London School Theatre Trips & Tours
From the magic of a West End show to interactive dance or theatre workshops or debating at the Royal Courts of Justice, a school theatre trip to London is guaranteed to inspire your pupils!
Whether your group is interested in performing arts, drama, English or literature, you’ll find it all on an English school tour to London! Plus, we work closely with theatres and agencies in the capital to give you access to great group prices, fantastic theatre seats and great availability on the most popular West End shows so you can be sure to get great value for your school theatre trip.
Sample itinerary
Our sample itinerary provides you with an idea of the visits you can cover during your trip. We can tailor-make an itinerary to support your specific learning outcomes.
| Morning | Afternoon | Evening | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morning flight from Ireland | Blue Badge Guided tour by coach. Check into your accommodation | London Eye |
| 2 | West End Workshop of your choice | Shakespeares Globe Exhibition & Tour | West End Show |
| 3 | Warner Brothers Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter | Return flight to Ireland | |
- 1
- 2
- 3
| Morning | Morning flight from Ireland |
|---|---|
| Afternoon | Blue Badge Guided tour by coach. Check into your accommodation |
| Evening | London Eye |
| Morning | West End Workshop of your choice |
|---|---|
| Afternoon | Shakespeares Globe Exhibition & Tour |
| Evening | West End Show |
| Morning | Warner Brothers Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter |
|---|---|
| Afternoon | Return flight to Ireland |
| Evening |
On-tour support
On-tour support includes...
- Services of a See Off Representative at your departure airport
- Pre-booked meals at great group prices
- Pre-booked and pre-paid London Underground tickets
- A choice of packed lunches for your group throughout your stay
Accommodation
Popular options in London
Top shows & productions in London
The Lion King
Disney’s award-winning musical combines dazzling staging and wildly creative costumes, masks and puppets. The result is a theatrical experience like no other, which is guaranteed to capture the imaginations of your students and to teach them about the wonderful world of live theatre.
On show at: The Lyceum Theatre
Times: Tuesday - Saturday evenings at 7.30pm, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2.30pm
Running time: 2hrs 30mins
School prices available: Tuesday - Thursday evenings, Wednesday matinees.
Educational packs available.
Matilda the Musical
Following a sensational sell-out season at The Courtyard Theatre, the RSC’s production of Matilda the Musical has now opened in London to extraordinary critical acclaim. Roald Dahl’s much-loved story bursts into life on stage. Your group will be delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.
On show at: Cambridge Theatre
Times: Tuesday at 7.00pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 7.30pm. Matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm and Sunday at 3.00pm
Running time: 2hrs 35mins
School prices available: Tuesday - Thursday evenings and Wednesday matinees.
Educational packs available.
Matilda the Musical School Workshops are available and are designed to introduce your group to the story of Matilda, the key characters and the creative process of bringing it to life on stage. Led by RSC practitioners, these active 90-minute sessions can be tailored to meet the needs of students of all ages. Available Wednesdays at 10.30am. Groups are advised to book early.
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh’s legendary production is indisputably the world’s most popular musical seen by over 70 million people worldwide. This spectacular adaptation of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece continues to thrill audiences night after night.
On show at: Sondheim Theatre
Times: Monday - Saturday evenings at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm
Running time: 2hrs 50mins
School prices available: Monday - Thursday evenings, Thursday matinees
Educational packs available.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Performance
Located on the bank of the River Thames in Bankside's Cultural Quarter, Shakespeare's Globe welcomes groups to experience world renowned productions of Shakespeare every day.
We have worked closely with Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for many years and are an official ‘Friend of the Globe’. We offer fantastic group prices on tickets for strongly curriculum-linked Shakespeare performances.
Furthermore, as there is a requirement in the new curriculum for students to study two Shakespeare plays, this is a perfect opportunity to introduce your group to various texts with out Shakespeare's Globe Theatre school trips.
Wicked
Wicked tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz. The spectacular production and incredible story inspires discussion about propaganda, tolerance, bullying and friendship.
