The Young Vic Theatre’s Artistic Director and CEO Nadia Fall has today announced details of her 2026/7 season – a programme of compelling international storytelling from world-class theatre makers and exciting new voices, many of whom are making their Young Vic debuts.
Running from September 2026 – July 2027 across the Main House and the Maria Studio, this new season of work pulls together adventurous new theatre-making and reimaginings of classic work which interrogate the past, confront the future and help us to grapple with the here and now.
In the Main House
- The 26/7 season will open with the World premiere of Thelma & Louise, a brand-new musical adaptation of Callie Khouri’s Oscar and Golden-Globe winning road movie, featuring music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated iconoclast Neko Case. Directed by Trip Cullman (Choir Boy) and starring Amy Lennox (Cabaret, Kinky Boots) and Rachel Tucker (Wicked, Come From Away) in the title roles, Thelma & Louise has been reimagined for the stage at a time when the politics of the original film feel more relevant than ever. 3 Sep – 24 Oct 2026.
- The premiere of the English language adaptation of Eurotrash reunites the creative team behind the Young Vic’s hit productions Kafka’s Monkey (2009) and The Emperor (2016). Ben Whishaw (Peter Hujar’s Day and This is Going to Hurt) and Kathryn Hunter (Poor Things & Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) from the hit Netflix series Black Doves reunite here as a mother and son who embark on a road trip through the Swiss Alps to give away their vast family fortune in an attempt to escape the shadows of their past. This new adaptation of Christian Kracht’s internationally best-selling novel by Colin Teevan (The Tank, Das Boot, Monkey!), directed by Walter Meierjohann (Blindness, In the Red and Brown Water) is a darkly comedic search for absolution. 13 Nov 2026 – 9 Jan 2027.
- Tiago Rodrigues (By Heart, Catarina, Beauty of Killing Fascists), Portuguese playwright and director, and current director of the Festival d’Avignon, presents the UK premiere of his intimate and inventive play La Distance. First performed at the Festival d’Avignon in 2025, La Distance, performed in French with English surtitles, is a profoundly human exploration of separation, hope, and the bond between parent and child, set within a collapsing world. Original cast members Alison Dechamps and Adama Diop reprise their roles as father and daughter. 22 Jan – 13 Feb 2027.
- Olivier and BAFTA award-winner debbie tucker green (ear for eye) writes and directs the World premiere of dissent, an explosive new play about humanity’s capacity for monstrous behaviour. 5 Mar – 24 Apr 2027.
- Young Vic Artistic Director and CEO Nadia Fall (Entertaining Mr Sloane) directs the first UK staging in 20 years of August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, a moving exploration of resistance, redemption, and the enduring search for freedom. 14 May – 10 July 2027.
Now in its second year of programming, the Maria Studio offers a platform of scale for brilliant directors, writers and artists to present inventive, creative approaches to theatremaking.
In the Maria
- Straight from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Shedinburgh lands in London for the very first time. The immersive venue will be re-built in the Maria to present the very best of the Fringe, showcasing over 40 shows from artists including Inua Ellams, Sara Pascoe, Bryony Kimmings and Rosie Jones. This month-long residency will celebrate the creativity and diversity of the Fringe, featuring iconic shows alongside brand new work. The full programme of intimate shed-style performances will span theatre, music, comedy and everything in between, with all shows announced next month. 19 Sept – 10 Oct 2026.
- Ewa Dina (The Welsh Dragon), winner of the 2026 JMK Award makes her Young Vic debut directing Theresa Ikoko’s (Rocks) award-winning play Girls. Set in Nigeria during the 2014 militant insurrection when hundreds of girls were kidnapped from their homes, Girls is a powerful story of three friends and the difficult choices they make to survive. 22 Oct – 21 Nov.
Further programming for the Maria Studio will be announced in the autumn.
As part of the Young Vic’s ambition to open-up its building and animate its spaces year-round, the organisation will begin hosting stand-alone events across both the Maria Studio and the Main House which will span scratch nights, gigs, panel events and more.
- Professor Daisy Fancourt, an award-winning scientist and world-leading expert who recently published Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health, will discuss the life-enhancing power of the arts in an evening hosted by broadcaster, journalist and podcast host, Hannah MacInnes. 27 Sept 2026 (Main House)
- Award-winning poet and playwright Inua Ellams brings a special edition of his global R.A.P. Party, Brown Sugar, to the Young Vic, honouring influential artist D’Angelo, founder of the Neo-Soul movement who passed away in October last year. The event will feature D’Angelo’s music alongside poetic responses to his work. 14 Oct 2026. (Maria Studio)
Nadia Fall, Artistic Director and CEO of the Young Vic said: “As we witness our global landscape become riddled with strife and division, we need spaces where connections and communities can be forged and cultivated. I believe theatre has the unique ability to ignite dialogue between artists and audiences; where ideas, memories, stories and histories can be shared.
