Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

“My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring “

Have you ever hidden your feelings?

Can you truly hide them forever?

Stevenson wrote his story in 1886 but it has continued to resonate profoundly for audiences, taking hold of our imaginations.

Big Brum’s production of ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was a powerful drama, rich in imagery that illuminated the themes at the heart of Stevenson’s complex text. Themes such as identity, good and evil, love and hate, knowledge and ethics, power and responsibility, justice and what makes us human. What lurks beneath the surface of all of us?

 “The man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see”. 

However hard you try to hide your feelings; you can never truly hide them forever.

The hugely-successful tour finished in April 2025 and reached 5,809 young people across 63 sessions in 35 schools, plus 18 university students and 286 teachers.

The play was directed by Richard Holmes and the script was adapted from Stevenson’s novella by Chris Cooper. Images for the set were created by Matt Reeves and sound design came from Jack Baggott. The production was photographed by Christopher Commander. Watch this space for news of legacy resources …

“The performances were amazing, and the actors, Adam Nicholls, Katherine Lea, James Mole, and Paul Magson were incredible.  Each year group was treated to a performance in our theatre with a live, mobile set that was moved after every scene was played out … 

Adam Nicholls played both Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and at the start of each performance asked the students to think about themselves and how they see themselves really and not just what they saw in their reflection.  Self-image was what lies behind the reflection and is a key theme of the story.  Students were shocked and amazed in equal measure at the quality of the drama happening in front of their eyes … Many of our students had never seen a live performance in the flesh so this was a very special moment for the school.” 

-          Careers Lead, Smith’s Wood Academy, North Solihull