London's acclaimed West End studio venue, Jermyn Street Theatre, has officially unveiled its highly anticipated 2026 Autumn season. Curated by Artistic Director Stella Powell-Jones, Co-Artistic Director David Doyle, and Executive Director Penny Horner, the upcoming programming block heavily spotlights the work of two major writers who have fundamentally helped define modern British theatre: Simon Stephens and Sir Richard Eyre. The announcement comes amidst a highly successful year for the intimate 70-seat venue, following the record-breaking, sold-out run of Virginia Woolf's The Waves earlier this spring.
The Autumn season officially kicks off with the UK premiere of A Slow Fire, written by Tony and Olivier Award-winner Simon Stephens. Marking an exciting first-time collaboration with Dublin’s innovative Glass Mask Theatre, the production is directed by Rex Ryan and is scheduled to run from 20 August through 26 September 2026. The gripping narrative follows two men trapped inside a subterranean bunker navigating profound grief, memory, and the psychological search for human meaning in the immediate aftermath of a sudden global catastrophe. Stephens described the surreal piece as a nightmare vision exploring the absolute urgency of hope during an apocalypse.
Following the premiere, the theatre will stage a major London revival of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece Ghosts, utilizing the critically acclaimed stage adaptation by Richard Eyre. Scheduled to run from 8 October through 14 November 2026, the intense family drama will be directed by the theatre's resident Carne Deputy Director, Kwame Owusu. The production explores the dark complexities of family secrets, moral duty, and institutional hypocrisy through the lens of the Alving family. Eyre expressed his delight at bringing the adaptation to the studio space, calling it the perfect intimate venue for such a wrought play.
Casting for both upcoming productions will be announced by the creative team at a later date. Tickets for the highly anticipated Autumn season are available via the official box office, continuing Jermyn Street Theatre's long-standing three-decade commitment to delivering ambitious, risk-taking, and accessible studio-scale theatre in the heart of London.
