Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench has given her backing to a summer repertory season in Stratford-upon-Avon, encouraging audiences to experience the works of George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde alongside the town's famous Shakespeare productions.
In a specially recorded video released by SHAW2020 Theatre Company, Dame Judi invited theatregoers to include the Rother Street Arts House in their itinerary when visiting Stratford-upon-Avon this season. She highlighted the rare opportunity to experience Wilde, Shaw, and Shakespeare during the same visit.
The promotional video highlights a repertory season presented by Rother Street Arts House and Tread the Boards Theatre Company in association with SHAW2020. The programming features dual stagings of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.
Pygmalion is directed by Jonas Cemm, founder and Artistic Director of SHAW2020. The production depicts the transformation of Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle under the instruction of phonetics professor Henry Higgins.
Running alongside Pygmalion in repertory is Wilde’s comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by John-Robert Partridge, Artistic Director of Rother Street Arts House and Tread the Boards Theatre Company. Partridge also steps on stage to star as Henry Higgins in the Pygmalion production.
The summer repertory season runs from 12 August to 22 August 2026 at the Rother Street Arts House in Stratford-upon-Avon, providing audiences with the chance to see both classic English comedies during the same week.
The season also includes a free panel event titled In Conversation: Pygmalion & The Importance of Being Earnest on 15 August 2026. The discussion brings together the creative team and key literary scholars to discuss the rehearsal process and the legacy of both dramatists.
Hosted by director Jonas Cemm, the panel includes co-director and actor John-Robert Partridge, author and journalist Neil Titley, Chair of The Oscar Wilde Society Vanessa Heron, and Ivan Wise, editor of The Shavian journal for The Shaw Society. Tickets and box office details for the full season are available via the venue.
