The Royal Court Theatre in London has announced its 70th anniversary season for 2026.
Highlights include hit Broadway show John Proctor is the Villain, Gary Oldman in Krapp’s Last Tape, Tilda Swinton in Man to Man, and Rosie Sheehy in a new play by Luke Norris (Goodbye to All That), directed by Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things).
Artistic Director of the Royal Court David Byrne said in a statement: “Everybody back to ours. The Royal Court is turning 70 with the most thrilling season we could imagine. On our stages and far beyond, we’re throwing a legendary, year-long party and you’re all invited.”
World premiere productions at the Royal Court include a new romantic play by Luke Norris – Guess How Much I Love You? starring Robert Aramayo and Rosie Sheehy, directed by Jeremy Herrin; an exciting new play by Georgie Dettmer, Are You Watching?, a provocative world premiere exploring the dark intersection of technology, voyeurism, and consent; and new Ryan Calais Cameron play The Afronauts.
In terms of European premieres, the Royal Court presents a major new production of Broadway hit show Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain, directed by Tony Award-winner Danya Taymor. Also at the Court, is Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s Archduke, in an alternative take on the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, directed by Lyndsey Turner, with design by Es Devlin.
Other highlights include Tilda Swinton, reprising her extraordinary 1988 performance in Manfred Karge’s Man to Man, reuniting her with director Stephen Unwin and designer Bunny Christie from the original production; and Gary Oldman in Krapp’s Last Tape, transferring his celebrated performance from York to London.
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Guess How Much I Love You?
- Written by Luke Norris (Goodbye to All That) and directed by Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things).
- Starring Olivier Award nominee Rosie Sheehy (Machinal), Robert Aramayo (I Swear) and Lena Kaur (Expendable).
- In Guess How Much I Love You? an expectant couple wait in a hospital room as the future they had planned unravels, in this story about impossible choices and enduring love.
Fri 16 January – Sat 21 February 2026
Book Guess How Much I Love You? tickets
John Proctor is the Villain
- Written by Kimberly Belflower and Directed by Danya Taymor (The Outsiders).
- Nominated for 7 Tony Awards including Best Play and Best Actress for Sadie Sink (Romeo & Juliet), the play is a bitingly funny, fresh take on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
Fri 20 March– Sat 25 April 2026
More about John Proctor The Villain tickets
Krapp’s Last Tape & Godot’s To Do List
- Krapp’s Last Tape is written by Samuel Beckett, and directed by and starring Gary Oldman (Slow Horses).
- Opening the performance every night is Godot’s To-Do List, a new Beckett-inspired short play by the Royal Court Young Playwrights Award-winner Leo Simpe-Asante. Godot’s To Do List is directed by Aneesha Srinivasan.
Fri 8 – Sat 30 May 2026
More about Krapp’s Last Tape tickets
Archduke
- Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph (Guards at the Taj, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), directed by Lyndsey Turner (The Crucible, 1536) and designed by Es Devlin (The Lehman Trilogy).
- Archduke is a wild, heartfelt and occasionally accurate tale of history’s most reluctant radicals. Belgrade, 1914. – three hungry young men are offered something to eat (and the chance to change the course of history). Their mission: kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand and set the century alight.
Sat 20 June – Sat 25 July 2026
Man to Man
- Written by Manfred Karge, translated by Anthony Vivis.
- A landmark revival of landmark revival of Manfred Karge’s Man to Man, reuniting the award-winning creative team of the original 1988 production including director Stephen Unwin (The Conquest of the South Pole), designer Bunny Christie (People, Places and Things), and star Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Orlando) as Ella/Max.
- In 1930s Germany, a woman puts on her dead husband’s trousers and never takes them off. As the world around her changes, she endures war and dictatorship, hunger and humiliation – always fighting to stay alive.
Sat 5 September – Sat 24 October 2026
The Afronauts
- A World Premiere from Sky Arts Award-winning playwright Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys…, Retrograde).
- The true(ish) story of the Zambian Space Program, and a nation’s defiant dream to reach for the stars, set in Zambia in 1964.