Our 2026/7 season welcomes powerful international storytelling into our unique shape-shifting spaces, transporting audiences from the American mid-west to Nigeria and from the Swiss Alps, to a red planet in the depths of our solar system. Each of these new productions are cathartic, poignant, wickedly funny and above all profoundly human stories.
As we throw open the doors to the Young Vic this season, the building will be bursting at the seams with leading international artists and exciting new voices presenting work simultaneously across both the Maria and Main House spaces. From blockbuster musicals to experimental new work and a celebration of the creativity and anarchy of the Edinburgh Fringe, I can’t wait to share this new programme with you all.
The Young Vic continues its commitment to supporting the next generation of theatre makers through the Creators’ Program and its ongoing partnership with the JMK Award, which returns to the theatre in 2027. Applications for next year’s award will open this autumn, offering an early career director the opportunity to direct a full-scale professional play in the Young Vic’s Maria Studio. Year round, the Young Vic Creators Program provides opportunities for theatremakers to develop their practice through programmes such as the Jerwood Assistant Director Programme, which appoints an early career director to the creative team of every Young Vic production. The Young Vic is grateful to the longstanding support of the Jerwood Foundation towards the organisation’s Assistant Director Programme.
For thirty years, the Young Vic’s work has extended beyond the walls of the building, fostering long lasting relationships with the communities of Southwark and Lambeth through Young Vic Taking Part. Throughout 26/7 Young Vic Taking Part will continue to offer free tickets to all performances alongside offering creative and artistic opportunities that span three key strands, learning, participation and Neighbourhood Theatre. Details of their 30th anniversary programmes will be announced later in the year.
Priority booking for Thelma & Louise, Girls, Eurotrash and La Distance opens at 12pm 20 April, with general on sale for these productions and for R.A.P Party and Art Cure from 12pm Thursday 23 April.
dissent, Gem of the Ocean and Shedinburgh and wil
Show by Show
A Young Vic, Sonia Friedman Productions, Blue Spruce Productions, Ley Line Entertainment, Callie Khouri co-production
Mandy Greenfield
in association with MGM ON STAGE
Thelma & Louise
A New Musical
Book by Callie Khouri, Music & Lyrics by Neko Case
Directed by Trip Cullman
Young Vic, Main House
3 Sept – 24 Oct 2026
I guess I went a little crazy, huh?
On a whim, Louise (Rachel Tucker) invites her best friend Thelma (Amy Lennox) for a spontaneous weekend getaway. After an ill-fated encounter with a stranger at a roadside honkytonk, their lifelong friendship is forged into something dangerous and unbreakable. Propelled by a soaring musical score, they set out on a last-chance adventure in a world where every card is stacked against them.
More than thirty years after the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning film, writer Callie Khouri reimagines her iconic road movie, Thelma & Louise, as a brand-new musical. With music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated artist Neko Case, this electrifying production, directed by Trip Cullman is wild, hilarious and will rip your heart out.
The creative team features choreography by Bobbi Jene Smith & Or Schraiber, scenography by Christine Jones & Brett J. Banakis, costume design by Ryan Dawson Laight, lighting design by Natasha Chivers, sound design by Gareth Owen, musical supervision by Kimberly Grigsby, orchestration and arrangements by John Clancy and musical direction by Ed Bussey, with additional music by Carl Newman, Paul Rigby and Zoe Sarnak. The Creative Producers are Mandy Greenfield and Sonia Friedman Productions and the creative consultant is Imogen Brodie.
Stuart Burt CDG CSA is the casting director, Peter Noden is the casting associate, Kev McCurdy is the Fight Director, Yarit Dor is the Intimacy Director, Danièle Lydon is the Voice and Dialect Coach, Chelsea Walker the Associate Director, Matthew Buttrey the Associate Designer and Rob Jones is the Associate Sound Designer. The music producer is Jeff Galegher and the orchestra manager is Sylvia Addison. RCI Theatricals are the US General Managers.
Based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture “Thelma & Louise” written by Callie Khouri.
Sonia Friedman and Imogen Brodie said: “From the moment it premiered in 1991, Thelma & Louise was a cultural phenomenon and an instant classic. Callie Khouri’s ground-breaking, funny, deeply moving and empowering film sparked a vital and urgent conversation around violence against women and girls, and women’s autonomy in the face of systemic injustice.
Astonishingly, nearly 35 years later, we find ourselves in a world where female, indeed all human rights are under serious threat, making this story feel not only relevant but necessary. At its heart, it speaks to freedom, solidarity, friendship and the ongoing fight for equality – all of which continue to resonate today.
