Royal Exchange Theatre announces 2026 season featuring Sondheim Christmas revival, David Threlfall, Fun Home and more

The Royal Exchange Theatre has revealed plans for its 2026 season.

Marking 50 years of the venue, artistic director Selina Cartmell is launching a new chapter by inviting artistic alumni to return, and staging two world premieres, a regional premiere and more.

Opening the season will be a contemporary revival of Road by Jim Cartwright. Cartmell will direct Lucy Beaumont, Shobna Gulati, and Johnny Vegas, who makes his debut as Scullery. In addition, Tom Courtenay will make an appearance on film in the production, marking his 17th time performing at the Exchange.

Also on the creative team are designer Leslie Travers, lighting designer Aideen Malone, sound designer Tingying Dong and casting director Olivia Barr. Road plays from 13 February to 14 March 2026.

Next up is Noël Coward’s classic dark comedy, Private Lives, directed by Blanche McIntyre. The new production includes design by Dick Bird, lighting design by Johanna Town, sound design by Gregory Clarke and casting by Annelie Powell. It’ll play from 27 March to 2 May 2026.

Rory Mullarkey’s Even These Things will then receive its world premiere. Described as “an epic story of Manchester and Ireland,” it arrives 30 years after an IRA bomb devastated the heart of the city. The new piece from the multi-award-winning playwright will be directed by James Macdonald and will run from 15 May, with its final performance taking place on 15 June 2026, 30 years to the day when the bomb exploded.

Much-loved musical Fun Home will receive its northern debut throughout the summer, and we’ve detailed more about that here.

Matthew Dunster will direct David Threlfall in a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, King Lear, from 2 October to 15 November. It marks the performer’s return to the Royal Exchange after 27 years, and Dunster’s sixth time at the theatre. The creative team includes designer Moi Tran, lighting designer Lucy Carter, and casting director Amy Ball.

At Christmas, Manchester will welcome Stephen Sondheim’s and Hugh Wheeler’s musical, A Little Night Music. Read more about the production here.

Finally, Shooters by Tolu Okanlawon will receive its world premiere in 2027. Winner of the 2025 Bruntwood Prize, it follows African American photojournalist Gordon Parks and is described as “an epic exploration of authenticity, masculinity and representation as it examines a true event in mid-century New York.” The production runs from 12 February to 13 March 2027.

Casting and further details about the productions are to follow.

Cartmell said: “There is no theatre like the Royal Exchange anywhere in the world. Its pioneering architecture and visceral relationship between artist and audience have shaped 50 exceptional years of this northern theatrical powerhouse and underpin my vision for the future.

“I am thrilled to finally get to share ‘A Homecoming’, our 50th anniversary season that takes in Shakespeare and Sondheim, contemporary classics and two world premieres. Central to this vision are audiences, both old and new, and I invite them to become active collaborators in this ambitious and eclectic season.

“In this anniversary year, we renew our commitment to being a world-class theatre here in the heart of Manchester and an artistic engine room for talent development in the North. I am excited to commission and create universal stories that speak both to and from our home, shaping a fiercely distinctive artistic future that is local, national and international in ambition. Essential to our future is a robust eco-system for emerging and established artists.”

She added hopes for the future: “The Royal Exchange will be a space for a Manchester canon of new plays and productions, and to achieve this, we are forging exciting plans to reopen our 90-seat studio space, which has been closed since 2020.”

Before concluding: “I cannot launch this season without acknowledging the incredible vision of our founding artistic directors and the generations of artists who followed. This anniversary programme sees artists return to the stage and others make their debuts to share transformative stories with diverse perspectives. I am excited to lead this pioneering theatre into its next chapter, and I hope that ‘A Homecoming’ is a statement of intent of the adventure ahead.”