The New Vic’s Education team will present an immersive performance designed to bring history to life this November, as they take Stoke The Fiery Dragon to Hanley Library on Saturday 15 November and the Potteries Centre on Saturday 22 November 2025. Celebrating Stoke-on-Trent’s industrial heritage as part of SOT100, the play – aimed at young children and their families – offers a whistlestop journey through some amazing events that the city has witnessed across the years.
Following a successful tour to schools and in the community over the summer as part of the SOT100 anniversary, Stoke The Fiery Dragon returns to Hanley City Centre next month encouraging audiences to engage with Stoke-on-Trent’s industrial heritage and give prominence to local voices and local stories as part of the city’s centenary year celebrations.
Written by Education Practitioner Julia Gay and directed by Naomi Felton, Stoke The Fiery Dragon explores significant stories and historical events that Stoke-on-Trent has witnessed over the last 100 years through the eyes of two playful characters: potters ‘Clay’ and ‘Mold’ played by Naomi Johnson and Elizabeth Daily-Hunt, who are on a mission to bring back their beloved pet dragon’s puff. References to famous stories and people are included throughout, including King George V and Queen Mary’s visit to confer the Royal Charter, elevating the Borough to the status of a city in 1925, and Ann Margaret Savous Shirley – born in Stoke-on-Trent and best known for being a historian of the Polar Exploration in both the Arctic and Antarctic in 1960.
Designed to engage younger children and their families, this immersive and educational piece of theatre recognises the significance of Stoke-on-Trent’s industrious past whilst encouraging new visitors to the town centre to learn about the city’s famous pottery trade.
A joyful, meaningful way to mark 100 years of Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke The Fiery Dragon is designed to bring history to life and allows audiences to discover or relive enchanting and important events from the area that will resonate with them for many years to come.
Jill Rezzano, New Vic Head of Education, said: “As Stoke-on-Trent celebrates its 100th anniversary as a city, we are so proud to be bringing to life the stories that make our community such a special place. We are even more delighted to be bringing Stoke The Fiery Dragon to younger children and their families, discovering some of the characters who have created our great city in a way that everyone will find fun, entertaining and a great way to enjoy our heritage.”
The project has been supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s City of Imagination funding, funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Tickets to see Stoke The Fiery Dragon are FREE. Booking in advance is advised, but some drop-in spaces may be available on the day. For more information and to book newvictheatre.org.uk or call the New Vic’s Box Office on 01782 717962.