Dominic Cooke unveils first season as Almeida Theatre's Artistic Director

The Almeida Theatre has announced an inaugural season under its new Artistic Director Dominic Cooke, featuring four world premieres, bold revivals of modern classics, and a landmark co-production.

Dominic Cooke, who became Artistic Director of London’s Almeida Theatre earlier this year, has unveiled its first season under him, which includes the premiere of Musculus by actor Jamie Bogyo and a revival of John Osborne’s The Entertainer starring David Tennant.

The season spans January 2027 through early 2028 and brings together some of the UK’s most distinctive theatrical voices across seven productions.

A season of new voices and bold revivals

The Almeida Theatre’s 2027-2028 season opens with Caryl Churchill’s Three and a Bit – a collection of biting new short plays directed by James Macdonald, which runs between 14 January and 13 March 2027.

This is followed by The Inequalities – a landmark co-production with A Zeldin Company. It features Alexander Zeldin’s three plays: Beyond Caring, LOVE and Faith, Hope and Charity, which will be performed together as a trilogy for the first time, and will run from 22 March until 22 May 2027.

The world premiere of Musculus, West End actor Jamie Bogyo’s (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Aspects of Love) play exploring marriage, masculinity and gender roles in a darkly comic examination of contemporary relationships also features in the season. Musculus marks Cooke’s directorial debut as Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, and plays between June and July 2027.

More highlights of the Almeida Theatre’s 2027-2028 season

Olivier Award winner Chris Bush returns to the Almeida with The Right Woman, which is a fast-moving political thriller about women in politics directed by The Stage Debut Award winner Sophie Drake. The play features an innovative format: three candidates for Labour Prime Minister, with the audience deciding the outcome at the interval. It is being shown between August and September 2027.

Tony Award-winning anti-apartheid masterpiece The Island follows, playing between October and November 2027. Ola Ince directs the production, which was devised by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona.

Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy, which plays between December 2027 and January 2028, reimagines as a contemporary piece about injustice and British identity. It is directed by Sacha Wares and stars an ensemble of young musician.

Emmy-award winning actor David Tennant (Doctor Who, Macbeth) leads the season’s second major revival, John Osborne’s The Entertainer, which explores Britain’s changing sense of itself against a backdrop of conflict and empire collapse.

The Entertainer will be directed by Cooke, and is coming to the Almeida Theatre in early 2028.

Cooke’s vision for the theatre

Cooke’s vision for the season centres on ideas around a world in crisis, bringing together groundbreaking artists whose work explores contemporary Britain. “It brings together four world premieres, ambitious revivals and a landmark co-production,” he explained. “The season explores ideas around a world in crisis and brings together groundbreaking artists whose work I have long admired.”

Cooke added:“This season reflects what I hope the Almeida can be: a place for bold ideas and work that entertains while asking something of us. Our aim is artistic excellence for the widest possible audience, and I look forward to sharing this next chapter with everyone.”