The Big House has announced its 2026 season, a trio of productions examining state power, censorship and accountability in modern Britain.
Directed by founder and Artistic Director Maggie Norris, the season continues the organisation’s mission to create original theatre with care-affected and marginalised young people.
Opening the programme is A DoL House, which premieres at The Big House’s Islington venue from 23 June to 11 July 2026.
The play explores the hidden realities of Deprivation of Liberty orders, which authorise the severe restriction of freedom for vulnerable teenagers.
Written by BAFTA-winning writer David Watson, the production follows sixteen-year-old Leyla after she is removed from her children’s home and placed under constant supervision in an unknown location.
Later in the year, The Inquest will debut at The Big House from 1 to 19 December.
Developed through the Open House Project in partnership with INQUEST, the play follows a foster father’s fight for accountability after the death of his son shortly after leaving care.
The story by Maggie Norris and James Meteyard examines systemic failure within state systems and the emotional cost of seeking justice.
Completing the season is Blaze FM, which embarks on The Big House’s first UK regional tour in autumn 2026 following its acclaimed run at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The production opens at the Lowry in Salford in September before visiting Bristol Old Vic and the Belgrade Theatre Coventry in October.
Co-written by Grime MC Jammz and playwright James Meteyard, Blaze FM blends gig theatre with Grime, Garage and Drill to tell the story of a pirate radio station battling censorship and state pressure in mid-2000s Hackney.
Speaking about the season, Maggie Norris said, “Every play in this season is about who Britain decides gets a voice and who it decides to silence. The young people we work with are growing up in a country where the gap between those who are listened to and those who are talked over has never felt wider, which begs the question who has the right to be heard? Now more than ever, we need theatre that holds systems to account, that challenges the self-interest that masquerades as policy, and puts the people Britain often ignores squarely centre stage.”
Each production has been developed alongside care-affected young people, with The Inquest created through the organisation’s flagship Open House Project.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