On show at: The Apollo Victoria Theatre
Times: Tuesday - Saturday evenings at 7.30pm, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2.30pm
Running time: 2hrs 45mins
School prices available: Tuesday - Thursday evenings, Wednesday matinees.
Educational packs and workshops available. For more information on the show's educational programme, for more information please contact us.
Six
Critically-acclaimed across the UK, Six tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII presented as a pop concert.
The six wives take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak into a 75-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. Our school groups simply love this lively and uplifting show.
On show at: Vaudeville Theatre
Times: Tues – Fri at 8pm, Sat at 4pm and 8pm, Sun at 3pm and 7pm
Running time: 1 hr 20 mins (no interval)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne. It is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The critically acclaimed production is the most awarded new play in theatre history, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won 24 major theatre awards in the UK and is the most awarded play in the history of the Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking nine awards including Best New Play.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is one play presented in two Parts, which are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening).
Educational resources available.
On show at: Palace Theatre
School rates available:
Wednesday - Part One 2:00pm & Part Two 7:00pm
Friday - Part One 2:00pm & Part Two 7:00pm
For more information on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, click here
Top visits in London
National Theatre Backstage Tour
On our London theatre trips for schools, you students will get the opportunity to go backstage at Britain’s largest theatre complex to discover the secrets behind bringing productions to the stage. Your group will get exclusive access to unseen parts of the building, including the workshops where sets and props are created, on a tour led by an experienced and enthusiastic guide.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane Tour
Through the stage door is the UK’s first interactive theatre tour! History is brought to vivid life through key characters, writers and actors from the theatre’s 300 year past.
Royal Opera House Backstage Tour
Visit the backstage and the front-of-house areas as the Royal Opera House prepares to open its doors for an evening performance. Your group will enjoy an introduction to the colourful history of this theatre, its magnificent backstage technology and redevelopment.
Les Misérables Theatre Tour
Step behind-the-scenes of one of the longest running shows in West End history!
Stage School Theatre Workshop – West End 101
A popular and versatile interactive workshop designed to enhance the participants’ night in the West End. In a fun and relaxed environment, students are taught skills and techniques used by professional actors inspired by the themes of the show they see.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School Theatre Workshop – Step by Step
A fun, interactive session that will immerse your group in the music and movement of the show. It will provide them with new knowledge and skills plus some serious moves that they can perform again and again.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School Theatre Workshop – Stage Combat
Your group will learn about the relationship between acting and fight choreography. Discover how fights are choreographed and hone your collaboration skills whilst creating your own combat.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School Theatre Workshop – Note by Note
Learn singing techniques and how to act through song with a West End musical director. Share all you have learnt in a performance for a cast member from the show you are seeing. You can suggest a song of your choice or one can be picked for you - it’s up to you!
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School Performing Arts Workshop – A Song & Dance
Apply singing, dancing and acting! Work with a pianist and cast member from the show your group is seeing and gain insight into a true West End rehearsal. You’ll even have the chance to rehearse a song and create your own choreography.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School Performing Arts Workshop – Puppetry Now
A West End show has multiple ways of conveying meaning and communicating different moods and effects. Puppetry is one of those ways; it stimulates your imagination, encourages creative play and is a wonderfully interactive way to introduce narrative. This workshop is highly recommended for groups seeing War Horse.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School Performing Arts Workshop – Audition Essentials
Develop your group’s audition techniques by performing material for a West End casting director and watching a West End professional perform. You’ll get to spend an hour with a West End director/casting director and enjoy a 30-minute Q&A session with a West End professional.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School Performing Arts Workshop – In the Spotlight
Take this opportunity to ask questions of a performer from the show your group is seeing. Includes a piano-accompanied private performance from your workshop guest artist.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Rambert Dance Experience
Dance has the power to transform lives. Rambert delivers a range of activities that will engage your group in contemporary dance. Workshops, led by a Company Animateur (a professional dancer and teacher), can be tailored to meet your group’s needs and focus on a selected piece of work from Rambert’s existing repertoire including Christopher Bruce’s Ghost Dances and Swansong. Each workshop contains:
- A contemporary dance warm-up
- Repertoire – an opportunity to learn sections of the focus work
- Choreography – students follow set tasks to choreograph their own work
- Sharing – students perform and discuss their work together
Karen Hardy Studios Dance Experience
Karen Hardy Studios has designed a fun and structured children’s dance programme that teaches a wide range of dance styles and promotes all the important life skills necessary for a child’s development.
