Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has announced their Autumn/Winter 2023-24 Season. Highlights of the season include:
Over 2,500 free tickets available for those who live and work in the Lyric’s home Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham through ‘Free First Night’ and £5 tickets to all Main House shows for Young Lyric members, applicable to anyone under 25 living in West London.
Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage, in a translation by Christopher Hampton, directed by the Lyric’s Associate Director Nicholai La Barrie opening in September 2023.
The London transfer of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Empress by Lyric Associate Artist Tanika Gupta, directed by Pooja Ghai running in October 2023.
The highly anticipated Lyric pantomime returns with Cinderella in a new adaptation by award-winning writer, composer and comedian Vikki Stone, following the success of Aladdin in 2021.
The start of the Lyric’s new co-producing partnership with Frantic Assembly is an adaption of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, by Lemn Sissay (OBE), directed by Scott Graham. The production tours the UK in 2023, before running at the Lyric from February 2024.
Artistic Director, Rachel O’Riordan directs a major revival of Brian Friel’s masterpiece Faith Healer in Spring 2024.
For the Culture: Celebrations of Blackness, a multi-art form festival championing and celebrating Black British artists, activists, and thinkers returns to the Lyric for its third year, kindly supported by Hammersmith BID.
Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director & CEO of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre said: “This new season is interrogative and imaginative, with plays by bold and exceptional writers – Brian Friel, Tanika Gupta, Yasmina Reza, Lemn Sissay and Vikki Stone. These plays are an interrogation of identity, truth and the power of storytelling. How reliable are the stories history tells us, or those that we tell each other and ourselves?
Theatre generates open debate and conversation; it provokes, challenges and can also create a unique sense of unity in an audience. It reflects our stories back to us, and asks us to understand those stories that are far from our own experience. This is live theatre’s most special power- the creation of new understanding, empathy and compassion in a shared space. Come and be thrilled, entertained, challenged and charmed in our beautiful theatre. We can’t wait for you to join us for this unflinchingly and entertaining season of new stories.”
The season opens with Yasmina Reza’s Olivier Award-winning comedy-drama God of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by the Lyric’s Associate Director Nicholai La Barrie. This will be followed by the London transfer of Tanika Gupta’s The Empress directed by Pooja Ghai, following the success of Gupta’s A Doll’s House directed by Rachel O’Riordan in 2019. The Empress opens at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in July, before its run at the Lyric in October. The epic drama that unveils the long and embedded culture of British Asian history was recently added to the GCSE drama syllabus.
Following the success of Aladdin in 2021, award-winning writer, composer, and comedian Vikki Stone returns to write Cinderella for this year’s much-loved pantomime. A new partnership with Frantic Assembly launches with an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis by Lemn Sissay (OBE), directed by Artistic Director of Frantic Assembly, Scott Graham, running in January 2024.
Completing the season is a revival of Brian Friel’s Faith Healer, voted as one of the 100 most significant plays of the 20th century, and named one of the Independent’s 40 best plays of all time, will be directed by Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan in spring.
Furthering the Lyric’s commitment to accessibility, this season sees an increased access offer with the new addition of Chilled Environment and BSL interpreted performances to all Main House shows alongside the pre-existing Audio Described and Open Captioned performances.
The Lyric believes that everyone should have the opportunity to access theatre. Through the Free First Night scheme across all Main House shows, over 2,500 free tickets will be given to the Hammersmith & Fulham community. The Free First Night scheme, supported by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, offers two free tickets to the first night of all Main House productions and four free tickets for Lyric pantos to people who live or work in Hammersmith & Fulham. Plus anyone aged under 25 living in the Borough can become a Young Lyric member to access £5 tickets to all Main House shows. £10 tickets also continue to be available for Main House shows, and special ticket offers for schools.
