The Doncastrian Chalk Circle
CAST and the National Theatre joined forces with Doncaster for this epic community musical, featuring over 100 local performers, alongside a professional company and live band.

Booking and details
Cast
Cast, Waterdale, Sir Nigel Gresley Square, Doncaster DN1 3BU, UK
A heartrending and gripping tale of the families we choose.
Following triumphant performances of Pericles at the National Theatre in summer 2018 and As You Like It at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch in 2019, the next Public Acts production, a musical adaptation of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, was performed in Doncaster in 2022.
In a divided community, our reluctant hero, Grusha, risks everything to rescue an abandoned baby and raise him as her own. When the child’s aristocratic mother returns to claim him, a rogue judge devices a unique test to determine their fate.
This new version of Brecht’s classic, directed by James Blakey, is filled with passion, hope, and plenty of Yorkshire grit and humour. A heartrending and gripping tale of the families we choose.
Performed 27 — 29 August 2022 in the Cast, Doncaster.
Partners
Public Acts is the National Theatre’s initiative to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community. Public Acts is inspired by Public Works, the Public Theater’s ground-breaking programme in New York.
Partners
b:friend, Cast Young Company, Changing Lives, darts and Creative Directions, Doncaster Conversation Club, Edlington Community Organisation (ECO) and Right Up Our Street.
Theatre partner
Production team
Katherine Williams
Lighting Designer
Gallery
Production gallery
Rehearsal gallery
Press
… it’s good to see Public Acts genuinely creating a more level playing field…
The Stage
… the sheer spectacle of “the people” owning the stage (a logistical feat by director James Blakey) is potent, radical and arguably Brechtian.
The Telegraph
A real hidden gem that deserves every success.
The Reviews Hub
Media

‘Eclectic range’ of first-timers come together in Doncaster Brecht update
Our funders
Theatre Nation Partnerships is generously supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation.
Public Acts is supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The CareTech Charitable Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Mosawi Foundation, The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust and Susan Miller and Byron Grote.
Find out more about supporting our work