The National Theatre's stage adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s best-selling book Ballet Shoes officially opens December 5. Penned by Kendall Feaver (The Almighty Sometimes), the festive family show began previews in the Olivier November 27.

Directed by Katy Rudd, the cast features Sonya Cullingford as Winifred, Yanexi Enriquez as Petrova Fossil, Jenny Galloway as Nana, Nadine Higgin as Theo Dane, Helena Lymbery as Doctor Jakes, Pearl Mackie as Sylvia, Sid Sagar as Jai Saran, Grace Saif as Pauline Fossil, Justin Salinger as GUM and Fidolia, and Daisy Sequerra as Posy Fossil.

Ensemble members and swings include Stacy Abalogun, Eryck Brahmania, Cordelia Braithwaite, Luke Cinque-White, Michelle Cornelius, Courtney George, Georges Hann, Nuwan Hugh Perera, Philip Labey, Katie Lee, Sharol Mackenzie, Xolisweh Ana Richards, and Katie Singh.

The play is set in a crumbling house full of dinosaur bones and fossils, as three adopted sisters—Pauline, Petrova, and Posy—are learning who they are and what they want to be under the watchful eyes of their guardian Sylvia, Nana, and some unlikely lodgers. But in a world that wasn’t built for women with big ambitions, can they forge a future and keep their family together?

The creative team also includes set designer Frankie Bradshaw, costume designer Samuel Wyer, choreographer Ellen Kane, composer Asaf Zohar, dance arranger and orchestrator Gavin Sutherland, lighting designer Paule Constable, sound designer Ian Dickinson for Autograph, video designer Ash J Woodward, casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor, dialect coach Penny Dyer, voice coaches Cathleen McCarron and Tamsin Newlands, associate choreographer Jonathan Goddard, and staff director Aaliyah Mckay.

Performances continue through February 22, 2025.

Visit NationalTheatre.org.uk.