at Newcastle Live Theatre

Where Do All The Kittiwakes Go At Christmas?

Newcastle Live Theatre

Tuesday 9 - Sunday 21 December 2025

Live Theatre's festive season takes an unexpected and delightfully quirky turn this year with the premiere of Where Do All The Kittiwakes Go At Christmas?, a new family show that promises to answer one of life's most pressing questions: where exactly do those cheeky seabirds disappear to when the chips run out?

Writer and director Jack McNamara has crafted what sounds like a wonderfully imaginative alternative to traditional Christmas fare. Rather than the usual pantomime suspects, audiences will follow the adventures of Newcastle's beloved kittiwakes as they embark on a globe-trotting journey, meeting "outrageous friends" from around the world. The production even features an alien and a plastic bag among its cast of characters, suggesting the kind of inventive, off-kilter storytelling that Live Theatre does so well.

The show brings together two talented performers who'll bring this feathered tale to life. Shannon McLean, making her Live Theatre debut, is a Newcastle-born actor and theatre school owner whose credits include Blue Jean for BBC Films and productions at Webster's Theatre and Tron Theatre. She'll be joined by Live Theatre favourite Malcolm Shields, whose impressive CV spans stage and screen, from I, Daniel Blake to Outlander, and includes extensive choreography work that should add visual flair to the production.

Malcom Shields

What gives the show additional poignancy is its dedication to the Slender Billed Curlew, declared officially extinct in 2024. McNamara hints that this lost species might make a "spectral appearance," suggesting the production will blend its comedic adventure with something more thoughtful about conservation and loss.

Starting in "shivery Newcastle" before taking flight around the world, this promises to be a show that combines local charm with global storytelling, wrapped up in the kind of creative ambition that has made Live Theatre one of the country's most vital new writing venues for over fifty years.

Shannon McLean

Perfect for families looking for something a little different this festive season, Where Do All The Kittiwakes Go At Christmas? might just answer the existential questions you didn't know you needed answering.

Tickets:

Where Do All The Kittiwakes Go At Christmas? runs at Live Theatre from Tuesday 9 to Sunday 21 December 2025. For tickets and more information, visit www.live.org.uk