EM FORSTER THEATRE
October 2026
Live Performance in the Heart of Tonbridge
Listings
THE MYSTERY OF THE EM FORSTER THEATRE
Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th October | EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £12, Family ticket 4 for £40 | Age 7
Calling all trainee detectives! Join us for The Mystery of EM Forster Theatre, an award-winning board-game style theatre show where your skills are needed to solve this thrilling murder mystery.
From the creators of I Believe in Unicorns comes this new brain-teasing interactive adventure. Team up with super sleuth Danyah Miller to navigate secrets and surprises. We’ll examine evidence, inspect video footage, and interrogate suspects, every clue bringing us closer to the truth. Can we crack the case together? Expect intrigue, spontaneity, and a sprinkle of magic.
Get involved… Get it solved!
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: THE MISANTHROPE
Thursday 8th October 7.00pm | EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £16, £14 students | Cert 15
Award-winner Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) plays the title role in this razor-sharp reimagining of Molière’s classic dark comedy.
Telling the truth isn’t always that simple. Alice, a brilliant novelist, despises the carefully constructed lies of modern society. But the more she challenges those around her, the fiercer the backlash becomes. Soon, she must confront the price of speaking her truth in a world that would rather silence her.
Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham directs Martin Crimp’s (Cyrano de Bergerac) highly anticipated play.
ATTENTION ALL SHIPPING: A CELEBRATION OF THE SHIPPING FORECAST
Tuesday 13th October 7.30pm | EM Forster Theatre | £19
As the shipping forecast embarks on its second century, Charlie Connelly’s hilarious and informative show brings the quirky broadcast vividly to life, celebrating what he firmly believes to be the greatest invention of the modern age.
How did a weather forecast for mariners capture the hearts of a nation, from salty old sea dog to insomniac landlubber? How is it possible for ‘rain later’ to be ‘good’? And where the hell is North Utsire?
Delving into the history of the forecast and the extraordinary people who made it, Charlie explains what all those curious phrases really mean, celebrates its wide cultural impact, shares riproaring adventures from his own extraordinary journey through the 31 sea areas and presents his case for the shipping forecast being our finest achievement.
Inspired by Charlie’s bestselling book, which has sold more than a quarter-of-a-million copies, this pacy, moving and hilarious show is selling out theatres up and down the land as it takes you all the way from Viking to South-East Iceland. Attention All Shipping guarantees the shipping forecast will never sound the same again.
FRONTIER SAPIENS ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL
Thursday 15th October 7.30pm | EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: 19, £16 students
Returning once again to the EM Forster Theatre, the UK’s largest open-air adventure film festival is heading indoors for a cosy Autumn screening in Tonbridge.
Always an incredibly popular event, the Frontier Sapiens Adventure Film Festival showcases an awe-inspiring line-up of films from some of the world’s best filmmakers. Join us for an evening watching an all-new collection of short films featuring epic adventures, cultural stories and environmental issues from around the world, all introduced by the festival team.
This year, join quadripleagic daredevil Jimmy on his quest to become a champion surfer, journey across the plains of the Maasai Mara to the summit of Mont Blanc, and lots more. The full 2026 film line-up is full of adventure and can be viewed in more detail online at www.frontiersapiens.com/films.
TONBRIDGE COMEDY NIGHT
Friday 16th October 7.30pm | EM Forster Studio | £15 | Age 16+
We welcome three of the best comedians on the circuit to our intimate studio theatre. Sat at cabaret style tables you couldn’t get closer to the humour. We welcome Nathan Caton, Kate Lucas and Dan Evans this month so book soon as these nights sell out fast.
COME FROM AWAY
Wednesday 21st – Saturday 24th October | EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £20 – £26
This smash hit, Olivier Award winning show shares the incredible real-life story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the world who were grounded in Canada during the wake of 9/11, and the small Newfoundland community that invited these ‘come from aways’ into their lives with open hearts.
Experience this joyous story and soaring music as spirited locals and global passengers come together to forge friendships that will stay with them forever. The first female American Airlines captain, the quick-thinking town mayor, the mother of a New York firefighter and the eager local news reporter are among the many real characters caught at the start of the moment that changed the course of history and whose stories became a true celebration of hope, humanity and unity.
DON’T DILLY DALLY
Saturday 31st October 2.30pm | EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £26
“Don’t Dilly Dally” and book your tickets for this acclaimed and popular afternoon of songs and laughter, as we bring the UK’s best Music Hall acts to Tonbridge for a unique and entertaining show. Cast includes local Music Hall maestro Tom Carradine, with further stars to be announced.
Jump onto your “Bicycle Made for Two” and “Let’s All Go Down The Strand” to the “Old Bull & Bush” for a fun, nostalgic afternoon that will have you singing along.
Venue Box Office
EM Forster Theatre 01732 304241
Tonbridge School
Book online: www.emftheatre.com