illustration of a girl and dragon on a motorbike

Princess
Smartypants

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Based on the books by Babette Cole

Co-produced with The Wardrobe Ensemble

Adapted by The Wardrobe Ensemble

Princess Smartypants is a very unusual princess – and so Babette Cole’s books present a very unusual fairy-tale, in which expectations of princes and princesses, kings and queens, dungeons and dragons are turned completely upside down.

“Babette Cole…is funny, unrestricted and totally unforgettable”
The Independent

Originally published in 1986, Princess Smartypants is a classic of feminist revisionism for children. It has now been translated into 32 languages and sold over a million copies worldwide.

In Spring 2024, Wayward will adapt these charming yet subversive books for stage, in collaboration with The Wardrobe Ensemble. Enter the world of Princess Smartypants and her friends, including her menagerie of Dragonocodiles, Pollycrocs and other monstrous pets. You’ll even get to meet some of the hapless princes – those the princess hasn’t turned into toads!

Princess Smartypants premiers at The Watermill Theatre, Newbury, before travelling to The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol, Arts Depot, Finchley and the Lyric Studio, Hammersmith.

Illustration © Babette Cole

We are delighted to be working with The Wardrobe Ensemble, an award-winning company based in Bristol. The company has produced a variety of shows for families and young audiences including The Star Seekers, RIOT and 33 and most recently Mog, The Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr – “…..A miaow-vellous musical treat” The Guardian. Other work includes 1972: The Future of Sex (The Stage Award for Acting Excellence in 2015) and Fringe First Award-winning Education, Education, Education, which transferred to the West End in 2019.