Hampstead Theatre has announced its programme for the first part of 2027, bringing together four world premiere plays and a major revival of one of the most acclaimed political dramas of recent decades.
The season spans true-life stories, political intrigue, family relationships and questions of identity and belonging, showcasing a mix of established playwrights and emerging voices.
The Main Stage programme opens with the world premiere of Portrait of a Man by Alexis Zegerman, directed by Anna Ledwich. Inspired by the real-life relationship between artist Elaine de Kooning and President John F. Kennedy, the play explores the challenge of capturing the man behind the public image.
Following that, Hampstead welcomes back Michael Frayn with the first major London revival of Democracy, directed by Jeremy Sams. The Tony Award-nominated drama examines power, loyalty, deception and political ambition through one of post-war Europe’s most remarkable political scandals.
In Hampstead Downstairs, Josh Azouz’s new dark comedy The Rabbi, The Wife & The Prick is directed by Hannah Hauer-King and presented by MMXX. The play explores love, faith and deception through the story of a woman seeking freedom from a marriage that refuses to stay in the past.
Recent INSPIRE graduate Isabella Waldron makes her Hampstead debut with It Never Rains In Kennebunkport, directed by Alice Hamilton. The new play follows a Devon teenager who becomes convinced that former US President George W. Bush is her father and embarks on a mission to gain his attention.
The season concludes with Driftweed, a new play by Chloë Lawrence-Taylor directed by Júlia Levai. Set in a British coastal town threatened by rising sea levels, the drama examines home, community and the lengths people will go to preserve both.
Hampstead Theatre’s Producer and Chief Executive Greg Ripley-Duggan said: “With these five thrilling plays we bring together some of the most exciting writers in theatre today, both familiar and new to Hampstead’s audiences. The season gives us the opportunity to support writers at every stage of their career – a titan of British theatre to established writers and those just beginning to make their mark. Each production is, in its own way, a perfect fit for our stages and together they offer an exceptional programme of compelling stories. Come and join us.”
Further casting and programming for the season will be announced at a later date.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
