STAGE: The Worst Witch at the Festival Theatre, Malvern, from Tuesday, March 12 to Saturday, March 16, 2019.

ANYONE trying to find the world's worst witch won't have to look far.

She's now in residence at the Festival.

Adapted from Jill Murphy’s original books by Emma Reeves, the show boasts an all-female cast for what is its world premiere production.

It's an original story for the stage by Emma Reeves (Royal Television Society Award for Best Children’s TV Programme and 2017 British Screenwriters Award for Best Children’s Programme) and is based upon Jill Murphy’s beloved series of classic novels The Worst Witch.

Ideal for children for the age of seven, and for those who remain young at heart, the production is directed by Theresa Heskins (2017 UK Theatre Award for Best Show for Children and Young People) and designed by Simon Daw, with music by Luke Potter. 


Basically the story tells of an ordinary girl who finds herself in an extraordinary place: a school for witches.

Now in her final year, accident-prone Mildred Hubble and her fellow pupils leave a trail of mayhem behind them as they find themselves at the centre of a battle that’s being fought for their future.

The show features magic, puppetry, original music and plenty of Mildred’s unique brand of utter pandemonium.


Playing the hapless Mildred is Danielle Bird, whose recent stage credits include The Hypocrite (Royal Shakespeare Company/Hull Truck) and Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe).

Taking the roles of Agatha and Miss Cackle is UK Theatre Award-winning actor Polly Lister whose credits include The Snow Queen (New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme) and Great Expectations (Derby Theatre).

Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch stories have sold more than five million copies and been made into films and TV series by HBO, ITV and CBBC.

She says: "My first trip to the theatre aged four, opened up a magical world - so real to me, that I had to be restrained from climbing onstage to help the children in peril!

"My mum was quite cross with me, but I never wanted the show to end and sang the songs loudly all the way home on the bus.

"Imagine how proud I feel, all these years later, seeing my own Mildred Hubble on stage with all the characters from Miss Cackle's Academy. I still feel thrilled to bits when I go to the theatre and I just know The Worst Witch is going to be a magical production."

Emma Reeves added: “We’re creating a brand new story as well as revisiting moments from the books'.

It's a show that is bound to cast a magical spell on all the children watching.


The show is on at 7pm each evening, on Wednesday it's  10.30am and 6.30pm, at 1:30pm and 6:30pm
 on Thursday, and then it's 7pm on Friday, while Saturday's final day has performances at 2pm and 7pm
.