The Old Vic’s acclaimed new production of Arcadia by Tom Stoppard is transferring into the West End.
Arcadia will play at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London for a strictly limited run from 20 June to 12 September 2026.
Directed by Carrie Cracknell (The Grapes of Wrath), Arcadia has proved a huge hit for The Old Vic, performed in the round at the venue as part of artistic director Matthew Warchus’ last season. Read a round-up of reviews of Arcadia here.
The Duke of York’s Theatre will be reconfigured so that this West End transfer is also in the round.
Tom Stoppard’s time-jumping drama
Arcadia is written by multi-award-winner Tom Stoppard (Leopoldstadt, Indian Ink, The Invention of Love, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Shakespeare in Love), who died in December aged 88.
Billed as a dazzling collision of science and romance, Arcadia shifts back and forth in time between the early 1800s and the present, all set at an elegant country estate owned by the Coverly family.
In 1809, teenage prodigy Thomasina Coverly races ahead of her time, exploring mathematics, nature and the unpredictable forces that govern both the universe and the human heart.
In the present day, author Hannah Jarvis investigates a mysterious chapter in the life of Lord Byron with precision, patience and rigour, determined to resist the pull of romanticised myth.
As past and present entwine, their questions begin to echo across time: can we ever truly understand the patterns of life or are we forever poised on the edge of disorder?
Sonia Friedman to produce
The Old Vic production of Arcadia will be produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions (Paddington The Musical, 1536, The Book of Mormon) and Winkler & Smalberg.
Producer Sonia Friedman, a long-time collaborator of the late playwright, described the production as “a way of honouring a friendship.” She added: “Tom was a great friend, and over more than twenty years as his producer I had the privilege of living closely with his work… Arcadia always stood apart. It holds so much of what made him extraordinary.”
The Old Vic production
Casting for the Duke of York’s run is to be announced.
The cast at The Old Vic included Isis Hainsworth (Romeo & Juliet, Almeida; The House of Bernarda Alba, National Theatre) as Thomasina Coverly, with Gabriel Akuwudike (Macbeth, The Chelsea Detective) as Richard Noakes, Seamus Dillane (Richard II, Bridge; Anna Karenina, Chichester) as Septimus Hodge, Leila Farzad (I Hate Suzie; Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) as Hannah Jarvis, and Prasanna Puwanarajah (Payback; Patrick Melrose) as Bernard Nightingale.
The Old Vic. Photos by Manuel Harlan
Joining Carrie Cracknell in the creative team are set designer Alex Eales, costume designer Suzanne Cave, lighting designer Guy Hoare, sound designer Donato Wharton, movement director Ira Mandela Siobhan and composer Stuart Earl.
Arcadia back to the Duke of York’s
This is not the first time that Arcadia has played at the Duke of York’s Theatre. A revival ran in 2009, directed by David Leveaux and starring Dan Stevens and Nancy Carroll.
Arcadia first premiered in 1993 at the National Theatre directed by Trevor Nunn, starring Rufus Sewell, Felicity Kendal, Bill Nighy, Harriet Walter and Samuel West. The drama won Best New Play awards at the Olivier Awards and Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
More about tickets to Arcadia at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Plan your visit
- Theatre: Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London
- Dates: 20 June to 12 September 2026
- Tickets: Book Arcadia Tickets
Duke of York's Theatre, London
Related News
Last Minute Theatre in London: 12 Must-See Shows to Book Right Now
How the Other Half Loves Reviews: Roger Allam dazzles in a masterful Ayckbourn revival
Full cast announced for the all-new Martin Guerre at The Old Vic
Interview – “Stoppard in the Stoppard”: the cast of Arcadia on knowledge, heartbreak and the play they’d happily see 100 times
Latest News
Broadway legend Patti LuPone returns to the London Coliseum for Valentine’s Day 2027
Helen of Troy never got to tell her side. Watch the trailer for the play that does
After a sell-out world tour, The Choir of Man returns to the West End this Christmas
