Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre announces 2026 season

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has unveiled its 2026 season, the second for artistic director Drew McOnie.

The season opens with the world premiere of Sherlock Holmes, a new mystery by Joel Horwood, running from 2 May to 6 June. The production is directed by Sean Holmes and stars Joshua James as Sherlock Holmes.

The creative team includes Sean Holmes as director, Jherek Bischoff as composer, Grace Smart as set and co-costume designer alongside Lisa Aitken as co-costume designer and supervisor, Charlotte Broom as movement director, Stuart Burt, CSA as casting director, Ryan Day as lighting designer, Elena Peña as sound designer, and Carole Hancock as wigs, hair and make-up designer and supervisor. The production is presented by agreement with the Conan Doyle Estate and is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts.

From 11 to 14 June, the theatre will present A Life in Four Seasons, a contemporary dance work inspired by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. The piece is created by Tinuke Craig with choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento and features a recorded score by DJ Walde, based on Vivaldi’s original compositions. The creative team also includes Ryan Dawson Laight as set and costume designer and Will Burton as casting director. The work follows three friends across the changing seasons of a city over the course of a lifetime and is supported by The Thistle Trust.

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the most frequently staged comedies at the venue, follows from 20 June to 18 July in a new production directed by Atri Banerjee.

The creative team comprises Naomi Dawson as set designer, Tomàs Palmer as costume designer, Joshua Pharo as lighting designer, Max Pappenheim as sound designer, Anjali Mehra as movement director, Olivier Award-winner Maimuna Memon as composer, and Jacob Sparrow as casting director.

Family programming returns in August with Anansi the Spider by Justin Audibert, directed by Robin Belfield, which will play on the Theatre Lawn for audiences aged four and above. The production is presented by Unicorn Theatre and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

The shows join McOnie’s production of Cats, which will tour after its initial London spell.