Kiln Theatre today announces its new 2025/26 season, Amit Sharma’s second as Artistic Director. The programme features three world premieres and a new version of a much-loved hit.
The season will launch with Iman Qureshi’s The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs, a feel-good musical comedy about community, belonging, and the power of finding your voice. Directed by Hannah Hauer-King (The Swell – Orange Tree Theatre / Associate Director – The Wife of Willesden), and co-produced with Emma Hall for Antic Productions and Kitty Wordsworth for Damsel Productions. The new production runs 13 June – 12 July 2025 (Press Night: Friday 20 June) following a sold-out run at Soho Theatre.
This is followed by the world premiere of new musical, Coven, that reinterrogates the true story of the seventeenth century Pendle Witch Trials. This female led musical, which centres the power of women, has music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning Daisy Chute with Rebecca Brewer, book by Rebecca Brewer and is directed by Olivier Award winner Miranda Cromwell (Milma’s Tale, Death of a Salesman). Produced in association with Kindred Partners and Eilene Davidson Productions, Coven runs 31 October – 13 December 2025 (Press Night: Tuesday 11 November).
Dipo Baruwa-Etti (The Clinic – Almeida Theatre) and Taio Lawson (former Associate Director at Kiln Theatre), co-write and direct Seagulls – a new, Black British retelling of Chekhov’s iconic play. This contemporary reimagining explores art, ambition, and the fractures within family and fame – bringing this classic right up to date for a new generation. Seagulls runs 12 February – 21 March 2026 (Press Night: Thursday 19 February).
Completing the season is the world premiere of Please Please Me by Tom Wright (Associate Artistic Director at Kiln Theatre), directed by Amit Sharma. An electrifying and deeply personal story of the troubled life of the ‘Fifth Beatle’, Brian Epstein, his relationship with John Lennon and his contribution to making The Beatles the greatest band on earth. The production runs from 16 April – 23 May 2026 (Press Night: Thursday 23 April).
Full creative teams and casting for all productions to be announced.
Amit Sharma said today, “I’m beyond excited to announce this new season at Kiln Theatre – a season packed with bold storytelling, thrilling music, and reimagined classics. We’re bringing four extraordinary productions to the stage, each one pushing boundaries and sparking conversation.
From the joyous, rebellious heart of The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs to the raw ambition and vulnerability of Brian Epstein in Please Please Me, these are stories that demand to be heard. Coven is a powerhouse new musical about the Pendle Witch Trials – a fierce and timely exploration of womanhood, power, and survival – while Seagulls boldly reimagines a classic, bringing Chekhov’s themes of art and ambition into a fresh, contemporary light.
I can’t wait for all these incredible artists to bring their magic to Kilburn.
Kiln Theatre expands its commitment to making theatre accessible, with the introduction of a £5 ticket rate for residents of Brent and Camden to all preview performances across the new season. This is in addition to their existing £10 ticket rate for under 26-year-olds. Kiln will also offer 1,000 free tickets to local people of all ages who might not otherwise be able to see a Kiln Theatre production.
Priority booking is open now. General on sale opens Monday 17 February at 10am.
Also Kiln Theatre’s flagship Creative Engagement programme, Minding The Gap, is renamed as Arrive Build Create, to better reflect its continued mission of supporting newly arrived young people and those with experience of migration in developing skills and building community through creative activities. For the past 18 years, the programme has collaborated with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) departments in local schools and colleges to deliver drama-based creative sessions – supporting 3,000 people since the programme’s inception. In September, it expanded to include a new group for older adults in partnership with Salusbury World.
In addition to its main house programme, this spring, Kiln Theatre’s production of Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde, directed by Amit Sharma, transfers to the West End produced by 2025 BAFTA and Oscar Award nominee Colman Domingo and Nica Burns. The production opens at the Apollo Theatre on the 19 March, with previews from 8 March, and running until 14 June 2025.
