Orange Tree Theatre – 2026 Programme
DANCE OF DEATH
until 7 March 2026
He’s a vampire. He sucks the life out of people because his own life bores him so much.
A plague rages across Europe. On a remote island, former actress Alice (Lisa Dillon) and army Captain Edgar (Will Keen) are quarantined together – locked in a bitter, brutal, and addictive marriage. When an old friend arrives to help celebrate their wedding anniversary, it’s the perfect excuse for the couple to take their terrifying games to a new level.
August Strindberg’s masterpiece Dance of Death is a darkly comic portrait of psychological warfare – a toxic love story that continues to thrill audiences today.
Richard Eyre follows a series of revelatory Ibsen productions with this new adaptation featuring three of Britain’s top theatre actors, Lisa Dillon, Will Keen, and Geoffrey Streatfeild.
Dance of Death is generously supported by the Cockayne Foundation
VINCENT IN BRIXTON
14 March – 18 April 2026
What I wanted was someday, somehow to be the cause of something remarkable.
Before the sunflowers, before the madness, before the fame, there was a quiet kitchen in South London.
It’s 1873, when Ursula’s modest boarding house is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a young lodger by the name of Vincent van Gogh. As the household is thrown into chaos, the intimacy of daily life sparks something unexpected between them: longing, purpose and transformation.
The OT presents the first major revival of Nicholas Wright’s Olivier Award-winning Vincent in Brixton. It is directed by the OT’s Carne Associate Director Georgia Green, following her much-admired production of The Mikvah Project.
Niamh Cusack returns to the OT following her scorching performance in That Face. She is joined by Jeroen Frank Kales, recipient of the 2024 Sir John Gielgud Award, who makes his professional stage debut at the Orange Tree.
BLACK COMEDY
16 May – 11 July 2026
By Peter Shaffer | Cast includes Javier Marzan | Directed by Caroline Steinbeis | Comedy Consultant:John Nicholson
I know a liar in the light, and I know one in the dark.
Young sculptor Brindsley Miller is on the brink of success. He is expecting a visit from an influential art collector, whose approval could secure his future, and he is determined to present himself as sophisticated and successful.
The problem? His flat is sparsely furnished, most of the contents borrowed without permission from his neighbour – but when a sudden power cut plunges the building into darkness, Brindsley sees an opportunity. In the absence of light, he believes his deception will go unnoticed. Unbeknownst to him, the audience can see everything.
As friends, rivals, lovers, and unexpected guests arrive, the situation spirals rapidly out of control, and Brindsley’s desperate attempts to influence events only make matters worse.
Director Caroline Steinbeis reunites comedy legends Javier Marzan and John Nicholson for this shimmering comedy of light and darkness.
CENTRE STAGE: RICHMOND MYTHS
17 – 19 July 2026
inspired by Greek Mythology | made by the people of Richmond | Directed by Georgia Green
Over one extraordinary weekend, Richmond will team with myths and monsters, fates and feasts, mighty heroes and ancient magic. In the streets, the shops, historic buildings, green spaces… maybe even on the river itself, the town will fizz with performances in unexpected places, each reimagining legendary tales for today.
Friday evening: The festival opens with a spectacular launch event. Order is born from Chaos, Pandora’s box will open, and strange creatures will roam the streets.
Saturday: The town centre becomes a stage, canvas and playground as George Street and Whittaker Square come alive with theatre, music, food, workshops and joyful public participation.
Sunday: The festival continues in hidden corners of Richmond — experience our neighbourhood like never before.
A Small Quiet Light
A co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre | 21 September – 24 October 2026
By Stephanie Street Co-directed by Diyan Zora and Elin Schofield | Starring Priyanga Burford
October 1943. In a small office on the Avenue Foch in Paris, a Gestapo interrogator is questioning a young woman who has been known by many different names: Babuli, Jeanne-Marie, Nora, Madeleine.
As one of the secret agents of Britain’s Special Operations Executive – and the first female radio operator to be sent undercover into France – she has evaded capture far longer than most. But now she has been betrayed.
As she faces the fate she has dreaded so long, memories crowd in – a beloved father, a thwarted lover, a gruelling journey to war, and an endless longing for her childhood piano. What has led her here?
a small and quiet light is based on the life of Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan (1914-1944), an extraordinarily courageous woman who paid the ultimate price for her heroic fight against fascism.
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