Time Travel, Talent and Triumph: Billy & Teddy's Amazing Adventure Hits Newcastle
Lawnmowers Theatre Company launches its 40th Anniversary celebrations in 2026 with Billy & Teddy’s Amazing Adventure, a joyful new play inspired by the cult 80s classic Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which comes to Live Theatre, Newcastle on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 February at 7.30pm. Packed with humour, heart and high-energy time travel, the production celebrates friendship, determination and the power of believing in yourself.
Billy, played by Chris Moules, and Teddy, brought to life by Nathan Jordison, are creative, talented, and excelling in their performance class, but they want more. When they apply to a local performing arts college, they’re told they don’t belong. Their challenge is clear: prove that history is full of successful people with learning difficulties and they’ll earn their place. Just as all hope seems lost, something extraordinary happens.
What follows is a hilarious and uplifting journey through time, as Billy and Teddy encounter famous figures from history - including German composer and pianist Beethoven - and discover that creativity, talent, and determination have always existed beyond society’s labels.
Directed by Karen Traynor, Chris Moules and Nathan Jordison are joined by other Lawnmowers Theatre Company performers including Andrew McLeod (also lead writer on the play), Francis Potts and Debbie Bell. Francis Potts has also created a bespoke mega-mix for the show with support from DJ Stewart Smith, adding to the production’s playful energy. Behind the scenes, George Copeland provides stage management support, with Scott Rowe contributing sound tech support.
Opening a landmark year for the company, Billy & Teddy’s Amazing Adventure sets the tone for a year of celebration as Lawnmowers marks 40 years of creating bold, original theatre led by learning-disabled artists.
Karen Traynor, Director, said: “This show is about challenging assumptions and celebrating what people can do. Billy & Teddy’s Amazing Adventure is funny, bold and full of heart - and it perfectly reflects Lawnmowers’ ethos of empowering learning-disabled people to tell their own stories, take creative risks and shine on stage. It feels incredibly special that this production opens the company's 40th Anniversary year.”
Founded in 1986, Lawnmowers Theatre Company is a pioneering learning-disabled led arts organisation with a national reputation for inclusive, artist-led theatre. This new production marks both a celebration of its past and a confident step into the company’s next chapter.
To join Billy and Teddy on their amazing adventure through time and celebrate the start of Lawnmowers Theatre Company’s 40th Anniversary year at Newcastle's Live Theatre on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 February 2026, book tickets (£14, £10 concessions) at live.org.uk/whats-on/billy-and-teddys-amazing-adventure is suitable for 14+.