Classes are designed to build confidence and raise awareness of health and fitness. Beginner and intermediate routines are designed by experienced teachers personally trained by former Strictly champion, Karen Hardy.
Students will enjoy a fun structured 90-minute workshop, made up of half choreography and half technique to ensure each child leaves having had fun and developed a new life skill.
Stage School Dance Workshop – West End Dance
Exclusive to NST
Whether it’s ballet or ballroom, flamenco or freestyle, tango or tap, there’s a dance class for you! Tell us what dance style your group would like to explore and we’ll do the rest.
You’ll be provided with a West End studio and a dance instructor who specialises in the style of your choice.
Learn about the stylistic features of the dance, the development of techniques and its representation in the West End. Guaranteed to get your energy pumping. Workshops can be introductory, intermediate or advanced.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Shakespeare’s Globe Guided Tour and Experience
Open all year round, the Globe guided tour gives you an opportunity to learn more about this unique building and its most famous playwright, Shakespeare.
The new Globe Experience combines an interactive look at theatre-craft, the unique story of Shakespeare's Globe. Discover how the magic of stories are brought to life in a newly interpreted space beneath Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre! With help from experts, you’ll immerse yourself in the world of Shakespeare’s storytelling, from the creation of his works to the way they are interpreted today. Explore how different elements of stagecraft are combined to bring these stories to life in the beautiful and unique ‘Wooden O’ and candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Shakespeare’s Globe Lively Action Workshop
This 90-minute session, led by a Globe Education Practitioner, includes:
- A 30-minute guided visit to the theatre
- A one hour workshop based on a Shakespeare play of your choice. Through practical exploration, students will be encouraged to develop an understanding of Shakespeare’s characters and stories, and to engage with the text as a script for performance. Different dramatic techniques are used to explore Shakespeare’s plays and deepen your group’s critical understanding. Alternatively, students at a higher level may concentrate their workshop time on the performance conditions at the Globe, by exploring how this shapes playing style and language and by making connections between time and literary traditions.
Stage School English & Drama Workshop – Making a Scene
Work from a scripted scene from a show or play of your choice. Students will learn how to bring the text to life in a truthful, imaginative way. Explore acting methods, vocal techniques and character development designed to encourage bold and creative acting choices.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School English & Drama Workshop – Theatre Improvisation
Exclusive to NST
This team-orientated collection of non-stop theatre games is perfect for high energy groups. After physical and vocal warm-ups, students stay active through team-building and improvisational games designed to heighten focus, creativity and sensitivity to others.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School English & Drama Workshop – The Director’s Chair
This interactive workshop introduces students to the art of directing theatre. Focusing on textual analysis and stage craft, group members will examine techniques for working with actors and staging scenes too.
Stage School Workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
Stage School English & Drama Workshop – Behind the Mask
Your group will learn the rules of the mask and explore different mask performance techniques through improvisation and non-verbal communication. Content in this workshop is non show-specific.
Stage School workshops are delivered by qualified teaching artists (so you can get involved too) and can be tailored to your chosen show, as well as your curriculum requirements.
The Royal Courts of Justice - Court In Session
Suitable for KS3-5, this exciting visit to the historic Royal Courts of Justice will have your group talking for weeks! You can choose from a wide range of quality learning experiences.
This two-hour session takes place in a working court room and around the courts.
Students will:
- Be introduced to the Royal Courts of Justice and what happens there
- Prepare and enact a trial based on an ex-offender’s experiences
- Explore roles in a court room and meet a legal professional where possible
- Discuss and debate real sentencing options
The Royal Courts of Justice - Motion To Appeal
Suitable for KS3-5, this exciting visit to the historic Royal Courts of Justice will have your group talking for weeks! You can choose from a wide range of quality learning experiences.
