Tomahawk Theatre Company
Tomahawk Theatre Company is an Oxford-based theatre company known for producing classical and modern plays with a mixture of experienced theatre personnel and emerging talent.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Tomahawk Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Oxford, in South East England. Established in 2005 by Alex Nicholls, Oliver Baird and other collaborators, the company developed a production model that brought experienced actors, directors and technicians together with younger performers and theatre-makers. This combination has been a defining feature of Tomahawk's identity: the company functions both as a producer of public performances and as a platform through which early-career artists can gain practical experience in professional theatre. The company's repertory has centered particularly on Shakespeare, while also incorporating major works by writers including Henrik Ibsen, Oscar Wilde and Patrick Hamilton. Its early productions included Macbeth in December 2005, Ibsen's Little Eyolf in June 2006, The Winter's Tale in December 2006 and The Importance of Being Earnest in June 2007. Later productions continued to alternate between Shakespearean comedy, tragedy and romance and a broader selection of European and British drama. Recurring titles such as The Importance of Being Earnest, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night became part of the company's performance history. Tomahawk has staged work at a range of venues in Oxford and the surrounding region. These have included the North Wall Arts Centre, the Burton Taylor Theatre, the Old Fire Station Studio and the Oxford Castle Courtyard, as well as the Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames. The use of both established venues and less conventional performance spaces has allowed the company to present classical texts to local audiences in different formats and settings. The company has also undertaken international and regional touring. Productions associated with tours or engagements have travelled to Westacre River Studios in Norfolk, Udine in Italy and the Taganrog Chekhov Drama Theater in Taganrog, Russia. The Tempest, The Importance of Being Earnest and Macbeth were among the productions connected with these overseas appearances. These engagements gave the company a profile beyond Oxford while retaining its emphasis on repertory theatre. A notable outcome of Tomahawk's training-oriented working environment is that a number of participants subsequently went on to pursue formal theatre training in London, including at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. The available reference material does not identify a current managing director, commercial owner or corporate parent. Tomahawk is best understood as an independent performing-arts organization rather than a mass-market consumer brand. Its public identity rests on live production, repertory continuity, collaboration between generations of theatre workers and the development of emerging creative talent.
History
Tomahawk Theatre Company was founded in Oxford in 2005 by Alex Nicholls, Oliver Baird and other collaborators. From the outset, the company brought experienced theatre practitioners into contact with younger actors, directors and technicians. This approach gave Tomahawk a dual role: it produced staged work for audiences while also offering emerging artists practical exposure to rehearsal, performance and technical production. Reference material notes that a number of people who worked with the company later pursued theatre training at institutions such as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. The first recorded production was Macbeth in December 2005. The early repertory quickly expanded beyond Shakespeare. Little Eyolf by Henrik Ibsen followed in June 2006, then The Winter's Tale in December of that year. In 2007 the company staged Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, Shakespeare's The Tempest and Patrick Hamilton's Gaslight continued the sequence through 2009. The company later returned to The Importance of Being Earnest in December 2009. From 2010 onward, Tomahawk's public repertory was particularly associated with recurring Shakespeare productions. Twelfth Night was performed in June and July 2010, followed by A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2011, Romeo and Juliet in 2012 and Macbeth in 2013. A Midsummer Night's Dream returned in 2014, Romeo and Juliet in 2015, Much Ado About Nothing in 2016, Romeo and Juliet again in 2017, A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2018 and Macbeth in 2019. After a gap in the listed production chronology, the company returned with Romeo and Juliet in July 2023, Twelfth Night in July 2024, Much Ado About Nothing in July 2025 and a listed Macbeth production for July 2026. Tomahawk's work has been presented in Oxford and nearby regional venues including the North Wall Arts Centre, Burton Taylor Theatre, the Old Fire Station Studio, the Oxford Castle Courtyard and the Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames. These venues indicate a flexible local operating model rather than a permanent single-stage identity. The company has also performed internationally. The Tempest and The Importance of Being Earnest were connected with engagements in Udine, Italy, while The Importance of Being Earnest was presented at the Taganrog Chekhov Drama Theater in Taganrog, Russia. A Hedda Gabler tour visited Westacre River Studios in Norfolk, and Macbeth travelled to Udine in 2013. The available material does not establish a corporate parent, owner, financial structure, permanent artistic leadership or current executive team beyond the named founders. Tomahawk is therefore best documented as an independent Oxford theatre company whose brand is built around live repertory, classical drama, regional performance and the professional development of new theatre talent.
- 2026
Scheduled Macbeth production
[1]Macbeth was listed for July 2026.
- 2025
Much Ado About Nothing
[1]Much Ado About Nothing was listed for July 2025.
- 2024
Twelfth Night
[1]Twelfth Night was presented in July 2024.
- 2023
Return with Romeo and Juliet
[1]The company presented Romeo and Juliet in July 2023.
- 2013
Macbeth in Udine
[1]Tomahawk took Macbeth to Udine, Italy, in April.
- 2010
Twelfth Night and international engagements
[1]Twelfth Night was staged in Oxford, while The Importance of Being Earnest was associated with appearances in Udine and Taganrog.
- 2009
Gaslight and return to Wilde
[1]The company presented Gaslight and a further production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
- 2008
Hedda Gabler and The Tempest
[1]The repertory continued with Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and Shakespeare's The Tempest.
- 2007
The Importance of Being Earnest and Much Ado About Nothing
[1]Tomahawk staged works by Oscar Wilde and William Shakespeare during 2007.
- 2006
Expansion into Ibsen and Shakespeare
[1]The company presented Little Eyolf and The Winter's Tale.
Products and positioning
An Oxford-based repertory theatre company combining experienced theatre professionals with emerging actors, directors and technicians, with a strong emphasis on Shakespeare and classical drama.
Shakespearean tragedy · 2005
Macbeth
Tomahawk's recorded production history begins with Macbeth in December 2005. The company returned to the play in June and July 2013, with that production also associated with an engagement in Udine, Italy, and listed the play again for July 2019 and July 2026.
Shakespearean tragedy · 2012
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet became one of Tomahawk's recurring Shakespeare productions. It was staged in June and July 2012, then revisited in July 2015, July 2017 and July 2023.
Shakespearean comedy · 2011
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The company presented A Midsummer Night's Dream in June and July 2011 and returned to it in July 2014 and July 2018, making it one of the company's recurring comic and romantic Shakespearean works.
Shakespearean comedy · 2007
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing was staged in December 2007 and revisited in July 2016. It was also listed for performance in July 2025.
Shakespearean comedy · 2010
Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night was part of the company's repertory in June and July 2010 and was presented again in July 2024.
Comedy of manners · 2007
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde's comedy was produced in June 2007 and again in December 2009. A later production was associated with touring engagements in Udine, Italy, and Taganrog, Russia, in 2010.
Shakespearean romance · 2006
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale was presented in December 2006 as part of Tomahawk's early expansion into Shakespearean repertory.
Modern drama · 2008
Hedda Gabler
Tomahawk produced Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler in June 2008. The production later toured to Westacre River Studios in Norfolk.
Shakespearean romance · 2008
The Tempest
The Tempest was staged in December 2008 and later connected with an international engagement in Udine, Italy, during February and March 2009.
Psychological thriller · 2009
Gaslight
Patrick Hamilton's Gaslight formed part of Tomahawk's non-Shakespearean repertory and was presented in June 2009.
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