Amit Sharma today announces his inaugural season as Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre.
Amit Sharma said today, “I’m incredibly proud to share my first season as Artistic Director of Kiln.
My ambition is to make sure we present world class theatre coaligned with new entertainment offerings – so we are well on our way in making this a theatre for all! We have two world premieres, one European premiere and a hugely exciting transfer.
At the heart of the theatre programme are human stories which are fun, poignant, relatable, and make for a great night out! Pins and Needles, The Purists, The Lonely Londoners, and Shanghai Dolls are brilliant plays written by incredible playwrights. The common thread they all have is that they tackle the big conversations which explore our cultural and political life – past and present. This neatly intertwines with The Kilburn High Road project, our three-year Creative Engagement project exploring the human histories of our community at a much more local level. We’ll also be expanding our offer to audiences by hosting comedy, book launches, podcasts – with other action-packed events on the way.
I can’t wait to share all this with you as I kick off my new tenure.’’
The season is an ambitious programme of new work, opening this Autumn with the world première of Rob Drummond’s Pins and Needles, directed by Sharma – a timely new play exploring the politics around vaccines and the human stories behind them.
This is followed by Dan McCabe’s The Purists, which Sharma also directs, examining how far you will go to speak your truth. The Purists was originally staged at the Huntington Theater Company directed by Tony Award winner Billy Porter, and this new production for Kiln Theatre marks its European debut.
Roy Williams’ critically acclaimed adaptation of Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners transfers to Kiln Theatre after a sell out run at Jermyn Street Theatre; and the season is completed with the world première of Amy Ng’s Shanghai Dolls which is based on the true story of Sun Weishi – the first female director of modern spoken drama in Chinese history.
Also presented today is the company’s most ambitious outreach project to date – The Kilburn High Road Project, a three-year collaboration with local communities which will uncover and explore the hidden stories of people who live and have lived near Kilburn High Road. The project, made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund with thanks to National Lottery players, will culminate in events and performances along Kilburn High Road in summer of 2026 and a celebratory exhibition at Brent Museum and Archives in December 2026.
To celebrate Sharma’s inaugural season, Kiln Theatre are offering a Multibuy Season Discount allowing customers the opportunity to buy tickets to more than one show this season and receive 30% off. They are also committing to their £10 rate for under 26-year-olds. Priority booking for the first three shows of the season starts today with general on-sale on Friday 7 June, 12pm.
The season will also feature a brand-new strand of Kiln Comedy Nights which will complement the core theatre programming and form a regular part of the slate moving forward. The initial line up is Bella Hull and Micky Overman on 9 July, Chloe Petts and Michael Odewale on 10 July, Christopher Hall and Olga Koch on 11 July, Erika Ehler and Tom Ballard on 23 July and Lou Wall and Josh Glanc on 29 July.
Also announced today is Tom Wright’s appointment as Associate Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre. During his time as the New Work Associate, he oversaw the development and programming of brand-new work for Kiln Theatre, including contributions from acclaimed figures such as Marina Carr, Zadie Smith and Ryan Calais Cameron, with productions successfully transferring to the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Tom also established the Kiln’s Young Writers Programme, providing support to local first-time writers in amplifying their voices.