This two-hour session takes place in a working court room and around the courts.
Students will:
- Be introduced to the Royal Courts of Justice and what happens there
- Prepare for and debate an appeal case which has been heard at the Royal
- Courts of Justice (this can be a broader debate or one that focuses on a particular point of law)
- Explore roles in a court room and meet a legal professional, where possible
Charles Dickens Museum & Workshop
Charles Dickens lived in this house - now museum - from 1837 until 1839 and wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby whilst living here. This museum offers students the chance to experience what Dickens’ home would have been like, as well as learn more about the life and works of the great novelist and social commentator. Here, you will find one of the most important collections of his artefacts in the world.
Workshops available:
A Christmas Carol: Creating Scrooge
Using copies of original draft manuscripts from our archival collection, students will look at why Dickens’s celebrated and ever popular Christmas story has secured such an enduring place in the English speaking world’s literary consciousness, with a myriad adaptations on stage, screen and print.
Dickens’s social conscience: Oliver Twist and poverty in Victorian Britain
Whilst living here at 48 Doughty Street, Dickens wrote one of his most famous novels - Oliver Twist. In this session students will explore this celebrated book as well as excerpts from his non-fiction writing, in order to explore poverty in the Victorian era and Dickens’s life and work as a social reformer.
Crime & Punishment: Exploring Victorian Justice through Dickens’s Eyes
In this engaging session, students look at a variety of archival resources and ephemera from our collection at Doughty Street to build up a picture of justice, crime and punishment in Victorian Britain through the eyes of man committed to social justice and reform.
Great Expectations: Miss Havisham revisited
Great Expectations is one of Dickens’s best loved and critically acclaimed works. Using the text, objects and documents from our own archival collection, students will explore aspects of Dicken’s own life and experiences that may have influenced this work. In particular they will focus on one of Dickens’s more notorious and memorable characters – Miss Havisham; looking again at whether the common perceptions about her are justified…or not!
Exploring A Christmas Carol in the social context of Victorian Britain
Through a consideration of the text and archival material held here at Doughty Street, students will extend their knowledge of A Christmas Carol, by considering how Dickens used the story’s themes and characters to highlight what he saw as some of the most pressing social problems and issues in the Victorian Britain of his day.
Dr Johnson’s House & Workshop
Dr Johnson’s House is a charming 300-year-old townhouse, nestled amongst a maze of courts and alleys in the historic city of London. Samuel Johnson, the writer and wit, lived and worked here in the middle of the 18th century, compiling his great Dictionary of the English Language in the garret.
Johnson’s Dictionary & Language Change
This KS5 workshop will put Johnson, his Dictionary and the language of the period into context for your pupils and will introduce them to Johnson’s Dictionary, its predecessors and its long-term impact. The curator-led workshop is structured around a tour of Johnson’s former home which is interspersed with language activities.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter
Step onto authentic sets, discover the magic behind spellbinding special effects and explore the behind-the-scenes secrets of the Harry Potter™ film series. Tread the original stone floor of the iconic Hogwarts Great Hall, encounter animatronic creatures and wander down Diagon Alley. Located at the Studios where all eight films were produced.
EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS:
A programme of educational lessons has been created to complement the Studio Tour. These lessons are delivered in purpose-built classrooms by qualified teachers and use the Harry Potter™ film series as an example of the wider context and theories surrounding filmmaking and design. You’ll even get access to free downloadable pre and post-visit resource packs to use in the classroom.
Lesson options include:
- Screenplay Stories
- Costume Characterisation
- Costume Distressing
- Pitching
- Instructional Writing
- Movie Graphic Design
- Careers in the Creative Industry
- Script to Screen
- Camera Choices
- Set Design
- Movie Business
- Movie Marketing
The lastminute.com London Eye
A classroom with a moving view! Standing 135m tall on the South Bank of the River Thames, nothing says iconic like The lastminute.com London Eye.
Since 2000, this world-famous structure has taken over 75 million people on a journey into London’s skyline. Be inspired with our Skyline Workshops. At an additional cost, these enhanced in-pod experiences are delivered by our education hosts and include interactive activities and interesting facts on London's iconic skyline.
