New Vic Theatre announces new season including Russell Kane in Romeo and Juliet and The Borrowers

The New Vic Theatre has announced details of its autumn season as part of its 40th anniversary year.

The season opens with a co-production of Romeo and Juliet, created with theatre company Not Too Tame. The adaptation is directed by the company’s artistic director Jimmy Fairhurst and reimagines the story with the central characters meeting later in life, with Romeo and Juliet in their 40s.

Russell Kane will play Romeo in the production, which marks his first stage role. Performances run from 17 September to 10 October 2026.

Later in the season the theatre will present the stage premiere of Gladstone Girls, written by Rachel Shenton and produced in association with Slick Films. The play is set in Stoke-on-Trent and follows a group of pottery workers who gather every Friday in the factory to prepare for a night out, until a manager attempts to end the tradition known as “Curl Friday”. Originally produced as a podcast by Slick Films, the stage version runs from 6 to 27 February 2027.

The theatre’s festive production will be a revival of its 2014 adaptation of The Borrowers, adapted and directed by the theatre’s artistic director Theresa Heskins. The story follows Arrietty, who lives with her family beneath the floorboards and sets out to explore the world of the human “beans”. The production runs from 13 November 2026 to 23 January 2027.

The season goes on general sale on 25 March.