Jermyn Street Theatre unveils 2026 spring season

Exclusive: Jermyn Street Theatre has announced full programming for its spring 2026 season, featuring five main-stage productions alongside a series of one-night events.

The season opens with a revival of Lyle Kessler’s Orphans, directed by former Carne deputy director Al Miller. Set in 1983 Philadelphia, the play follows two brothers whose lives are disrupted by a mysterious intruder. The cast includes Forbes Masson, Chris Walley and Fred Woodley Evans.

Next is Jerome Kilty’s Dear Liar, adapted from the correspondence between George Bernard Shaw and Mrs Patrick Campbell, directed by artistic director Stella Powell-Jones. The play explores the pair’s 40-year relationship through their letters, tracing the intersection of art, ambition and affection.

Emma Howlett’s Aether returns following a run at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Presented by TheatreGoose, the production follows a physicist’s encounter with a group of unexpected collaborators as they investigate the mysteries of the universe. The cast features Gemma Barnett, Sophie Kean, Anna Marks Pryce and Abby McCann.

A new adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s The Waves by Flora Wilson Brown, directed by Júlia Levai, continues the season. The production reimagines Woolf’s novel about friendship, identity and time.

The main season concludes with a new production of Teresa Deevy’s Wife to James Whelan, directed by Jonathan Bank in partnership with Mint Theater Company. Set in 1930s Ireland, the play examines the enduring connection between two former lovers separated by ambition and circumstance.

Alongside the main programme, the theatre will host several one-night events. An Afternoon with Tony Robinson will see the actor and historian discuss his career and new novel The House of Wolf. On 22 February, Kenneth Williams: A Centenary Celebration will feature Mark Farrelly, Simon Cartwright and Russell Davies, followed that evening by Cult Figure: Kenneth Williams starring Colin Elmer. Siân Phillips will lead The Greeks on 1 March, performing two companion pieces, Women & Troy and It’s All Greek, with Rachel Donovan and Robert Powell.

Powell-Jones and co-artistic director David Doyle said: “What makes Jermyn Street Theatre such an exciting place to run is its power to surprise. It’s baked into the very walls — you don’t expect the intimacy of 70 seats in the heart of the West End. Today we’re delighted to announce a new season that celebrates that thrill of unexpected meetings: between new voices and the canon, rising stars and the legends who inspired them, forgotten plays and audiences ready to discover them anew.

“This year, half of our audiences were first time visitors. And with nearly 30 per cent of tickets at £26 or less – plus relaxed and captioned performances – we can’t wait for more people to discover what’s in store at 16b Jermyn Street.”