Exe Men at Exeter Northcott Theatre.  Photograph by Craig Fuller.

We’re thrilled to announce that Exeter Northcott Theatre and Otter Brewery have agreed a partnership that will help bring exceptional experiences to people in Devon. Otter Brewery will support the Northcott Theatre’s mission to make and share original productions in the South West, utilising exceptional local talent to tell brilliant stories from the region.  

Patrick McCaig, Managing Director of Otter Brewery said:  

‘The Otter philosophy is all about sourcing the best ingredients and delivering a quality product that celebrates the best of Devon. This is an exact match with Northcott’s aims of producing work for, and with, local people. We are delighted to be able to play just a small part in supporting the arts in the south west and look forward to working closely with the Northcott.’  

The relationship began last year when Otter Brewery’s beloved mascot, Derek, played a central role in the Northcott’s production, Exe Men, which charted the rise of Exeter Chiefs. ‘Derek has a long history of getting up to mischief at the Chiefs’ games but we didn’t expect him to be such a big part of the play,’ said Patrick. ‘On the packed press night at the theatre, Derek got a huge round of applause, and it seemed he’d become a hit with theatre audiences as well as the rugby crowd.’ 

Kelly Johnson, Joint Chief Executive of Exeter Northcott agreed:

‘Derek stole the show! It was a great moment for both of us: Derek was back in the limelight, The Northcott had a record-breaking hit show and thousands of people left feeling proud to be from Devon.  We’re hugely grateful to Otter for supporting the making of our new shows in the South West.  Next up we have Daphne about the life of Daphne du Maurier, followed by our first musical in 20 years, Little Shop of Horrors and then our biggest panto yet.  We’re yet to tell Derek that he can’t star in every show but audiences can be assured that Otter pints will be available at every visit, some of which will be created specifically for the production – more on that later though!’