Shakespeare’s Globe in London has announced two new productions for its winter season in their candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Award-winning theatre maker Tim Crouch (An Oak Tree) directs and stars as Prospero in a new production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, playing in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse from 17 January to 12 April 2026.
The cast of The Tempest also features Naomi Wirthner (Slow Horses, How to Train Your Dragon) as Ariel.
Following The Tempest, Shakespeare’s Globe presents the UK premiere of Deep Azure, written by late Academy Award-nominated actor and writer Chadwick Boseman.
Directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu (For Black Boys…), Deep Azure is playing in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse from 7 February to 11 April 2026.
In Deep Azure, when her fiancé Deep is killed by the police, Azure’s world spirals out of control. Powered by the spiritual imprint Deep has left on them all, Azure and Deep’s friends – Roshad and Tone – do their best to find peace in the wake of the tragedy. However, the Heavenly MCs of Street Knowledge have other plans for them. The play is inspired by the true events of university student Prince Jones, influenced by the poetry of Shakespeare and powered by the pulse of Hip-Hop theatre.
Book tickets to The Tempest at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
More about Deep Azure at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
What’s on at Shakespeare’s Globe
Currently playing at Shakespeare’s Globe in London is The Merry Wives of Windsor until 20 September, and Twelfth Night until 25 October.
Coming up is Troilus and Cressida from 26 September to 28 October, and Pinocchio from 29 November 2025 to 4 January 2026.
What They Said
Shakespeare’s Globe Artistic Director Michelle Terry said in a statement: “It’s a joy and a privilege to have the inimitable Tim Crouch bringing his extraordinary approach to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It’s an honour to be staging the UK premiere of Deep Azure written by the late Academy Award-nominated actor and writer Chadwick Boseman directed by the visionary Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu. This season offers a chance to captivate, enchant and inspire as the nights draw in. Whether by the candlelight of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse or the moonlight of the Globe Theatre, these incredible artists will tell old tales anew as we all try and light our way through the dark.”
Director of The Tempest Tim Crouch said: “I’ve been given the keys to the most interesting theatre in London. The spaces at the Globe are not anonymous black boxes that try to disappear as soon as the play begins. They are companions to any work that happens in them; good companions which support and contribute to the stories that they house. I’m excited about making the whole of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse our stage.”
Deep Azure Director Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu says: “It is an honour to be given the opportunity to direct this beautifully precious gem left behind by the great Chadwick Boseman. From when I discovered the story at the beginning of the pandemic, his play was incredibly poignant in speaking about the injustices of police brutality, the unwinding nature of grief, but also the gorgeous brilliance of our Black Souls and exploring every hue they can express on a stage. His love of Shakespeare and of Hip Hop combine to create this layered, ghostly epic that I have been given the privilege and duty to fully realise in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Celebrating Global Majority writers on this special stage is hugely important to me, and I’m excited to be exploring how the intimacy of this space can support this grand poetic tale.”
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