Sheffield Theatres has announced an expansive 2026/27 season featuring new Shakespeare stagings, major musicals, world premieres and the organisation’s first Open Works Festival.
The season pairs classic texts with newly commissioned work, spanning all three theatre spaces and highlighting both local and international talent.
A double bill of Shakespeare will take centre stage at the Crucible, with King Lear directed by Titas Halder and starring Ian McDiarmid, followed by Twelfth Night directed by Jamie Glover and featuring Mathew Horne.
Director Jonathan Butterell makes a highly anticipated return with the world premiere of The Ballroom, created with Kevin Clifton and Anna Hope.
Further world premieres include John Rwothomack’s Never Look Back, Lettie Precious’ 12 Letters to My Name and Stephanie Street’s stage adaptation of Sunjeev Sahota’s novel The Year of the Runaways.
Jonathan Church also returns to Sheffield with a festive revival of Singin’ in the Rain.
This year will also see the inaugural Open Works Festival, a two-week celebration of talent from across Sheffield and beyond.
The season additionally features The Trip, a new production created and performed by Sheffield Theatres’ Youth Theatre, and Georgina Duncan’s Sapling, winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2025.
Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman said: “As we continue to create and share our current season of work – my first as Artistic Director – I’m so excited to announce news of the next season for Sheffield Theatres.
“Over the coming months, we’re planning to throw our doors open wider than ever before. We’ll be staging bold classics alongside five world premieres, heralding big musicals alongside launching our very first Open Works Festival. We’re championing Sheffield artists next to global voices – making our stages places of discovery, ambition and joy for audiences here in the city and beyond.
“It’s an exciting time, and we cannot wait to make more magic in Sheffield.”
CEO Tom Bird added: “We’re thrilled to be announcing this extraordinary season of work, the ambition of which underlines Sheffield Theatres’ status as a beacon of large-scale, high-quality produced theatre.
“From new productions of world-changing classics, through a much-adored musical, to sparkling new plays and adaptations, our 2026/27 season contains an exhilarating variety of world-class theatre. We can’t wait to welcome audiences from across our region and beyond to enjoy these wonderful shows in our famous theatres.”
Tickets for the 2026/27 season go on sale to Members from 7 March and on general sale from 14 March. Tickets for The Ballroom and Sapling will follow.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
