The sudden cancellation of Wizards of the Coast’s giant D&D Fan Expo UK in London this August has left a hole in the summer’s tabletop calendar. However, the live actual-play show It’s Your Role is pivoting quickly, trading the O2 Arena for a spot at London’s Cheerful Earful comedy festival instead.
The touring show, which is currently halfway through a UK-wide road trip, has also teamed up with indie publisher Cross Paths to bring their dragon-bonding game Drakonym to life on stage. Despite the abrupt cancellation of the D&D Expo where they were set to perform, the live act is moving ahead with plans to bring chaotic tabletop adventures to new audiences.
From cancelled expos to comedy festivals
Originally, It’s Your Role was scheduled to take a major platform at the D&D Expo UK at the O2 this August. Following the cancellation of that event, the team secured a slot at Cheerful Earful, a dedicated podcast and live comedy festival in London.
Elliott Reeves-Giblin, co-creator and artistic director of It’s Your Role, commented on the shift:
We’re sad that we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the D&D Expo, but are really excited to be performing at such a massive festival like Cheerful Earful.
We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve; and are excited to bring the chaos of live TTRPG’s to a wider audience.”
Reeves-Giblin also confirmed that the group remains booked to appear at the rescheduled D&D Expo when it returns in 2027.
The 2026 tour and Drakonym partnership
The stage show is designed as an interactive comedy campaign where audience participation is central to the performance. Since launching, the production has tracked considerable milestones across its runs:
- 26 total performances
- 11 venues visited
- 1,732 miles travelled
- 2,300 audience members in attendance
- 26 audience members invited onto the stage to play
For this leg of the journey, the show is officially partnering with publisher Cross Paths to feature their tabletop rules system Drakonym, an indie game focused on forming bonds with dragons.
The publisher expressed excitement over the stage adaptation:
We’re excited to have It’s Your Role step into the world of Drakonym; and bring a funny, chaotic spin to our dragon bonding TTRPG. We also love that an audience member get’s to join – and potentially experience the world of Akeroth for the first time onstage!”
Remaining tour schedule
The company continues its mission to bridge the gap between traditional theatre spaces and tabletop roleplaying games with three remaining stops on its 2026 regional tour:
- July: Durham Fringe Festival, Durham
- August: Cheerful Earful Festival, London (replacing the cancelled D&D Expo slot)
- October: Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham
Whether you’re a veteran dungeon master or completely new to tabletop games, this production gives you a fun chance to dive into the unpredictability of live gaming. By taking the place of the cancelled D&D Expo and bringing a more intimate, comedy-first vibe with Cheerful Earful, the cast is set to attract a whole new crowd of theatregoers to the hobby. If you want to see how an unsuspecting audience member bonds with a dragon onstage, grab your tickets for the remaining regional tour dates directly from the venue box offices.