In bringing this story to the stage, we are reimagining it theatrically and musically, so it feels wholly born for the live experience – immediate, visceral and a rollercoaster of a night out.
Together with our exceptional creative team – Callie, Neko and Trip – and our brilliant co-producers Blue Spruce Productions, Ley Line Entertainment, Callie, Mandy Greenfield and MGM ON STAGE, we are thrilled that Thelma & Louise: A New Musical will begin its journey at the Young Vic.”
Callie Khouri said: “I’m thrilled to be collaborating with the Young Vic, Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Delman, Ley Line Entertainment and Mandy Greenfield in this newly re-imagined story of Thelma and Louise. It’s still a wild and emotional ride made even better by the contribution of the enormous talents of Neko Case, Trip Cullman and our amazing creative team. I can’t wait for audiences to experience this timely re-telling.”
Thelma & Louise is supported by Sophie Hale & Roland Rudd and the Charlotte Aitken Trust.
Francesca Moody Productions, in association with the Young Vic present
Shedinburgh
Young Vic, The Maria
Sat 19 Sep – Sat 10 Oct 2026
This autumn, Shedinburgh is bringing the very best of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to the Young Vic.
Your all-time favourite artists including Inua Ellams, Bryony Kimmings, Sara Pascoe and Rosie Jones perform in a shed. From Fringe legends and cult hits to rising stars and world premieres. All runs are strictly limited – blink and you’ll miss them. Expect a mix of old and new, with theatre, comedy, music, and everything in between.
Step inside the Shed and experience the Young Vic as you’ve never seen it before: unplugged, up close, and unforgettable.
“An extraordinary shedload of visions and re-visions; first chances and second chances; new and old work” – Tim Crouch
Francesca Moody said: “I’m thrilled that Shedinburgh will be taking up residency in the Maria Studio this September. This is a chance to present an iconic programme of established artists and emerging talent at the Young Vic, and show that work made for an intimate stage and at Fringe scale belongs in this legendary London venue. This is a celebration of the Fringe, and a reminder that it remains at the foundation of the cultural sector – not just for the month of August. I’m delighted to be continuing our collaboration with the Young Vic to make Shedinburgh a reality in London for the very first time, and I know audiences are going to have a magical experience stepping into our Shed this autumn.”
Art Cure
Young Vic, Main House
27 Sep 2026
Professor Daisy Fancourt, an award-winning scientist and world-leading expert who recently published Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health, will discuss the life-enhancing power of the arts in an evening hosted by broadcaster, journalist and podcast host, Hannah MacInnes.
In Art Cure, Fancourt reveals how engaging with the arts can improve our health, make us happier and even help us live longer. Informed by the results of decades of scientific studies, Art Cure explains why the arts – alongside diet, sleep, exercise and nature – are the forgotten fifth pillar of health, and gives you the tools to write your own ‘arts prescription’.
05 Events and the Young Vic presents
The Brown Sugar RAP Party
Young Vic, The Maria
14 Oct 2026
What might eloquent voices from contemporary poetry and spoken word movements have to say about our present realities? What could be the soundtrack to our day-to-day lives? Inua Ellams’ Rhythm And Poetry Party, is a nostalgic, no-clutter, no-fuss, night of live literature and moving music.
To mark the first anniversary of D’Angelo’s passing on October 14th, 2026, The RAP Party invites you to Brown Sugar, at The Young Vic.
This special R.A.P Party gathers 10 incredible contemporary poets to create and share new verse in response to D’Angelo’s first album, Brown Sugar. Join us for fresh perspectives on the timeless journeys, questions and reflections raised by D’Angelo, plus music from DJ Sid Mercutio.
‘A truly fluid literary event not just mingling poetry and music together seamlessly, but also bringing different tribes of poets: ages, races, gender, styles together. You will be moved in your heart and in your head.’ – Roger Robinson
Girls
By Theresa Ikoko
Directed by Ewa Dina
Young Vic, The Maria
22 Oct – 21 Nov 2026
They leave a trail of fire and flesh. If they followed it – if somebody followed the stench – they would find us.
Nigeria, 2014. Teenagers Tisana, Haleema, and Ruha are best friends, busy swapping notes on celebrities, sex positions, and dodging carbs.
But when they’re kidnapped by militant insurgents and forced towards an uncertain future, they have only each other to turn to. As fear and religious differences begin to fracture their bond, how far can their friendship be tested before it breaks?
