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

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.

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 birminghamhippodrome.com