Barbican announces 2026 autumn/winter season including Haruki Murakami’s End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland
The first stage adaptation of the novel has its European premiere
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London
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9 June 2026
The Barbican has revealed details of its autumn/winter 2026 theatre and dance season, marking the return of performances to both the Barbican Theatre and The Pit after maintenance work.
The season will open with the UK premiere of Pastoral by Pam Tanowitz Dance, running from 1 to 3 October. A Barbican co-commission, the work brings together choreographer Pam Tanowitz, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw and visual artist Sarah Crowner. The production premiered at Bard College’s Fisher Center in New York in 2025 and features a newly commissioned score responding to Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony.
From 8 to 11 October, the Barbican will host the European premiere of End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland, directed by Philippe Decouflé and adapted from the novel by Haruki Murakami. Performed in Japanese with English surtitles, the production stars Tatsuya Fujiwara and marks the first stage adaptation of the novel.
Alongside the production, Murakami will make a rare London appearance on 11 October, reading from his novel The City and Its Uncertain Walls and taking part in a conversation with Simon McBurney. Fujiwara will also introduce a screening of Battle Royale, while a screening of Tony Takitani will follow the Murakami event.
The London premiere of Tom at the Farm will run from 13 to 17 October. Based on the play by Michel Marc Bouchard and directed by Rodrigo Portella, the Brazilian production is led by actor and producer Armando Babaioff. The work follows a young man attending his boyfriend’s funeral and discovering that the family knew nothing of their relationship.
As part of Dance Umbrella 2026, choreographer Omar Rajeh will present the London premiere of Dance is Not for Us in The Pit from 16 to 17 October. The solo work combines dance and spoken word, reflecting on memory, loss and contemporary Lebanon.
The Pit will also welcome the return of Univers from 2 to 12 December. Created by Catalan company Engruna Teatre, the immersive production is designed for children aged up to two years old and combines live music, movement and sensory play.
The season will conclude with the annual winter residency from the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Theatre. Further details are to be announced soon.
