Nottingham Playhouse unveils 2026 season shows

Nottingham Playhouse has announced three productions as part of its summer and autumn 2026 programme.

The season will feature the world premiere of Jane Upton’s Scenes from a Friendship in the Neville Studio, the world premiere of William Ivory’s The Market Deeping Model Railway Club on the main stage and the regional premiere of Beth Steel’s Till the Stars Come Down. The productions follow the previously announced return of James Graham’s Punch, opening next month.

Scenes from a Friendship will run from 15 May to 6 June, with a press night on 20 May. Written by Jane Upton and directed by Hannah Stone, the two-hander follows two best friends across several decades, from childhood through to middle age, exploring how their lives intersect and diverge over time.

The Market Deeping Model Railway Club, written by William Ivory and directed by Nottingham Playhouse artistic director Adam Penford, runs from 6 to 25 July, with a press night on 10 July. Based on a true story, the play follows a group of model railway enthusiasts whose layout is destroyed by vandals ahead of a competition. As they attempt to rebuild their miniature world, their story attracts unexpected attention, including support from musician and railway enthusiast Rod Stewart.

The regional premiere of Beth Steel’s award-nominated Till the Stars Come Down runs from 5 to 26 September, with a press night on 10 September. Directed by Caroline Steinbeis, the play centres on a wedding in Mansfield where family tensions surface over the course of the celebrations. The production follows earlier runs at the National Theatre and in the West End.

The autumn season will also include Pride and Prejudice (*sort of), written and directed by Isobel McArthur, which runs from 2 to 7 November, and August Wilson’s Fences, directed by Daniel Bailey, which runs from 10 to 14 November.