Sat 14 November – Sat 19 December 2026
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
The Shitheads
- Written by Jack Nicholls, directed by David Byrne and Aneesha Srinivasan.
Fri 6 February – Sat 14 March 2026
Between The River and The Sea
- Written by Yousef Sweid and written and directed by Isabella Sedlak.
Wed 15 April – Sat 9 May 2026
More about Between the River and the Sea tickets
Are You Watching?
- A provocative world premiere exploring the dark intersection of technology, voyeurism, and consent.
- Are You Watching? marks the unflinching professional debut of rising new playwright Georgie Dettmer.
29 May – 4 July 2026
Book Are You Watching? tickets
Blood of my Blood
- Written by Joy Nesbitt, directed by Tatenda Shamiso.
Thu 1 October – Sat 7 November 2026
Monument
- Written by Rhys Warrington, directed by Francesca Goodridge.
Thu 3 December 2026 – Sat 23 January 2027
What They Said
Guess How Much I Love You? writer Luke Norris said: “It’s the honour of my life to get to share this story with audiences. That it will open The Royal Court’s 70th anniversary season in the Theatre Downstairs is a gift beyond my imagining. Just don’t tell me if you think it’s shit.”
John Proctor is the Villain creators Danya Taymor and Kimberly Belflower said: “We are thrilled and honored to bring John Proctor is the Villain to the iconic Royal Court Theatre where so many brilliant and audacious artists have created. It feels like special witchcraft that Arthur Miller’s The Crucible also made its English debut at the Royal Court exactly 70 years ago, and we can’t wait to present our production on the very same stage.”
Krapp’s Last Tape star Gary Oldman said: “I’m very excited to be returning to the Royal Court with Krapp’s Last Tape and to share the stage with Leo’s wonderful play Godot’s To Do-List. I’m very honoured and proud to be a part of it.”
Godot’s To-do List writer Leo Simpe-Asante said: “It is incredibly exciting to see my work produced and staged at the Royal Court. To think that this play – which started as an idea in a drama school text analysis class, and then went on to win the inaugural Young Playwrights Award – is now going on to have a full run in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, is absolutely astounding. I wrote Godot’s To-Do List as an exploration of existentialism, humanity and how we choose to interpret our time on earth, and I cannot wait to see it come to life.”
Godot’s To-do List director Aneesha Srinivasan said: “It’s a pleasure to be directing Leo’s brilliant play again, after having worked with them on the Young Playwrights Award. While Krapp’s Last Tape reminds us of the Royal Court’s storied artistic history, Godot’s To-Do List signals towards our bright young future. In Godot’s To-Do List, Leo cracks open the existential core of Beckett’s writing with characteristic humour and chaos. I am very honoured to bring the play to life in the Theatre Downstairs, and to raise the curtain for the very talented team on Krapp’s Last Tape.”
Archduke writer Rajiv Joseph said: “It is such an honor to be part of the Royal Court’s 70th season, and to bring this world to life with the visions of Lyndsey Turner, Es Devlin and the rest of this wonderful artistic team.”
Man to Man director Stephen Unwin said: “Never go back!”, it’s often said, but revisiting Manfred Karge’s Man to Man with Tilda Swinton once again wearing the Y-fronts, Bunny Christie designing and Ben Ormerod lighting, is a rare creative opportunity. I’ve developed and changed in countless ways since we first staged the play in the 1980s, but it has shaped many of my creative choices ever since. It will be thrilling to return to the Royal Court and see this remarkable play bloom again, and then take it to Karge’s home, the Berliner Ensemble, where he began his career under the leadership of Helene Weigel.”
Writer of The Afronauts, Ryan Calais Cameron, said: “The Afronauts is a love letter to the dreamers history forgot. It’s about what happens when imagination becomes a form of resistance, and how the fight for freedom isn’t just political, it’s cosmic. At its heart, this play asks: what does liberation look like when the whole universe is watching? For me, it’s not just a story about reaching the moon, it’s about the courage to believe we belonged there all along.”
Wyndham's Theatre, London
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