Developed in collaboration with education specialists, teachers can book either a KS2/KS3 version.
Madame Tussauds
The world of the Media is a creative and inspiring one, where ideas combine with drama, excitement and humour to keep us entertained and engaged. A fully interactive experience, Madame Tussauds will inspire, enthuse and immerse pupils in celebrity culture and modern media as they walk among the stars!
Thames River Cruise
Take in London’s best-loved sights on this enjoyable cruise. Your students will gain an insight into the many layers of history that have built up along the river, from the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge to the 'lastminute.com' London Eye.
Highlights of London Blue Badge Guided Tour
See the major sights of the city. An expert Blue Badge Guide will join you on your coach and bring the Capital to life for your group. Sights may include Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard offers a unique education experience – it is the only place where students can see the entire city at once; both old and new! Two high speed kaleidoscopic lifts will transport your group to the viewing platforms on Level 69 and Level 72 where you can encourage your student’s fascination with the history of London and enjoy the unparalleled 360 degree views.
Educational visits can support learning across both the National and London Curriculum, including History, English, Maths, Geography, and Art and Design.
Wembley Tour
Visit the new stadium and take a 90-minute tour. See England’s changing rooms, the players’ warm-up zone, VIP reception area, the Royal Box, dugouts, the post-match interview area, press conference room, treatment rooms and the Bobby Moore Statue. You can even ‘Lift the Cup’!
Educational workshops are also available for Business Studies, English and History.
Explore Covent Garden
A trip to the capital isn’t complete without a little shopping time! We recommend Covent Garden as a suitable area for groups to explore and watch the street performers.
Disney's The Lion King Education Workshops
Everyone from beginners to professionals can experience the thrill of the West End through these hands-on explorations of theatrical performances that are led by expert Disney teaching artists. Options include:
Spotlight on Acting - ages 9 +
Spotlight on Movement & Music - ages 7 +
Spotlight on Singing - ages 12 +
Spotlight on Dancing - ages 14 +
Mary Poppins Educational Workshops
Sing, dance and perform scenes from the magical Mary Poppins production during these exciting hands-on, 90-minute education workshops! Plus to get the most from your workshop, supporting teaching resources are available at www.marypoppinsonstage.co.uk
Options include:
Movement and Music Workshop is a general musical theatre workshop, adapted for all ages and ability levels, and suitable for primary school or secondary school.
The content is very upbeat, celebratory and focuses on rhythm and ensemble movement.
PERFECT FOR:
- All group types, mixed group experience levels and ages
- Groups looking to explore musical theatre and build on performance skills
- Ages 7 and up
Spotlight On Acting Workshop is an excellent session for drama students or group producing their own musical. Recommended for Ages 9 and up, participants should be confident readers as they will be working with script extracts from the show and asked to read their parts aloud to the group. Teachers should be on hand to give extra support to these within the group that need extra help with reading.
PERFECT FOR:
- Groups looking to hone their acting skills
- They are not expected to memorise lines, just read the script
- Group focus on characterisation, voice and moment, objective and intention, comedy and more
Evening activites
- Jack the Ripper tour
- Ice skating
- Bowling
- Host a quiz at a function room
Transport
We offer flights from a variety of departure airports and we’ll work with you to plan your route at the best value possible.
Flight
Giving you full support throughout
Before your tour
- Your own dedicated NST contact
- Bespoke tour itineraries
- Unrivalled local knowledge & expertise
- Curriculum linked visit programmes
- Great value for money - no hidden costs
- Free group leader inspection visits
- Risk assessment guidance
- Safety assured, transport, accommodation and visits
Whilst you're away
- Free educational resources
- Group-friendly accommodation
- Exceptional standards of coaching
- On-tour support from our reps on the ground
- Support & assistance from our specialists guides throughout your tour
- 24/7 support just a call away
- Extensive group travel insurance
On your return
- Priority rebooking services
- Rewarding your loyalty with our reward scheme
- You say, we listen - we're committed to continuously improving our tours
- School travel company of choice since 1996