Ewa Dina, winner of the 2026 JMK Award, makes her Young Vic debut directing Theresa Ikoko’s Girls, a powerful story of friendship under fire with set and costume design by Raphaé Memon. Winner of the Alfred Fagon Award (2015), the George Devine Award (2016), and a finalist for the Verity Bargate Award.
A Young Vic and Red Peter co-production
Eurotrash
A novel by Christian Kracht
Adapted by Colin Teevan
Directed by Walter Meierjohann
Young Vic, Main House
13 Nov 2026 – 09 Jan 2027
You think I’m a stupid, heartless old woman? Well we’re going to give this money away. Really give it away, get rid of it, squander it…And you’re going to help me.
A blocked novelist is summoned to Zurich by his aged mother who is barely keeping it together with vodka, pills and Ferragamo sweaters. Together they embark upon an impromptu journey to give away the mother’s fortune, amassed from arms investments and dairy products, in order to come to terms with their own and Europe’s dark history. With the cash stuffed in a plastic bag, the bickering pair take a chaotic and outrageous road trip through the snowy mountains and valleys of Switzerland.
Starring Kathryn Hunter and Ben Whishaw, Eurotrash, directed by Walter Meierjohann, brings Christian Kracht’s international best-seller in a new adaptation by Colin Teevan to the stage with set and costume design by Lizzie Clachan. Eurotrash is both a darkly comic travelogue and a poignant search for redemption and connection.
Kathryn Hunter said: “The character of ‘the mother’ is one of those unforgettable literary creations that is a real gift for an actor to play. I feel privileged to have been entrusted with bringing her to life – her eccentricities, contradictions, and complexities – opposite the brilliant Ben Whishaw with whom I’ve dreamed of working with since his searing and unforgettable Hamlet and with my long-time collaborators Walter and Colin, ten years on from ‘The Emperor’, our last project at the Young Vic.”
Ben Whishaw said: “I am so excited to perform at the Young Vic, collaborating with such an extraordinary team of artists, whose work I’ve long admired. I am particularly thrilled to be reuniting with my dear friend, the phenomenal Kathryn Hunter, as we delve into the rich, complex relationship between a mother and son that sits at the heart of Christian Kracht’s brilliant, unsettling and very funny novel.”
Eurotrash is supported by the Charlotte Aitken Trust.
La Distance
Written and directed by Tiago Rodrigues
Young Vic, Main House
22 Jan – 13 Feb 2027
We no longer believe it’s possible to change the world. We believe that we need to change worlds.
2077, Earth is breaking. As the planet buckles under environmental and societal collapse, part of humanity has launched itself toward Mars, chasing the promise of a new beginning.
Across millions of miles, a father (Adama Diop) fights to hold onto his relationship with his daughter (Alison Dechamps), as her new future unfolds on a distant red planet.
Tiago Rodrigues’ La Distance is a breathtakingly beautiful and profoundly human production about separation, hope, and the bond between parent and child. Performed in French, with English surtitles, this intimate and inventive play arrives at the Young Vic for a strictly limited time, following its acclaimed world premiere at the Festival d’Avignon last year.
La Distance is written and directed by Tiago Rodrigues, with translation by Thomas Resendes and translation for surtitles by Daniel Hahn, set design by Fernando Ribeiro, costume design by José António Tenente, lighting design by Rui Monteiro, and original music and sound design by Pedro Costa. Sophie Bricaire is the artistic collaborator, André Pato the Assistant Director and Thomas Medioni the Assistant Director Trainee.
dissent
Written and directed by debbie tucker green
Young Vic, Main House
05 Mar – 24 Apr 2027
What you don’t know
y’don’t need to know,
what y’don’t need to know can’t hurt you.
State sponsored air conditioning and free cigarettes.
Work hard, go home, chill out. Repeat.
All you have to do is comply. And question nothing.
dissent is the explosive new play from debbie tucker green, one of the most distinctive and influential voices in contemporary British theatre. An Olivier and BAFTA Award winner, her previous work includes ear for eye and a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun), random and generation
Written and directed by debbie tucker green, dissent features lighting design by Paule Constable and sound design by Christopher Shutt.
August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean
Directed by Nadia Fall
14 May – 10 July 2027
Young Vic, Main House
I can’t wait. I have to see you now. They say you can help me. They say you wash souls.
Pittsburgh 1904, young Citizen Barlow is restless and camped outside Aunt Ester’s house, desperate for her help. She is said to be 285 years old, a sage and healer of the Hill District community, where slavery and the South are still in living memory.
But the merciless sheriff Caesar is circling, feared for his ruthless reputation. Can Citizen be saved before his past catches up with him?
Following her critically acclaimed production of King Hedley II, Young Vic Artistic Director Nadia Fall directs August Wilson’s moving exploration of resistance, redemption, and the enduring search for freedom.
