Pleasance has announced its autumn 2026 theatre season, bringing together a wide-ranging programme of new writing, international performance, musicals and festive entertainment across its Islington venue.
The season opens with the PALArt Festival, running from 23rd September to 3rd October, which transforms the entire building into a hub for Palestinian arts and culture.
The multidisciplinary festival includes theatre, comedy, music and dance, with productions such as The Shroudmaker, El Manshiyyeh, SCREW, a Farce, Return to Palestine, 2077: Who Wants to Survive, Hanna Shammas Takes it to Heart and Two Names, That meet and part.
In October, the Main House hosts the world premiere of BOYHOOD from 14th to 31st October, a new British musical by Conrad Murray and Attic Theatre Company exploring friendship, fatherhood and masculinity through hip-hop theatre.
Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, Remember, Remember! runs from 4th to 21st November, a camp musical parody of the Gunpowder Plot featuring a voice cameo from Stephen Fry.
Asian representation is celebrated in Dragon Boiz Present: The Full Monty on 20th November, a queer cabaret reimagining blending drag, striptease and 90s nostalgia.
Pleasance also delivers a packed festive season, including Yankl and the Beanstalk from 2nd to 12th December, a queer Jewish pantomime featuring the voice of Michael Rosen.
Also arriving is It’s Behind Who! from 9th to 19th December, a Doctor Who-inspired drag panto, alongside the return of Our Gay Maria, a cult Christmas extravaganza.
Halloween brings a mix of horror and camp, with shows including SCARY MOVIES: Gigi and Crusty Play Literally Everybody, Champagne, THE ROGERING and The Triumph of Death.
In the Studio, highlights include BROS from 6th to 10th October, Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers, and Selling Cars to Customers, and I Was Always Here from 20th to 22nd October.
The season concludes with Tale of a Crescent from 17th to 19th December, a community production exploring gentrification through multimedia storytelling.
Ellie Simpson, Head of Theatre at Pleasance London, shares, “This season brings together an incredible range of artists, stories and perspectives. There aren’t many places where all of these productions can sit alongside one another and feel completely at home, but that’s what Pleasance has always done best. Nearly 30 years on, we’re still backing artists to take risks, try something new and tell stories in their own way. At the heart of it all are artists who have something urgent, playful or surprising to say.”
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
