Renowned Birmingham poet Casey Bailey brings his critically acclaimed show to the Hippodrome ahead of its national tour - here’s when

Presented by China Plate and Belgrade Theatre in association with Birmingham Hippodrome, Please Do Not Touch plays at the Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio from January Thursday 29 to Sunday 31, 2026.

Written by Casey Bailey (GrimeBoy, Birmingham Rep) and directed by award-winning theatre maker Gail Babb (Stars, Tamasha - OFFIE’S Best New Play 2024), Please Do Not Touch tells the story of a young Black man wrongly imprisoned for stealing a Somali afro comb from a glass case in a historic house. 

It highlights how some artefacts came to be in heritage houses, how children of colonial Britain feel unwelcome to engage with them and how contemporary society continues to be shaped by this legacy.

The show asks important questions about colonial legacy, contested heritage and how stories are told, whilst shining a light on the Criminal Justice System.

Following a successful premiere and run in Coventry in 2024, China Plate is remounting this critically acclaimed play with Belgrade Theatre and Birmingham Hippodrome to undertake a national tour in Spring 2026.

Casey Bailey said: “When I embarked on the journey of writing this play, I initially saw it as an extension of my poetry collection of the same name. In early discussions I even described it as a ‘theatre adaptation’ of the collection. Over time I have come to realise that this play should not be an extension, or mutation of the poetry collection, it isn’t a branch off the poetry collection’s tree, it is a different tree in the same orchard.

“Throughout the process of writing this play, at times the poetry became a barrier to the story. I was trying to tell a story around the poems, or to honour the poems when really, I wanted to honour the feeling that the poems came from. 

“It was work throughout the process with Gail Babb, Yaël Shavit and Jade Samuels that really helped me to understand that the poems were the scaffolding for this story, but the story was not written to serve them.“One of my favourite parts of the process of creating theatre is all the things that happen beyond the page. 

“With Please Do Not Touch this has been the case again. From the start of production watching the director and actor take an idea in my notebook to a walking, talking representation of the ideas that started this journey for me has been all the inspiration I have needed to keep coming back with fresh ideas, and energy.

“We have arrived at a stage where lighting, sound and set design are now playing their role in this story and I am in love with everything that they give to the piece. I have been so privileged to work with a team of super creatives. 

“Now, having transferred the idea in my head to a script on the page, and handed it to a team to bring it to life on the stage I am excited to make the final transition and join the audience to take it all in.”Paul Warwick, Co-Artistic Director of China Plate explains: “This project gives us an opportunity to work with one of Birmingham’s most talented writers, something we’ve been keen to do ever since we saw an early extract of Please Do Not Touch at our Bite Size Festival in 2022. 

“When Jade Samuels brought the project to us for further development, it felt like a perfect fit. The show’s themes of social justice and struggle resonate strongly with us, with our partners, and with the amazing creative team working on the production.

“Co-producing with the Belgrade Theatre, working alongside that organisation’s inspiring new leadership team and their dedicated staff, is also a fantastic opportunity. Both our organisations foreground co-creation in the way that we make work. 

“On this show, for example, we have developed the piece alongside staff and volunteers from the Heritage Sector, prison inmates and through a number of workshops with young people attending the incredible Free@Last centre in Nechells. 

“Having the chance to remount the show with the Birmingham Hippodrome is also a huge honour. Working alongside one of the UK’s premier presenting theatres to bring this story to audiences in our home city feels like a full circle moment for a show that began its development journey here nearly four years ago.”

Corey Campbell, Creative Director of Belgrade Theatre said: “This show asks really important questions about colonial legacy, contested heritage and how stories are told, whilst shining a light on the criminal justice system – we’re thrilled to be working on it with China Plate.”

Sophia Griffin, Head of New Work & Artist Development at Birmingham Hippodrome added: "We are committed as an organisation to West Midlands artists, and we are thrilled that Please Do Not Touch, which speaks to our audiences and resonates nationally is coming to the Hippodrome."

China Plate invited the National Trust, along with other organisations, to participate in the research and development phase of the play. 

The National Trust aims to present the fullest possible history of the places and collections in its care, and this collaboration provided an opportunity for staff and volunteers from a number of National Trust properties in the Midlands to work with writers, artists and the wider production team on the play. 

While the play is a work of fiction, this collaborative, inclusive and research-based production allows audiences to explore the idea of the country house and its collection, through a different lens.

How to get tickets

Please Do Not Touch is at Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio from Thursday 29 – Sunday 31 January 2026 in the Patrick Studio. Tickets can be booked at www.birminghamhippodrome.com or by calling 0121 689 3000.