Punch

Punch comes to The House at the Birmingham Rep from Tuesday 16 February to Saturday 20 February, a one-week run. It's written by James Graham and directed by Adam Penford, based on the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne.

The play brings Dunne's own story to the stage. He was a teenager from The Meadows in Nottingham whose Saturday-night thrills ended in fatal consequences after an impulsive punch in Old Market Square. After serving a prison sentence, Dunne was approached by Joan and David, the parents of his victim, James Hodgkinson, and that meeting sparked a profound transformation. The play is dedicated to Hodgkinson and to all victims of one-punch violence.

It's a production that's already travelled a fair bit. It played to sold-out houses at Nottingham Playhouse and the Young Vic, and then opened simultaneously on Broadway and in the West End in autumn 2025. The Telegraph called it a 'state-of-the-nation masterpiece' and WhatsOnStage described it as a 'powerhouse of a production'.

It runs for about two hours and twenty-six minutes, including an interval, with age guidance of 12+ and no under-fives. Tickets start at £20, and those above £13 include a £1 restoration levy, though schools' tickets are excluded. There's a £3.50 transaction fee on all payment types.