The Old Vic announces new season, the first for Rupert Goold

The Old Vic has announced its new season, the first for Rupert Goold.

Damian Lewis will star in Henry V, directed by Goold, from 26 January to 27 March, with a press night on 9 February. The production will see Lewis take on Shakespeare’s history play, which follows England’s king as he leads his army into battle against France.

The creative team for Henry V includes set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Evie Gurney, lighting designer Jack Knowles, sound designer and composer Adam Cork, choreographer Hannes Langolf and casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor.

The production of Henry V will mark 90 years since Laurence Olivier played the role on the same stage, the performance immortalised on the Olivier Award statue.

In April, Milly Alcock will star in Julie, Rebecca Frecknall’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Originally produced by Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, the production will run from 10 April to 29 May, with a press night on 20 April. Frecknall, who is the Old Vic’s associate director, adapted and directs the production, which follows Julie as she becomes embroiled in a conflict involving her father’s employees John and Christine.

Julie has set design by Chloe Lamford, costume design by An D’Huys, lighting by Jack Knowles, sound by George Dennis, casting by Amy Ball and intimacy direction by Ingrid Mackinnon, with fights by Sam Lyon-Behan. Further creative team members are to be announced.

From 15 June to 21 August, Goold will direct Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s musical Assassins, which we’ve covered here.

Arinzé Kene will perform in Kohlhaas, a one-person show adapted by Marco Baliani and Remo Rostagno from Heinrich von Kleist’s 1810 novella. Translated and directed by Omar Elerian, the production follows a man who seeks justice after a nobleman wrongfully seizes his horses.

Originally produced by Brighton Festival, it reunites Kene with Elerian following their work on Misty. It runs from 27 August to 4 September, with a press night on 31 August. It picked up a five-star review from WhatsOnStage earlier this year.

The creative team for Kohlhaas includes lighting and smoke effects designer Jackie Shemesh, set and costume designer Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, sound designer Dan Pollard and composer Matthew Herbert.

Goold said: “I am thrilled to be presenting my first Season with a collection of plays that speaks to the Old Vic’s rich history of classical theatre, European repertoire and musical revivals. I hope my Old Vic will be able to draw on this theatre’s storied legacy of sensational acting in groundbreaking and accessible productions.

“The Old Vic, which has always sat between the subsidised and commercial sectors, dancing to its own distinctive tune, is innately a maverick playhouse. Home of national companies, birthplace of national treasures, I feel both excited and humble before its history. Building on the fine work of Matthew Warchus, I hope this new era may find its inspiration from that marriage of tradition and contemporary daring that has characterised its glorious past.”

The Old Vic has also announced the launch of Old Vic New Directors, a programme supporting three directors who will present work in the Greene Studio in 2027. Sara Aniqah Malik, Yasmin Hafesji and Roberta Zuric will receive mentoring from Goold and Frecknall, alongside access to the theatre’s creative spaces. Further details of the Studio season will be announced in early 2027.

An ongoing artistic partnership with Internationaal Theater Amsterdam will involve co-producing new work and exchanges between artists and emerging practitioners from the two organisations.

The theatre is also introducing Old Vic New Rush, a ticketing scheme for people under 30. The scheme will offer £20 front-row tickets for the first five previews of every main house production. A limited number of tickets will be released two weeks before each production’s first preview.

Executive director Laura Stevenson said: “It is a real privilege to be working alongside Rupert as we begin the Old Vic’s next chapter with the announcement of his first season.

“This new era marks an exciting moment for our theatre. Last year, we opened our Backstage building which provides a home for our extensive programmes for schools, community groups and emerging theatre professionals, as well as being a space for artists and audiences. We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters who helped to make this happen.

“Our ambition is to be a welcoming place for people of all ages to experience the joy and power of theatre. We are excited to build on this ambition through the launch of our new ticketing scheme for under 30s and I look forward to seeing lots of Rush audiences in the front row this season.”